Scrubba Wash Bag Untouched Review

If you thought the Scrubba Wash Bag was a genius environmentally-friendly solution to a washing machine, wait till you meet the Scrubba Wash Bag Untouched. If you’ve used the original wash bag, you’ve already sort of met the Untouched version—albeit in a much brighter color. If you’ve never used it before and you’re heading out on an extended trip, bring one along to save money on laundry costs.

So, what exactly is the Scrubba Wash Bag Untouched? It’s a nifty little bag that you use to hand wash your clothes. It’s called the Scrubba because it has a built-in washboard that you use to actually scrub your clothes clean. This ain’t just another dry bag. It’s the Scrubba. Word to your mother.

Now, what’s the difference between the original and the “untouched” version? As the name implies, it’s been “untouched” by any additional bleach and dyes. Other than that, they’re virtually identical. Queue up the ironic meme.

Seriously, we aren’t just trying to be snarky. It says right on the Scrubba website, “The Scrubba wash bag Untouched is identical to the original Scrubba wash bag in all respects with the only exception being the colour (or lack thereof) of the bag.” Looks like Scrubba is taking sustainability seriously by reducing their carbon footprint wherever possible, and we have to give them props for that. We kinda miss the iconic bright green color the first one came in, but the untouched has a minimalist feel that we dig.

Using the Scrubba Untouched is a cost-effective way to wash your clothes on the go. On a camping trip or road trip, you’ll always have a washing machine in your bag with the Scrubba. Directions on how to use it are printed right on the bag, too. Just watch out when you compress it, as the remaining water can sometimes squirt out of the valve.

Materials & Aesthetic

The Scrubba Wash Bag Untouched comes in plain white. They aren’t playing when they say it’s untouched. See above. Apparently, making it this way reduces the amount of water and energy expended during the production process. The Scrubba Wash Bag logo and instructions are still printed on the front in a dark greenish-blue color, though.

As for the material, the Scrubba is made of 40D nylon on the outside. It pretty much looks like a thick plastic bag, but we swear it’s more durable than that. Inside, where the magic happens, is a polyether TPU which also looks like thick plastic. This material makes up the internal washboard and clear window where you can see inside, too. The washboard has bumpy nodules that you rub your clothes against to “scrub” them clean. It actually does work, but we’ll talk more about that in a minute.

As previously mentioned, the original Scrubba came in a bright, almost neon green. There was also a “tactical” version for outdoor adventures, zombie preppers, and military members. Definitely makes sense—how else would you wash your clothes in a post-apocalyptic wasteland? While these colorways are still available, you’ll forego the extra benefits to the environment if you choose one of them.

How to Use It

Now that we’ve covered how the Scrubba looks, let’s talk about how you use the thing. Just look at it. Literally, look at it—the instructions are printed right on the front. Don’t worry, we’ll still take you through it. First, you’ll want to (obviously) put your clothes, detergent, and water in. We used body wash because packing a bunch of different soaps takes up unnecessary space in your bag while traveling. It worked just fine, but it’ll depend on the material of your clothes, of course. There are handy fill-lines that show you how much water to put in, depending on the size of your load. At first, we thought, “that’s not a lot of water,” but make sure you follow the guidelines unless you want a slip n’ slide on your hands.

After that, you roll and clip it down like a dry bag and press out the air. Be careful with this step. There’s a little valve that you need to keep open to expel the air, and then you close it before you start washing. More than once, we were too eager to compress it, and the water squirted at us through that little valve—right in the face. Take it from us, you want to press the air out slowly. Getting splashed is kind of funny the first time, but after the second or third you’ll just be angry and wet with dirty clothes.

Now, for the fun part, start scrubbing. That internal washboard we’ve talked about so much does actually get your clothes clean. Just press down on the bag and rub your clothes against the washboard vigorously. On the bag, it says it takes 30 seconds to three minutes of scrubbing to work, but that wasn’t quite the case for us. Thirty seconds was enough to just get our clothes wet. With a few sweaty t-shirts and a pair of socks inside, it took between three and five minutes before we felt they were clean and smell-free. It also depends on the materials of your clothes. Lighter materials like Merino wool don’t get too smelly and will be fine with a shorter wash. A thick pair of hiking socks or chunky sweater, though? You’re definitely scrubbing for five minutes or more, and you may even need to do a second wash.

After you’re done scrubbing, pour in some more water to rinse, and then hang your clothes up to dry. Or throw them in a dryer. Are we the only cheapos who prefer to hand-wash and then pay to dry while traveling? It saves us money from having to pay for both the wash and dry cycles. And sometimes you don’t have time to wait for your clothes to dry on a clothesline. If you’re living the #vanlife or camping, then by all means. Do your thing.

Though it takes a bit of getting used to, the Scrubba Wash Bag Untouched is kind of fun to use. It’s like being a character in a Disney movie who sings while doing the laundry and all the animals come out to help. Well, it’s not exactly like that, but you do sort of feel like a DJ scratching some records when you’re scrubbing. Until your arms get tired, anyway.