How is dirty laundry handled over several weeks? Shall we just plan on washing things in the sink???

Laundromat. You can either do it yourself, or pay someone at the laundromat to do it for you (wash & fold).

Different strokes for different folks! We wash sox and undies in the sink. We have gone to laundromats. It can be an interesting experience. Have a great trip. CJ

If you're staying in cities, you should have no problem finding laundromats.

Best bet is to pack with the "layering" plan. Whereupon you can launder the tees, underwear, "in the sink". If you pack quality slacks, skirts, you can rinse them out in the sink as well, and they will dry overnight, and require no pressing and keep their creases.

Advise packing one or more plastic hangers with clips for accomplishing the above.

I like to visit the laundromat every 5-6 days in Europe. I enjoy having freshly washed and dried clothes, and I always have an interesting experience there.

I'm not a hand-washer, so if I'm traveling for longer than a week, I'll do a load or two of laundry - usually we stay in self-catering cottages or apartments that have on-site laundry facilities so it makes it easier.

We've rented the odd house in France that didn't have a washer and dryer. Do-it-yourself facilities are available in most towns. The folks at the local tourist bureau will tell you where the nearest one is. As also discussed here on Fodors recently, some of the larger supermarkets have self-serve set-ups.

WillTravel is so right .. it can be a fascinating experience.

Anselm

I'll agree about it be a fun experience. Our encounter with the French instructions at a Paris laundromat and the two non-English-speaking Sorbonne students was indeed a joyous and memorable experience.

Depending on where you are going, you might check with your hotel. In Italy, we found the hotel laundry service to be reasonable. Not so in London and Paris. In smaller towns, it is often quite reasonable and saves you some time.

I'm a big fan of hotel laundry and d.c. services. I work an extra $50 or so (usually the expense is less, unless I'm in a luxury hotel) into my travel budget for trips that are more than a long weekend. I just love having freshly cleaned clothes for the 2nd half of my trip (AND, I don't have to do it myself, so it is an extra luxury). Undies in the sink if I need them (or don't have any old ones to throw away) but other clothes to the laundry and back. If budget is an issue, it's worth it, to me, to substitute the expense for a simpler dinner one or two nights. Just make sure you allow an extra day before you are departing, in case of a delay, even with "same day" delivery. I'm willing to pay more to have the hotel be the 'middleman' (as opposed to going to a laundry I don't know) just in case there's a problem or delay. and to save my own vacation time.

You should be able to find self service-"lavanderias" in the larger cities in Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice). Look in Rick Steeves' books for nearby laundromats or ask the front desk people. I bring my own laundry "tablets" from Wal-Mart (Made the mistake of bringing liquid Wisk once)as well as anti-static sheets.

Last summer in Positano we used the Hotel's laundry service- $25 for 3 pairs of undewear. Too expensive, so we washed everything by hand after that in the sink. I like clean clothes, especially after walking around all day in the hot and humid weather, so finding laundromats when we travel is always a concern. I'd also advise bringing wrinkle-free, lightweight, polyester type clothes that dry quickly either in the dryer or overnight in your room. I've also done the discarding old underwear and clothes trick towards the end of my trip so I don't have to worry about bringing stinky clothes home (bonus-more room for souvenirs). Have fun.

Most laundromats have attendants. I dropped off a week's worth of my laundry at the place in Montepulciano in the morning, and picked it up that afternoon, washed, dryed, and folded, for only 10 Euro. It was a bargain.

Here's the options as I see them:
1) Use hotel laundry services
2) Find a drop-off launderia
3) Find a self-serve laundry matt
4) Wash out small things in the sink
5) Wear outer items several times each

suze, you forgot option #6. Turn your underwear inside out, and you get an extra day's wear out of them.

The hotel does the laundry for you. You hand it over to them in the little bag from the closet and they return it clean (and with my beau's boxers ironed - which I think is hysterical). It simply appears on you bill and you slip the delivery maid a couple of euros.

This way the clothing is acutally clean (unlike your washing things in a sink) and you don;t waste valuable vacation time looking for a laundromat.

And to add to the post above mine..and often the hotel charges you a small fortune..check the prices first.

I disagree that you cannot get it "just as clean" by doing it yourself....uhh, unless you've never DONE laundry by hand (much less ironed anyone's underwear <LOL&gt but we won't even go there.

Last summer I purchased a small box of laundry soap at a shop in London while I was out touring. I stuck it in my shoulder bag and forgot about it. Later that day, we visited the Cabinet War Rooms and had to go through security. My shoulder bag kept setting off the security wand they had to go through it.

We couldn't figure out what was setting off the wand. Sure enough, it was the laundry soap. Must have been something in the soap (maybe phosphates?) Probably the same stuff that turns my dainties blue when I wash them over there.

we spent 2 wks in Italy and packed for one. Found a laundromat in a small Tuscan town (they all have them I thnk) that did our laundry, took a day, and we gave her a bunch of stinky stuff (summertime heat) and got back the most beautiful white and ironed laundry ever. We joked that we'd send it to her from Chicago from now on!
Only cost 8 euro too!

Great idea Budman!! I would have included something similar, but Fodorites have made fun of me in the past for telling my true secret method for packing light. I just keep wearing the same few clothes over & over, hang them to air out in between.