Portable washing machines aren’t really big news anymore; inventors all over the world are coming up with ingenious human-powered designs that save money, time, and effort. But the Venus Bucket-Mounted Mini Washing Machine is an attention-grabber, mostly because it’s just a small contraption that you clamp to the side of a bucket you already own.

The lightweight Venus is basically just an electric agitator that takes your clothes, some water, and some detergent and does what anyone could do with a washboard. It takes about five minutes for the agitator to wash 2.5 kg of laundry. Inventor Piyush Agarwalla says that the Venus can also save a considerable amount of water over washing clothes by hand – and it prevents the hand, back, and hip injuries often associated with long-term hand-washing of laundry.

But the appliance also has applications in the first world where most of us have access to automated washing machines: it can wash your dirtiest of laundry separately from the rest of it. Parents who have used cloth diapers can appreciate the device for this reason alone. Of course, it could also be extremely useful for campers, college students in dorms, and people who can’t afford a traditional washing machine. At just $60, it’s a one-time investment that will pay for itself in a matter of months, depending on how often you visit the laundromat.

The Venus does have one very large problem: it requires electricity to work. If it’s meant to help people in the third world who have traditionally relied on handwashing with washboards, then lack of access to electricity will be an issue. The designer is currently working on a battery-powered version that would solve that problem, making clean laundry accessible no matter where you are.

[Editor’s note: The Venus has already been on the market in India for several years but is currently raising funds on Indiegogo to begin mass production and worldwide distribution.]

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Water wheels are ancient tools that were used for centuries to perform a huge variety of jobs. They aren’t often used today, but a handful of Chinese designers want to bring back the water wheel for a brilliant purpose. The invention, called the Waterwheel Washing Machine, was a Red Dot Design Award winner in 2013 designed by Huang Tao, Jin Ronghao, Zhang Yixin, and Zhong Ce. If produced and used, it could make the process of washing clothes much easier for people who live near water but have no access to electricity.

The concept is impressive and simple. A water wheel with three individual closed chambers is driven around and around by the flow of river water. The chambers can hold the laundry of three families or three individuals. Ridges embedded in the wheel’s structure agitate the clothes, much like a traditional washboard. The ingenious invention could not only ensure good hygiene, but could also save time for the women who currently spend many hours every week washing their clothes in the river with washboards.

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It may seem surprising to people in the western world, but hundreds of millions of people still wash their clothes the old-fashioned way: in a stream or bucket. It’s hard work that takes several hours from start to finish, but it’s the only choice in much of the world. Designers Alex Cabunoc and Ji A You created the GiraDora as a way to simplify the act of clothes washing and drying.

The GiraDora looks a little like a tall beverage cooler, but inside is a smaller bucket and an agitator. After loading up some laundry, soap, and water, the user sits on the lid of the GiraDora and uses a foot pedal to churn the agitator. No electricity is needed – this machine runs on pure human power. When the washing is done, the GiraDora transforms into a spin dryer.

While doing laundry seems like a small thing to those of us who are able to accomplish it with machines every day, it isn’t as easy for people who don’t have access to machines or reliable electricity. The GiraDora increases efficiency and cuts down on the number of health problems related to spending hours every week doing laundry. The device was an entry in the Dell Social Innovation Challenge.

At a cost of $40, the simple machine is still beyond the means of many people who need it. But as the inventors point out, is also presents an opportunity for the owners to earn extra income by doing laundry for friends and neighbors. The GiraDora team wants to test their device in several disadvantaged communities in South America, then continue testing in India. The overall goal is to get the GiraDora into the hands – and under the feet – of one million users.

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Travel is one of the most enriching experiences in life, but it comes with its share of incredibly annoying things. Like having to travel light but not always having access to laundry facilities. Inventor Ashley Newland was getting ready to climb Mount Kilimanjaro when she realized that she’d be able to pack very few changes of clothes and would need to wash them regularly, but obviously wouldn’t be able to do much washing on the mountain.

While most of us don’t have to worry about doing laundry on the top of a mountain, Newland realized that other travelers have probably encountered similar problems and she had a stroke of genius. Why not go back to the washboard, an invention that’s been washing clothes for hundreds of years? And the Scrubba, a portable clothes washing system, was born.

The Scrubba is a simple device that consists of a sealable bag with an interior flexible washboard that weighs just under 6.5 ounces. When folded up, the whole thing is about the size of a standard American Coke can. To wash your dirty clothes only takes 2-3 liters of water, a few drops of soap-like stuff (laundry detergent, shampoo, body wash, etc.) and 20-40 seconds of manual agitation. Then you dry your things out and you’re ready to hit the tourist trail again, smelling sweet and fresh.

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