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Washing machines are becoming increasingly popular to have aboard your rig. More and more RV manufacturers are either coming equipped with a washing machine or they are including the necessary plumbing to install your own washing machine in your RV.

Washing machine plumbing connections in an RV
Washing machine plumbing connections in an RV

Benefits Of An RV Washing Machine 

Having a washing machine in your RV comes with some obvious advantages over laundromats and campground laundry facilities. Being able to do laundry without needing to pay additional costs, no longer needing to lug heavy loads of laundry across a campground, and not having to spend time waiting in laundromats are just a few of the benefits. 

Restrictions For RV Washers

In order to use a washing machine that is onboard your RV you need to consider a few things. With a few exceptions, RV washers are plumbed to either your gray water holding tank or to a direct connection on the RV wastewater manifold (where the gray and black water holding tank valves are located). In either setup, it is best to be connected to the sewer port at your campsite with the valve open, since the washer will ultimately need to drain directly into the sewer port (due to the amount of water) as seen in the picture below.

RV sewer hose connected to dump station sewer port
RV sewer hose connected to dump station sewer port

Full hookups also are needed to supply water to the washer. Besides water, powering your washing machine also requires some thought and planning. If your RV is equipped with a washing machine you will need to find campgrounds that provide full hookups that are powerful enough to run the appliance because an RV washer will require 120 volts to run.

Electric and water connection at a full hook ups campsite
Electric and water connection at a full hook ups campsite

RV washing machines do not have the same clothing capacity as household washing machines because of space and weight limitations.  Additionally, on many RV washing machines, especially the style with built-in drying capabilities, 3-4 hours of wash and dry time will be required. 

RV Laundry Detergent

RV washing machines require far less laundry detergent than a washing machine in a sticks and bricks house. This will rule out nearly all pod-style detergents, since these are designed for full-sized washing machines.

Many RV washing machines are also front load style. This means they require high efficiency detergent, indicated by the letters “HE” on the label.

A bottle of High Efficiency laundry detergent
A bottle of High Efficiency laundry detergent

After considering the pros, cons, and limitations of doing laundry in your RV, the question now is: What is the best laundry detergent to use while at a campground?

RV Laundry Detergent Considerations 

Things to consider when choosing an RV laundry detergent include:

  • Corrosive effects on gray water holding tank sensors and seals. Many laundry detergents contain ingredients that are not so great for RV plumbing systems. Some of these are corrosive chemicals, antibacterial chemicals and chemicals that do not biodegrade. These ingredients can lead to damage of gray water holding tanks and the campground septic system.
  • The detergent’s ability to keep soap suds at bay. Soap suds can make their way past door gaskets and can cause leaks into the RV. 
  • And finally, the detergent’s ability to biodegrade overtime. 

We recommend staying away from any laundry pods as the dose is too large for an RV washing machine. It is also best to steer clear of any ultra concentrated detergents for the same reason. 

Powders should also be avoided as they often contain ingredients which can corrode sensors in the gray water holding tank. Based on what we learned from the  ingredient list and SDS (Safety Data Sheet) for the following products, we have compiled a list of recommended laundry detergents for use in an RV washing machine. (This is not an exhaustive list, nor have we been paid by the brands listed below.) The recommended laundry detergents are listed in alphabetical order.

RV Laundry Detergent Recommendations

If you would like to read more about RV washing machines, check out this article!

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