Do RV Parks Have Laundry Facilities? (Explained)

Depending on the length of the trip you intend to take in your RV, you are probably not thinking about what to do with your laundry.

Most of us who go on week-long, or even shorter, vacations pack enough clothes to get us through that particular timeframe.

Do RV parks have laundry facilities, though?

Yes! When you take those long trips, you will find that most RV parks do have laundry facilities on-site. They are usually well-kept and reasonably-priced, so you’ll be able to keep your clothes and blankets fresh for the whole trip!

Navigating these facilities can be tricky, so let us inform you about what we’ve learned this week!

Washers And Dryers:

Laundry facilities are often featured at parks that facilitate RV camping, especially those that cater to full-time RV living.

However, just because they do offer laundry facilities, doesn’t mean that they will always be adequate or available.

Most RV parks that offer laundry facilities do not have enough washers and dryers to meet their demand. This can be especially detrimental if one of the washers or dryers becomes out of order.

This means that you will likely have to wait for a machine to become available and this can make doing laundry a time-consuming effort for you.

Some places will offer commercial size laundry machines that can fit more of your clothes inside at one time. These can help you to speed up the process and get more laundry done at one time.

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How Much Do Laundry Facilities Cost on Campgrounds?

Laundry facilities on campgrounds are similar in cost to go to your typical laundry mat, but they are generally a little more expensive.

This is because they have fewer machines available and are running a smaller facility. When you do utilize these facilities it is normally like a laundromat in that you will pay per load, per machine.

It is a good idea to make sure you have quarters when you plan to use these machines. Some places will have a change machine, and some high-tech laundry facilities will let you utilize an app to pay for your laundry, but it is better to be safe than sorry and have quarters on hand.

Laundry facilities can cost anywhere from $1.00 to $2.50 per load per machine. This is average for both on-site laundry facilities as well as off-site facilities.

Do KOA Campgrounds have Laundry Facilities?

KOA campgrounds are one of the largest networks of professional campgrounds and features over 500 locations across the United States and Canada.

These campgrounds feature a wide variety of amenities that include laundry services that are open for 24 hours to be more convenient for their campers.

These services also will cost the camper additional money beyond the reservation price.

How Often Do RVers Do Laundry?

Whether or not you need to do laundry while you are RV camping is largely determined by how long you intend to be out on the road.

For most of us, doing laundry is not necessary for a week-long trip or less. It is very common to be able to pack enough clothes that will last you for the week.

However, if you are a full-time RV camper or you are planning a longer trip than you will likely be looking for a way to do your laundry while out on the road.

How often you do laundry depends on your specific needs, as well as the availability of laundry facilities where you are going.

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If you are at a facility that offers laundry services, you might want to take advantage, in case your next stop does not. Doing your laundry more frequently will also help you decrease the number of dirty clothes that you need to store in your RV.

The average person needs to do laundry about every other week depending on how many clothes you own or how dirty you get them.

Especially if they are too dirty to wear again, which can happen when you spend the majority of time outdoors or on the road.

Should I Add A Washer or Dryer to Our RV Instead?

There are many pros and cons to adding a washer and dryer to your RV unit instead of relying on your campgrounds to have them available.

Pros:

The pros of having a washer and dryer in your RV are that you can do your laundry without relying on other facilities being available. This provides more flexibility to get your laundry done.

The laundry unit that you would buy for your RV would most commonly be a 2-in-1 system that washes and dries the clothes in the same machine. This is because you will save space in your limited RV space by only needing to put in one unit.

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Cons:

One of the cons of getting your own washer/dryer unit is that you will pay a high cost for the unit. This can be a large expense that would only be worth it if you intend to use it regularly.

These machines are also very small. This can be a problem if you do not have enough space to house both a washer and dryer unit, but that also means you can only do small loads of laundry.

This means that you will spend more time doing laundry than you would if you used a commercial machine.

It would also take more time because the machine does both the washing and drying, which means you could only do one full load at a time.

This is unlike doing laundry at home because you normally can have both the washer and dryer running a load at the same time.

Another con would be whether or not you would be able to get a unit that is properly vented. If you cannot find a properly vented unit, it will take longer for your clothes to dry which also adds additional time.

You would also only want to run this machine if you were at a site that had full hookup so that you were not using too much of your water, or filling up your gray water tank too quickly.

Other Tips for Doing Your Laundry While Out on the Road:

Having a laundry unit on your RV, or in your RV Park are not your only option when it comes to getting your laundry done while out on the road.

You have other options if you need to do laundry and you don’t have anything available.

Visiting a Nearby Laundromat:

One option is skipping the RV Park’s laundry facility and taking your clothes to a nearby laundromat that is off-site.

This means additional travel but can come with many upsides.

One pro to going offsite is that you will often find a place that offers more machines and costs less per load. This means that you can do your laundry quicker than you would be able to at an on-site facility or in your RV.

Wash Your Clothes “Old-School”:

If you do not have access to a traditional facility, you could always wash your clothes with a hand-wash and hand dry method.

This involves washing your clothes by hand and then hanging them out to dry.

Make sure if you do this, you know whether or not your campsite allows you to hang-dry your laundry. Not every location will allow this.

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Make Space for Your Dirty Clothes and Laundry Supplies:

Something that you will want to make sure you think about is where to store your dirty clothes. You will not want to store them with your clean clothes so you need to find a place to store them separately.

Some RVs come with built-in solutions, such as a laundry chute under the bathroom sink, but if you do not have this option, you can still find ways to keep your laundry out of the way.

This is a consideration to make when buying an RV, especially if you know you plan to live in it. If you do not currently have any solutions, there are plenty of creative options to choose from.

These can include hiding them in a storage area such as a footstool, hide a laundry bag under the furniture, or even keep them in unused areas or closets.

Another thing you will want to make sure is that you have all the soap and dryer sheets you will need to do your laundry.

Staying away from bulk sizes can help when it comes to storage space.

You also want to make sure you buy what you need as they normally upcharge you if you buy from a laundromat or camping convenience store.

Make Sure You Budget for Laundry:

No matter what option you choose to do when it comes to laundry, you will want to make sure you budget for it. This could include the cost of a new unit or the money that you will spend using machines.

Not accounting for this expense can start to add up after a while. Anyone who has ever had to work with a laundromat or laundry complex knows that $3.00 per load adds up very quickly, even for one person.

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Overall…

There are a lot of advantages to having your own washer-dryer in your RV. However, don’t forget to really experience the rural lifestyle, and try to use your RV park’s laundry facilities.

You may be surprised!