The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Our new RV washing machine!

Just puttered around most of the day yesterday.

I had bought a gallon of distilled water at Walmart the other day and topped up the batteries. I check them once a month, and they were due for some water and a clean up.

In fact, someone had told me that they simply use boiling water to clean their batteries. So I thought I would try that instead of the messy baking soda solution that dissolves the corrosive powder that tends to accumulate over time around the connections.

Simply put, it worked fine. A bit of a scrub with an old toothbrush around the terminals, but now they're nice and clean and the water level is topped up. They're going on five years old now and seem to be working just fine.

I then put on some Anti Corrosion Gel to help slow down future corrosion.

Then, we both tried out our new washing machine!

All it takes is 30 seconds to one minute of agitation.

It works great! It's actually amazing. It even sounds like a washing machine!You can literally hear the soapy water being pulled through the clothing. We need a slightly bigger bucket, but we'll pick one up along the way somewhere. You only need one to two teaspoonfuls of detergent in each load, but it does work best doing only a few items at a time.

I did it with four old dirty rags that I use for mechanical work and it cleaned them right up. I was impressed!

Very sturdy, and made in the USA!

You can buy one here...



Sam, the dog here. "Can somebody come out and play with me?"

Little bits of art decorate the trail that Roy and Melonie built around their property.

Great desert views.

And lots of prickly plants.

But, it's time to move on. Next stop, Las Vegas, Nevada!


28 comments:

  1. Love that portable washing machine gadget! Have fun in Vegas. :) http://www.20YrsFromNow.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Colin switched to the boiling water method to clean the batteries several years ago, much easier for certain. I suggest one of those large Home Depot pails, seems to work the best.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually, I think it was Colin who told me about that!

      Delete
  3. How come it was Ruth and not you do the heavy labor on that washing machine? :cD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She looks so much better in the picture. But I did use it for the work rags that needed washing! Besides, for some reason the clothes seem to come cleaner when she does it. Plus, she likes the exercise. :-)

      Delete
  4. So glad it works - great for off grid living or long stretches boondocking.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Getting a few things done, like your new washing machine.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful views! Love the cholla! You guys are a hoot with your hand washer. How is that better than just washing things out by hand in a bucket of water? I do that with underwear all the time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's much more efficient, and a lot less work Sherry.

      Delete
  7. Looks like that portable washing machine could also come in handy if the toilet's clogged ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Had a good laugh with the portable washing machine. Here, a lot of the men do their own laundry!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Saves money, water, and electricity. Works for us!

      Delete
  9. I am so glad you used that washer. I told Paul that i have never seen anything like it. So glad it worked super for you two.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good old American ingenuity. And a little muscle...

      Delete
  10. I really want one of those! Glad you gave it a good review. Grace (in Tucson)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Looks like you're still having great weather. Here it continues to stay wet and drippy and temps hover around 14C during the day. I'm getting moldy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, high of about 28C and sunny here in Las Vegas. I think tomorrow though, the weather is going to take a turn for the worse...

      Delete
  12. I looked close at the diagram on Amazon and saw how it comes apart. I bet you could use a taller broomstick handle to screw in and not lean over so far, might make it a bit easier on the back?
    KarenInTheWoods and Steveio
    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    (Blog) RVing: The USA Is Our Big Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com
    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, they made it with a standard thread so that you could do just that. The other thing is that you could sit down in a chair with the bucket on the ground between your legs, again not having to bend over.

      Delete
  13. That washing machine model is a lot more economical than the ones the RV places sell:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't seen the ones the RV places sell but from the research Kevin did, it seems this one had the best reviews.

      Delete
  14. I might have to buy one of those! I like gadgets like that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So far we like it but we will give it a better workout when we get back to the motorhome in a month's time.

      Delete

There are more comments on our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TravelwithKevinAndRuth

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.