Travel help laundary
 

I am going to Italy for about 2 weeks along with my wife and kids,I want to travel light and that means taking less clothes so does anyone know if they have laundromat in Italy or another cheaper way to get clothes washed while we are there because we will need that.
Thanks

Yes, they have laundromat in Italy.

Lots of things like socks that constantly get wet or dirty can be washed out by hand - shampoo actually IME makes a very good hand detergent - laundromats are getting harder and harder to find as folks have access to home laundries I believe but there must be a few around - Google Florence and Launries.

But just about any clothes can be washed by hand in your hotel sink.

Where are you going in Italy? I live in Italy and there are no laundromats where I live, and that is true of many places in Italy. If you are going to the famous cities (Rome, Florence, Venice) there are laundromats. You can ask at your hotel for help finding the nearest one. (Maybe MmePerdu can give you directions, but I doubt it. I think she was just trying to be insulting and make fun of your the spelling mistake in your post. There are people like that here.)

If you are going in 2 weeks you should pack very thin, lightweight, sheer clothes unless you are going to the high mountains. It is hot here now. Thin clothes can be rinsed out and will dry overnight, even in a hotel room. Many people in Italy at this time of year wear sandals (without socks), so you may not need a lot of socks.

It is good you are packing light!

"I think she was just trying to be insulting and make fun of your the spelling mistake in your post."

I was, in fact, thinking of my last stay in Sorrento and going to the laundromat. But sandralist would rather it was me being meaner than she is. She's like that. I'd take it personally except others have mentioned feeling stalked by her too so I won't. I'm like that.

Thanks a lot and yes I am going to Milan,Florence,Rome and Venice.Even though I have Hotel reservations in these places but it will be really helpful if you can suggest central places for hotels close to most important attractions because I can still change my hotels..Also where do you park specially in Venice because i am renting a car .
Thanks.

Cat fight? Well I saw nudding insulting in what Madame Lost posted - nothinglike the title mistake - may have missed an s but really - insulting?

Not a fight, PQ, that takes 2, and a good laugh requires less effort than anger.

Google Translate says Laundromat = la lavanderia a gettoni
In Rome I Googled that phrase and found a couple in the vicinity of my hotel in the area around the central train station. The one I went to had an attendant who ran the machines while I strolled away and played tourist. Probably cost a little more than complete do-it-yourself but there are more interesting things to do in Rome than measure detergent.

I generally plan to do laundry for any stay over a week. For a family I would think washing and hanging up clothes in the hotel room bathroom would be pretty difficult.

I ask on TripAdvisor forums for the city where I'll be after about a week. My choice would be laundries which provide services rather than a self-service laundromat (which BTW, you'll see "self-service" used to indicate it's a laundromat).

Of the cities listed, I paid like €13 Euro at a dry cleaner in Florence which charged by the kilo of laundry. Left it with them in the morning, picked up at night or next day. It was behind the Uffizi, east of it, on the way to Santa Croce.

But this was about 10 years ago, so I'd ask on TA forum for Florence or whichever city where you'll be needing to do laundry.

Hotels will absolutely rip you off, charge you a couple of Euro per each piece of clothing.

Cheapest way is to do it yourself.

However, this requires preparation. With family, it can be tough. To simplify washing in rooms, wash often, even everyday, choose materials that pack light, dry fast, don't wrinkle, pair with other items. We have been buying items this way so most things we own are of this type. Many people ask what I do with laundries when packing light. I carry no laundries. Everything is clean and washed by the morning. I don't like traveling with people with huge luggage thinking they could bring all change of clothes. If they don't scent isolate laundries, the sweaty odor transfers to unworn clothes in their luggage.

I used to go to laundromat, but I resented time taken away in finding the place, getting there, and back. Now I do all the wash in my hotel bathroom. Some people think this is a waste of valuable time. I only do this during the down time, right after I come back from the day and would be staying in the room any way. By doing wash everyday, two of us can easily do all the wash for a day in just few minutes without taking time away from anything.

Renting a car to park in Venice? While you have not asked about the car part, Milan/Florence/Rome/Venice are challenging destinations with a car. I hope you have spent time thinking about this aspect.

In Venice, there is a laundromat in Calle Scalater, left hand side as you head towards the back of the Scuola Grande San Rocco.

Pretty hopeless if you are staying in Cannaregio, San Marco or Castello, I am afraid.

Go to maps.google.com and type "lavanderia, Milan, Italy" (and likewise for other cities). They are more prevalent in Rome and Florence than in Milan and Venice. "Lavasecco" is for dry cleaning.

This is the one we used in Venice:

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/...anta-croce.htm

A lavanderia is likely to be a place that does your laundry, mostly dry cleaning, for you.

Laundromats are mostly called "lavanderie self-service". There never used to be one in our town, either, but a new one is opened recently. I think it's mostly used by immigrants, whose numbers are increasing in rural Italy, but a friend of mine, a vey busy woman. uses it because she can do several loads at once and get the job done quickly.

Except when it's very hot, I count on wearing each piece of clothing several times, which helps me to pack light. I wash things out in the hotel only in emergencies. Things like underwear and socks take up very little room in luggage. I stuff at least some of my socks inside my shoes, which also helps to keep the shoes in shape.

<Also where do you park specially in Venice because i am renting a car.>

You can't park a car actually anywhere IN Venice, you'd have to leave it outside the city somewhere.

There is a large parking garage right IN Venice at the Piazza Roma - that's where everyone driving over ends up and pays a pretty price for the privelege - it is right on a main canal with boats everywhere - or easy as arriving at the nearby train station.

Very puzzled as to why you would want or need a rental car if you are visiting Rome, Florence, Milan and Venice in 2 weeks.

Purel makes very good laundry detergent sheets that I always bring with me to do laundry in our hotel room every couple of days. You can find them on Amazon, and since they are sheets you don't have to worry about taking up precious room in your 3-1-1 liquid bag. I cut each sheet into quarters and one quarter works great for a sink or bidet (works great for soaking and doesn't take up sink space).

Even in May, it can get into the 80s easily and if you walk around all day in that kind of temperature, your clothes end up drenched in sweat.

When traveling with young kids, in-unit washers/dryers are yet another reason apartments are more desirable than hotels. (In addition to more space, more privacy, and a kitchen for breakfast and snacks.) But if it's your first time to Europe, you may feel more comfortable at a hotel, where you can get directions and recommendations from the staff.

I see from your other thread your children are 12 and 17-year-old boys. One consideration: jeans take a very long time to dry in European dryers.