Three Travel Tips: Doing Laundry on the Road
Travel Blog • Eva Holland • 10.30.07 | 7:17 AM ET
Travel tips are easy to find on the Internet, but some are better than others. Each week, we’ll bring you World Hum-approved travel tips from around the Web.
Rick Steves suggests saving time and money by washing laundry in your hotel sink. Fair enough—but while DIY laundry certainly isn’t rocket science, there are a few more things you can do to help make your travel clothes laundromat-fresh.
1) Pack a laundry kit. “Pack the following items in a re-sealable plastic bag or small cosmetic bag: Small travel bottle (with a pull-top lid) filled with your favorite formula of liquid detergent or hand wash detergent (for delicate items). Sturdy plastic knife (since many airlines now restrict such items, alternatives may include a hotel card key, laminated video rental card or any other sturdy card). Portable clothesline (two trees or the shower walls or hotel balcony make the perfect place to hang a line). Portable drain cover or access to a small bucket/dishpan. (If you’re camping you have probably packed this already. The hotel ice bucket works as well.)”—Frank’s Laundromat
2) When you can’t wash your clothes… “Most important is to have fresh smelling clothes—smoke, grease and perspiration are the worst… Pack scented dryer sheets in your luggage to keep clothes smelling just laundered. Also good for re-scenting smoky and smelly hotel rooms.”—Christine Columbus
3) ...And when you can’t get your clothes dry. “Wear nylon or silk under garments—avoid cotton because it takes longer to dry. And believe me, if there’s anything worse than having to wear a pair of stubbornly damp jeans, it’s having to wear a pair of tighty whiteys that hasn’t completely dried. In that situation, you’re better off going without.”—Gopher Central
Related on World Hum:
* Three Travel Tips: Fly Like a Professional Dancer
* Three Travel Tips: Planning a Caribbean Vacation in Hurricane Season
* Three Travel Tips: Stay Healthy When You Fly
Photo by naama via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
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Emily 10.31.07 | 10:46 AM ET
I skip the detergent and just use shampoo or soap - it usually smells better too!
Craig of Travelvice.com 11.18.07 | 11:50 AM ET
Unless your a Latin woman, you’re never going to get your clothes as clean as a machine. I use a 4-1 or 3-1 ratio of hand-washing to machine washing.
Please, do NOT carry liquid detergent. Packing liquid things just means they’re going to spill in your backpack. No care will be given to your pack when it’s chucked under a bus.
Check out the Health and Hygiene section of this article, for all the answers: http://travelvice.com/archive/2007/04/latin-america-backpack-equipment.php
...oh, and powered detergents are very, very inexpensive, and formulated to work in cold water—as your clothes will NEVER be washed in anything but.
china tiger 12.10.07 | 11:02 PM ET
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Lauren Nicole 04.06.08 | 10:16 PM ET
An ultralight backpackers tip : Switch to a Castille Type Soap.
Castille Soap is mankind’s oldest chemistry, discovered when animal fat dripped onto wood ash. Modern Castille is nothing but saponified vegetable oil with added potassium or sodium (one makes liquid, the other makes solid). It’s actually edible.
Unless you’ve tried Castille, probably everything you have ever used contained Sodium Laureth Sulfate, discovered in WWII as an oil spill dispersant. It’s terrible for you, your hair, and has that soapy taste.
Since Castille Soap is fully natural it can be used for clothing, shampoo, bathing—even brushing your teeth !!! It doesn’t even taste soapy (that’s Laurel Sulfate). Most people can even do without conditioners for the hair.
Three ounces is so concentrated it would fill every need for a traveler for WELL over a month. If you don’t like traveling with liquids, you can find it in bars. Try it, you’ll like it !!