As much fun as it is to play “which bag is the dirty clothes bag on a sailboat”, this year I’m opting out. When browsing for spring ideas to declutter and streamline my house, I ran across cute fabric laundry bags. Why don’t I have something like that for the boat? After years of using a fabric grocery store bag to store dirty laundry, quite often using the identical bag that my husband happens to also use for clean clothes, how had I not thought of this?!

I think sometimes the mentality of not wanting to have too much stuff on your sailboat goes too far, and prevents practical additions. Earlier this year, I happened to pick up some 100% cotton paisley fabric from a sale bin. When I bought the fabric I wasn’t sure what I was going to sew, but last month when stumbling onto the laundry bag idea I decided it was fate. I had all the materials: fabric, white rope and a plastic toggle for the drawstring rope cord lock. Using technology, I quickly found a video for the lazy reminder of how to sew a laundry bag and in no time I sewed the laundry bag. You can have whatever size laundry bag that suits you, I’ve opted for a large bag.

Now, this summer my laundry bag is clearly identified, it’s nice to look at whereever I store it, and it’s easy for transporting on and off the boat. Much better!

Here’s a link to one of the sites with instructions you can use as a guide. http://www.momtastic.com/diy/108842-diy-laundry-bag/