I can see running your generator for a couple hours to wash a load of clothes, as you could charge your batteries at the same time, but how much water does a typical washer, like that 24" Maytag take to do a load?
According to Laundry Alternatives, the wonder wash:
1. Does a load in about 5 minutes.
2. Only costs $43 so it pays for itself in a couple months.
3. Uses no electricity.
4. Weighs only 6 lbs (According to Maytag, their 2cf, 24" washer weighs 172 lbs.)
5. It's dimensions are 12x12x16 so it takes up less room.
6. Most important to me it uses about 2 gallons of water/load to both wash and rinse - 90% less water than a typical washing machine, so if you must do twice as many loads it still uses 80% less water.)
7. It only uses a teaspoon of detergent/load too.
Disadvantages:
1. It must be hand cranked it for a minute or two to wash and another minute to rinse.
2. It only holds 5 lbs of clothes (about 1/2 of a 24" washer's capacity.)
So it's easier to stay in a particular boondocking location longer before being forced to move to take on more water or dump gray tanks. Of course if you only stay in FHU RV parks then this is not a consideration. Of course with only a 5lb capacity you'll still have to use the laundry mat for large items, like sheets and blankets occasionally, but for full-timers this can be timed for between 14 day mandatory moves or when you shop for groceries, without moving your rig. How does it clean so fast? The pressure build up inside the sealed tub forces detergent into the clothes speeding up cleaning and rinsing much like a pressure cooker speeds up cooking.
There are several other mini-washers on the market. I have no interest in pushing a particular machine, but this one appears sturdy and reliable, conserves resources and has certainly been out for a while with good reviews. It seems perfect for someone who boondocks a lot, saving trips to the washateria. I plan on getting one when I go FT.
As far as a drier, I don't own one now in my S&B but hang everything on a clothes line allowing it to air dry (I live in Louisiana - high humidity to slow drying some compared to the desert SW, but it rarely freezes.) Since I may be restricted in hanging clothes in some places I plan on getting one of those mini-spin driers too, like this. http://www.amazon.com/The-Laundry-Alternative-Countertop-Portable/dp/B002HT0958 While they are electrically operated, they only draw 82 watts for 2-3 minutes so won't draw too much power from the batteries like a heated drier will.
Chip
1999 National Tropical
Triton V10, Ford F53 Chassis