One doesn’t have to be a tech genius to appreciate the convenience it brings into our daily lives. The best kind of travel tech can make travel seamless, especially for business travellers who already have enough on their plate, even when they are on-the-go.
The Scrubba Wash Bag is one such tech invention that has been helping business travellers feel more productive while conducting their business, in different parts of the world. This Australian invention is a portable, mini washing machine that keeps your clothes clean, reducing your baggage load and saving travellers tons of money paying hotel laundry bills.
The story behind its invention
The idea for the Scrubba wash bag was conceived in 2010 when founder Ash Newland took a four-month break from his job as a patent attorney in Australia and decided to travel to Africa to climb Mt Kilimanjaro with a friend.
“During the planning stages for the trip, we realized that with all our cold weather and camping gear, we would only be able to pack a few changes of casual clothes. This led to the issue of how we were going to wash our clothes every couple of days. After mulling over this issue for a few weeks, I was led to the idea of washboards – they have been around for centuries and they work very efficiently. The downside is that they are bulky and still require a sink or bucket. It was then that I had the revelation that if we could incorporate a highly flexible washboard into a waterproof sealable bag, we could change the way people wash clothes while travelling”.
A couple of crude prototypes were constructed just days before leaving Australia and Ash Newland spent each night after work in the week leading up to the trip drafting the provisional patent application.
How does it work?
The Scrubba is a sealable, waterproof bag with an opening at one end, where you put a small amount of clothing, warm water and detergent. You then roll it, push out any excess air, and push down on the bag to rub the clothes against a flexible, internal washboard that is made of strong plastic and has small blunt spikes to create friction and loosen dirt. Once the scrubbing is done, untie the bag, empty the dirty water, rinse the clothes and dry them in the Scrubba Wash & Dry Kit.
The benefit for business travellers
A study released by Carlson Wagonlit Travel from a survey of more than 1,900 global business travellers aged 25-65 shows business travellers are bringing more devices, and feel more productive conducting their business. Most travellers (88%) believe travel is easier to navigate today with technology, with a majority (78%) seeking opportunities to travel for work and just as many (72%) finding business travel to be stimulating.
An invention like Scrubba can reduce the hassles of having to fret over packing too many clothes for different business needs. The Scrubba wash bag when laid flat measures approximately 54 cm x 32 cm (21.3 x 12.6 inches). When rolled and clipped, the dimensions are 16 cm x 6 cm x 6 cm (6.3 x 2.4 x 2.4 inches), thus hardly taking up any space. For business travellers who seek technology that makes things happen faster, the Scrubba, with its time requirement of 40 seconds to a maximum of three minutes, is the best solution. Moreover, at a cost of US$ 55 (starting price), it is also a great alternative to regular and expensive hotel laundry bills for businessmen who are always travelling.
Our verdict
While this was originally designed keeping backpackers in mind, the Scrubba wash bag definitely has become the best way to clean clothes for not just business travellers, but all kinds of travellers. Whether it is about packing light, avoiding laundry costs, or simply having the option to wash clothes wherever you want, the Scrubba wash bag is a piece of travel tech that can save the day and help business travellers stay on top of their game.
