The 8 Best Washboards

Hand-assembled in Logan, Ohio, by the last washboard maker left in the U.S., the Columbus Maid-Rite is the board most people picture when they hear the word. A plain wood frame holds a galvanized steel panel with deep crimped ribs, and the rubbing area is wide enough for jeans and work shirts. It stands in a tub and leans on the rim while you scrub. The frame can warp or mildew if it's left standing in water.

If you want a full-size metal board without the collector's name, the Behrens BWBG12 is the common choice. Behrens, a Minnesota company best known for galvanized tubs and pails, sets a rust-resistant galvanized panel in a natural pine frame. It's tall enough to stand in a washtub with room to work, and it matches the maker's own tubs if you want a set. The seller publishes few details beyond the materials, and bare pine can warp if it stays wet.

For a metal board that shrugs off rust, the Columbus Stainless Steel family size swaps the zinc-coated panel for stainless steel. The maker says both the poplar frame and the wavy metal come from Ohio, and that no glue or filler goes into the frame. Stainless stays bright after years of wet use, where a galvanized coating slowly wears thin. It has a short sales record so far, and the wood still needs to air out between washes.

The Ohisu Washboard Basin is a small plastic tub with a ribbed wall molded into one side, so the soapy water and the scrubbing surface sit together in a kitchen or bathroom sink. It holds about four quarts, enough for socks, underwear and baby clothes. Plastic ridges are kinder to thin fabric than metal, and the whole thing stacks away in a cupboard. It's smaller than many buyers expect, so plan on one or two pieces at a time.

Travelers and anyone washing a few socks in a hotel sink should look at the Inomata 1764, a thin plastic board made in Japan that slides flat into a suitcase pocket. Prop it in a sink or basin and rub collars, socks and underwear over its rounded ridges, while a small stopper on the back helps keep it from sliding. It's too small for towels or jeans, and the light plastic flexes if you bear down hard.

On a tight budget, the Laredo Large Washboard still gets you a full-height wood frame and a corrugated tin panel big enough for shirts and towels. The seller pitches it for both laundry and wall decor, and it suits light washing and delicates better than hard scrubbing of muddy work clothes. Laredo Import says little about the metal coating or the wood, and the light frame can shift in the tub unless you brace it against the side.

Bamboo ridges have no sharp edges to snag thin fabric, which makes the Topbathy Bamboo board a good match for wool socks, silky blouses and baby clothes. It's built from three layers of bamboo for stiffness, and a hole at the top lets it hang to dry. Lay it flat in a sink or angle it in a basin. It's small for big pieces, and like any wood, it can grow mildew if it's put away damp.

Campers, RV owners and anyone short on closet space get a whole wash station in the MEOENFT Collapsible Basin. The round tub opens wide enough for a few shirts at once, a ribbed plastic board sits inside it, and a twist drain plug empties it without lifting a full tub. Folded, it's about as thin as a pizza box. The brand is young with a short track record, and plastic ribs are slow on ground-in mud.