The $40 portable washer bag actually paid for itself in Osaka

I was skeptical about those scrubba-style wash bags but grabbed one before a 2 week trip to Japan. Ended up doing 6 loads in hostel sinks, saving maybe $60 in laundry fees. Anyone else try these for longer trips or is hand washing in a bag just a gimmick for you too?

2 comments

2 Comments

sullivan.piper1mo ago

That scrubba bag saved my ass in Thailand last year. Did like 8 loads over 3 weeks, mostly in cheap guesthouse bathrooms where laundry service was crazy expensive or sketchy. Used it for socks, t-shirts, and gym clothes, then hung everything on a travel line overnight. Biggest tip is to roll the bag with a towel inside to squeeze out extra water, cuts drying time way down. It's not perfect for jeans or heavy stuff, but for basics it beats paying $5 for a single load. Once you figure out the right amount of soap, it's honestly pretty quick too.

abby_chen1mo ago

Honestly I was one of those people who thought the scrubba was a gimmick until I borrowed a friend's in Vietnam. I figured, why not just use a sink and call it a day? Then I actually tried it and realized the difference is the agitation, it gets way more soap out and the water gets actually dirty, not just lukewarm. Did a week's worth of tees and boxers in like fifteen minutes flat, and the towel trick you mentioned made everything dry by morning. I still won't use it for jeans or anything thick, but for travel basics it's honestly better than paying hostel laundry prices. Kinda wish I'd gotten one years ago instead of chasing sketchy laundromats around.