Seven years after impressing us with the world’s smallest and lightest washing machine, the team behind the five-ounce (140 g) Scrubba has returned to Kickstarter promising to help hygienically-minded travelers shed even more weight. The palm-sized Scrubba Mini is half the weight of the original and packs up into a tighter bundle, though that doesn’t mean it’s limited to just laundering socks and jocks.
Intended for ultra-light travel adventures, like hiking and camping, the Scrubba Mini tips the scales at just 70 g (2.5 oz). Like the original, the idea here is that folks traveling light with few clothing items can keep their wardrobe fresh by cleaning items as they go, meaning they can pack less when they set off from home.
Users insert socks, jocks, a shirt or anything that will fit inside the bag, add water and detergent and then seal off the bag with a similar roll and clip design to what you’d find on a dry bag.
The air can then be drawn out via a release valve to deflate the bag, at which point an internal washboard dotted with plastic knobs comes into play, helping scrub the clothes clean as the user rubs from the outside. The clothes are then rinsed and hung up to dry, along with the bag itself.
The bag is made from durable polyether TPU coated nylon fabric and is said to wash clothing items in as little as three minutes. The company claims it is twice as effective as hand-washing and on par with the performance offered by a washing machine.
Currently on Kickstarter, pledges for the Scrubba Mini start at AU$35 (US$25), with shipping slated for August this year if all goes to plan. You can check out the pitch video below.
Ultralight Scrubba Mini is a palm-sized washing machine for those traveling light [New Atlas]