We recently took a 30-day family vacation to Europe that included two week-long cruises. We needed to pack light(er). We moved around and stayed in multiple cities when we weren’t on the cruise ships. Few hotels had expedited laundry services and the cruise ships charged by the piece. We planned to minimize our costs by washing some of our clothes ourselves, especially on the cruise ships when we had several days to allow our clothes to hang dry. On another note, most European dryers don’t use heat; they just tumble with air for a long time. Since we planned to wash some of our clothes ourselves, we brought along the Scrubba Wash Bag and a utility line to dry the clothes.

How Big Is The Scrubba Wash Bag?

The Scrubba Wash Bag weighs in at 5.3 oz and, folded up, is about the size of a soda can (6.3” x 22.4” x 2.4”)”  It ‘s capable of washing two shirts, two pairs of underwear, and two pairs of socks in its 21.3” x 12.6” unfolded capacity. As we were learning how to use the Wash Bag, we started with less items, then built to washing loads of 4-6 pairs of underwear or socks or a load of 3 shirts. We only tried washing pants once and washed them individually.

How We Used It

We used our days at sea on the cruise to wash a couple of loads and catch up on laundry. For the rest of the trip, we tried washing a load each night to allow it to dry by morning so we could pack it up. Of note, we brought lightweight or technical (mostly polyester) clothing so it would wring out and dry faster. We took advantage of hotel towel heaters or balconies to aid in the drying process. 

We used both Tide Liquid Travel Sink packets and Sink Suds detergent, which we brought with us since they meet the TSA 3-1-1 requirements. We used two packets per load for both brands, keeping the suds down and minimizing the time it took to rinse the garments. We rinsed the clothing off in the shower, but if you were using the Wash Bag outdoors, you could rinse the garments in the bag and dump the water (about 100 feet) away from your natural water source. I would suggest eco-friendly soap for outdoor use.

The inside of the bag has an internal, flexible washboard made of rubber bumps designed to aid in scrubbing without damaging your clothing. They suggest about 30 seconds to 3 minutes of scrubbing. We scrubbed for about one and a half to two minutes per load. A grip surface on the back of the bag prevents the bag from sliding around while trying to agitate the laundry. We pretreated anything that had a stain or spill on it before washing it. Our clothes came out smelling neutral (the detergents were perfume-free) but odor-free and had no visible stains. 

Tips & Tricks

It was easy to use and took up hardly any space in your pack or bags. User-friendly directions are printed on the Wash Bag’s exterior, including fill lines dependent on load size. We found that you needed to find the right amount of air to leave in the bag so the clothes could move around and rotate in contact with the internal washboard. It was a Goldilocks tale, but the air release valve makes it easy to do without spilling water and soap. After each load, we rinsed the bag and hung it to dry, inside out, using the clip from the roll-down seal. With the roll-down seal and waterproof design, you can use the bag as a dry-bag or store your dirty clothing while traveling. 

Final Thoughts

We found the Scrubba Wash Bag to be a more efficient and cleaner method to wash our clothes than using the sink while on our trip. Because of its convenient size and weight, we have opted to bring it on other, shorter trips to be able to pack less clothing. It’s ben a while since I have been backpacking, but this would be a minimal addition for the comfort of having clean clothes every few days. You could work in your routine to wash at night or in the morning and dry your clothes on a line at night or on the move during the day. Whether camping, hiking, or just traveling, the Scrubba Wash Bag is a convenient way to clean your clothes while traveling light.