On Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:52:40 -0230, Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU> wrote:

>You know, laundromats are a really easy way to do laundry on the road!
>
>And if you're at a campground anyway, the sink is pretty good too.  For
that
>matter, lots of campgrounds even have laundromats!  No need to clutter your
>van with washing machines...
>
>On the other hand, dumping soapy water into the environment might not be
>such a good idea, unless you're using biodegradable soap - available in
>camping goods stores for more than it costs to go to the laundromat (whose
>soapy water goes to the sewage treatment plant before it gets to the
>environment...).
>
>
>
>Joy

Joy,
This thread started with a tongue-in-cheek Friday posting about a hand-
operated clothes washing device that does not exist.  In response,
references were made to the existence of an actual product.  No one
suggested that the product had any real application when camping in a
Vanagon.

In relating an experience from many years ago, I meant to convey the
thought that there is not much new under the sun where basic needs are
concerned, and that simpler is often better, the common five-gallon
bucket having been offered as an example of an object having a
high degee of utility when camping.  Any concern you inferred from that as
to soapy gray water being indiscriminately dumped on the ground was
misplaced.

I too use a laundromat when on a road trip, just as I also may avail myself
of a restaurant, or a market, or a post office.  However, I have no use for
such conveniences when camping, preferring to be self-contained in somewhat
remote locations void of man-made "improvements".  Perhaps you enjoy a more-
urban style of camping, such as commercial RV parks, where such
conveniences are close by and there is hot water on demand, and wifi as
well; do whatever works for you.

Bill