Confession time: years ago, I was backpacking through Italy, attempting to pack lightly while also carrying everything with me I could possibly need. When I got to Venice, I was counting on my hotel to have the washing machine they’d advertised, but when I arrived, there was none to be found.
Which is how I found myself without clean underwear three days before I was supposed to go home.
What followed was a mildly embarrassing and thoroughly inconvenient quest to find laundry soap suitable for using in my room’s sink, and then, failing that, a slightly-more embarrassing quest to find new, affordable underthings in a city where I could only say “please,” “thank you,” and “where is the train station?”
Though now, a decade later, it’s a funny story to share, any traveler who’s tried to balance baggage restrictions with wardrobe requirements can probably relate to my former woes. And while it’s easy enough to say, “Just pack some soap” or “Just pack more things” in response, we’ve all been let down by an overweight bag, TSA liquid restrictions, false advertising or emergency clothing needs.
Well, fellow travelers, I have some good news! Our laundry needs are about to become on-the-go friendly, and even the most determined of homebodies are going to want in on this cleaning game, too.
Meet the Sonic Soak Tiny Washing Machine.
Yes friends, it’s true. That tiny little object you see there, the one that kind of looks like a speaker, can clean nearly anything anywhere— and you don’t need soap to do it.
Now, you know that here at TipHero we’re more likely to share a DIY method of doing or making just about anything than we are to send you out to buy something. We’re making an exception for this one, however, because honestly? It’s just that darn cool! Who wouldn’t want to clean anything from your bra to fruit to jewelry with one soap-less item?
Yes, we said “anything your bra to fruit to jewelry,” and we’re not lying. According to the description over on the Sonic Soak’s Indiegogo page, this gadget can clean:
- Laundry
- Lingerie
- Hand-wash-only fabrics, like silk and cashmere
- Fruits and vegetables
- Razors
- Personal hygiene tools, like nail clippers, combs, and tweezers
- Toys and figurines
- Watches
- Jewelry
- Silverware
- Glasses
- Baby items
And that’s just the start! Basically, if it can go in water, you can clean it with the Sonic Soak.
How, you ask? By using ultrasonic technology. That’s right; it cleans things with SOUND, right down at the bacteria level.
If that sounds like something unbelievable or straight out of The Jetsons, we get it. To learn more about how it works and how it’s used, check out the video from Sonic Soak below.
We always wondered where inventions and technology would go in the future, and it looks like we’ve found our answer. Who would have thought it’d involve laundry in hotel room sinks?!
What do you think of this invention? Do the claims seem likely to you, or are you skeptical? How much packing space do you think you’d save if you could clean your clothes while traveling?
