Scrubba – the wiggly washboard for on the go
17/7/2026
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
Pictures: Michael Restin
The Scrubba Wash Bag has been my travel companion for years. It’s brilliant for a quick wash on the go. With a little water and some elbow grease, it keeps me smelling fresh (and keeps those around me happy).
Want the dirty details? I’m not even part of the Scrubba Wash Bag’s original target audience. It’s been a long time since I travelled as a backpacker with nothing but three worn-out T-shirts and two floppy pairs of shorts.
As it turns out, stinking socks on holiday aren’t exclusively a backpacker problem. The Australian wash bag has since built up a broad fan base: city-trip hotel guests, festival-goers, sailing enthusiasts and those who, like me, use it to wash their T-shirts and some kids’ clothes on family holidays.
It seems that what’s practical wins out. And when it comes to dirty laundry, we’re all the same. Here’s how the Scrubba works.
1. Load up the Scrubba (but not too much)
From day one of any trip, the Scrubba serves as my dirty-laundry bag, where I collect all my worn clothing. If I end up not having to do any laundry, I simply take the musty pack back home with me – compressed down to a smaller size and sealed airtight so it doesn’t stink up my bag. The Scrubba has a 13-litre capacity and works for washing a few items of clothing at a time.
Two fill levels are marked with pictograms: the first shows a T-shirt, a pair of socks and a pair of underpants. The second marks the maximum: two T-shirts, two pairs of socks, two pairs of underpants. If you want a thorough wash, you should stick to this. I haven’t always, cramming in significantly more. That’s fine too – but only if the washboard effect isn’t as important to you, and a thorough rinse will do. And it carries a risk: worst-case scenario, the Scrubba’s roll-top seal can burst, letting out all the water in a gush.
2. Add a little water and (the right) detergent
If you stick to the load limit, three to six litres of water and a touch of detergent is enough. Make sure the water temperature doesn’t go over 50 degrees. If you’re doing your laundry outdoors, use a detergent that’s made for use in the wild. I’ve never had only a river to rely on – I’ve always had access to a drain, so I mostly rely on curd soap, which is the ultimate jack-of-all-trades.
If you care about that fresh laundry smell, laundry detergent strips will give you that, all while weighing almost nothing and being easy to tear apart for dosing. I’ve used them, with good results.
3. Roll up and seal the bag
The Scrubba works like a normal dry bag: to make sure it doesn’t leak, you have to roll up the opening carefully and secure it with the buckle. Doing so will take away about a third of the bag’s capacity – but in return, it turns into a wonderfully wiggly washing machine.
4. Release the air
The Scrubba Wash Bag has a valve to release any air left in the bag once it’s rolled up and closed. Open it a tad and gently push the air towards the valve, until only a little is left inside. Thanks to the transparent panel, you can keep an eye on everything. Now close the valve again and get ready to rumble.
5. Scrub, scrub, scrub and rinse
How clean your laundry will get depends heavily on your stamina. Scrubba recommends scrubbing and kneading for all you’re worth, anywhere from 30 seconds to three minutes. It works, and it hasn’t damaged a single item of my clothing. That said, I wouldn’t wash outrageously expensive silk shirts in the Scrubba, but everyday, practical clothing is no problem.
After washing, rinse the clothes in fresh water, wring them out and hang them up. When you’re done, turn the Scrubba inside out and hang it up to dry too – not in direct sunlight, to protect the material.
The limits of hand-washing
While the Scrubba does well with light summer clothing, jeans or jumpers quickly push it to the limit. You can still wash those items, but you’ll want to open the bag halfway through and turn the item of clothing, so it comes into contact with the Scrubba’s nubs on all sides. You also need to be careful if the item has zips or buckles that could damage the Scrubba.
Durability, material and variants
The Scrubba Wash Bag weighs just 150 grammes, and I wasn’t sure at first whether it would survive many uses. It’s made from tough nylon, coated with a waterproof layer of TPU. Compared with my other dry bags, the material feels very thin – and it’s the only one I regularly press and prod with gusto. But lo and behold: even six years on, there’s no sign of material fatigue, no tears, and nothing to suggest I won’t be travelling with it for many more years to come. According to the manufacturer, holes can be repaired with pool repair adhesive or a bike repair kit.
The Australian manufacturer strives to make the Scrubba Wash Bag as environmentally friendly as possible. The white «Untouched» Scrubba is an unbleached and undyed – and therefore even more eco-friendly – version of the wash bag.
The company deliberately avoids PVC and has partnered with «1% for the Planet», meaning it donates 1% of its total revenue each year to environmental causes, and in general gives off a credible impression of wanting to do the right thing. That said, none of that changes the fact that you can’t recycle the Scrubba at the end of its (hopefully long) life.
Source: Deutsche Fotothek, CC BY-SA 3.0
Criticism mainly focused on the price
I’m happy with the Scrubba, and so are most other users. Any criticism often comes down to the same complaint: too expensive! My mother-in-law thought so too. She bought one, decided it was unnecessary, and sent it back. Her verdict? «The sink does the job just as well.» Sure, you can wash your clothes another way. And a dry bag of similar size without a washboard, transparent panel or valve costs less than half the price of the Scrubba.
But it’s worth looking at the story behind it. It all started with the Australian Ash Newland, who had the brainwave on a Kilimanjaro trek and decided to swap his life as a patent attorney for one as an inventor and entrepreneur. His success has proved him right. I think his product is far smarter than one of those daft, grinning bags that taunt you with a «Wash me!» print, while doing nothing to help.
As far as I’m concerned, the Scrubba is worth the money. In addition to the green version I tested, the wash bag is also available in black at Galaxus.
In a nutshell
Solid travel gadget for a quick wash
The Scrubba Wash Bag acts like a kind of mini washboard: you add water, your clothes, let out the air, then use some elbow grease to rub the fabric over the nubbed inner surface for 30 seconds to three minutes. It’s easy and works very well for light summer clothing. With larger loads, you’ll hit the Scrubba’s limits. Even so, it’s become a travel staple for me over the last six years. I recommend it to anyone who likes to travel light.
Pro
- Tried-and-true method that gets your clothes clean
- Light and robust
- Uses little water
- Still watertight after six years
Contra
- Not recyclable
Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer and dad of two who likes to be on the move, wading through everyday family life. Juggling several balls, I'll occasionally drop one. It could be a ball, or a remark. Or both.
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