In a few posts, we’ve let it slip every now and then that we’re not really friends of campgrounds. For example, we always use our own bathroom, toilet or kitchen to do the dishes. That’s where we tick a little differently, because many people only want to use the facilities in the motorhome in an emergency if possible.
This works quite well for shorter distances, but as soon as the trip lasts longer than a week, it quickly becomes tight. You always take relatively many things with you and the cupboards are bursting at the seams. That’s exactly what happened to us on our first real long trip in Cali last fall, because at some point the clothes are all dirty and you have to head for a laundromat or campsite. This has annoyed us mega, plus the fact that there are simply no laundromats in Norway and Sweden and the Scandinavians all seem to own a washing machine😅. Of course, a campsite on its own is not a bad thing and offers many amenities. But there is nothing worse than having to wait two hours at a campsite because three people are washing before you. When it’s finally your turn and you’ve turned on a machine and come within ten seconds of the end of the program, someone has already grabbed your laundry and put it on the machine or in a basket. We don’t want anyone touching our stuff or putting it anywhere, at the show 🤢. In addition, how the machines look in part, you are not sure whether the laundry is possibly dirtier afterwards.
For fun, we came up with the question of whether there is not a washing machine for the camper!? And sure enough, we found what we were looking for in the Netherlands, where else? The manufacturer Mestic offers a whole range of camping accessories, including washing machines. Fire and flame we jumped in the car and drove to the “Camper IKEA” Obelink. There we chose the Mestic MW-120 model. Yes, but why exactly the model, some of you are wondering. We really wanted a machine that could also spin. Mestic has two models in the program, the MW – 100 which can not spin and the MW – 120. which provides exactly the desired function.
The MW – 120 in detail
We can’t say anything about the function and workmanship of the MW – 100, since we only tested and ultimately kept the MW – 120 .
First of all, a few facts about the MW – 120 :
- 3.5 kg capacity in the washing drum
- 1.5 kg capacity in the drying drum
- 2 wash programs (Normal & Gentle)
- Timer up to 15 minutes for the washing drum
- Timer up to 5 minutes for the drying drum
- Voltage 230 Volt
- Power 250 W when washing and spinning at the same time, otherwise approx. 120 watts per drum.
- Weight 10,5 kg
That to the technical facts, some of you feel now certainly so 😱. Yep read correctly and unsurprisingly the MW – 120 only works with a 230 volt connection, with 12 volts the whole thing would be a bit difficult. So you need either shore power or a powerbank, for example a Jackery, or a voltage converter.
That of course water must be in the tank, we need not mention at this point or? 😆
Washing process
The washing process is relatively simple. The desired program is set using the rotary controls on the top.
Then add detergent to the washing drum and place the laundry inside. Now water is missing, you need a lot of it! Assuming you want to wash the maximum amount of 3.5 kilos, you will have to fill in about 20 liters of water.
On the inside of the MW – 120 there are three lines, these serve as an indicator whether enough water is filled in. Here you can remember that the clothes must be completely covered by water. If this is not the case, the machine cannot turn the laundry properly and your clothes will not get clean. You have to decide whether you want to wash cold or with warm water, as is actually customary. We always set our Truma to 60 degrees and fill the water tank of the washing machine with it, since the Cali has only 10 liters of hot water and we fill 20 liters, this results in a good temperature – mixture 😊. Then you can finally start washing. As soon as you have set the timer to the desired time, the washing program begins. Mestic recommends 12-15 minutes for heavy soiling. Whatever, we always set 15 minutes, because too clean there is not 😅.
As soon as the washing process is completed, you must transfer the laundry from the washing drum to the spin drum. Pay attention to the weight here, because the washing drum holds 2 kg more than the spin drum can. For the spin program, it is also recommended to select the maximum time of five minutes.
Once the laundry is completely washed and spun, the fun starts all over again. Because the garments still need to be rinsed out, a “normal” washing machine also does. To do this, all the steps are repeated, with one small difference. The old water must be drained and replaced with fresh water. But this time, of course, without detergent.
When we wash outside, we use a canister for the waste water. If the weather doesn’t allow it, the washing machine is in front of the bathroom and the waste water hose is in the shower tray.
No one said it was quick or easy 🤣.
Conclusion
As always in life, everyone must decide for themselves whether they have the time and, above all, the desire to wash their laundry on the road in this way or at all. For us, this turned out to be the ideal solution. With a price of 150 euros, the MW – 120 is not necessarily a bargain, but we have calculated the campsite and laundry costs against it. If the campsite costs 20 euros per night – if you get a cheap one – you have the washing machine already after 5 nights back in. In addition, of course, there are costs for coins or the like, for the washing itself.
Of course, we assume that we are mostly free standing and therefore do not pay anything for pitches.
Here is the fun
Who does not live near Winterswijk, so Obelink, and wants to support the best blog in the world 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 can order the MW – 120 gladly at Camping Wagner via our link.
