Washing soap for travel - where to find?
 

We finally figured out last year after many years of overpacking that you can actually rinse out some of your clothes in the sink and rewear! Dumb, huh? Now, where do you find little packets of soap/liquid that can be used to hand wash clothes? Looked at Target yesterday with no luck.Thanks!

I just use the shampoo the hotel gives you (because I bring my own for my hair).

I've seen the individual packets of Woolite at luggage stores or in drug stores with a travel accessories section.

I have used the shampoo in the rooms for over 20 years. Works perfect. I even did a load of laundry in a laundramat in Strasbourg last month. No problems because the washers are tumblers not agitators.

Besides the Woolite packets which would probably be cheaper if you could find them anywhere BESIDES a travel store, what also works is a small bottle of dishwashing detergent such as Joy.

Well, last year the shampoo/soap from the hotels is what I used but I was kind of hoping to find something that actually WAS for clothes. Small packets would be better than a bottle. Thanks.

Don't know about the US (where I assume you're from ?), but in the UK large supermarkets & chemists such as Boots sell 'Travelwash' in tubes, about 7" long - v. convenient. You just squeeze out 1" per basinful. Maybe you have something similar ? I bought some just a few weeks ago in a large Tesco & it was with the regular detergents like Woolite.

I like the tubes because you can adjust the amount of soap to the size of the wash. If I have little packets, I want to save things up til it justifies a whole sink full. Also be sure to get one of those sink stoppers. Lots of sinks don't seem to keep the water in.

Here's a source -
http://www.goinginstyle.com/gis/body_sub.asp?dept_id=27

Or bring powdered detergent from home packed in plastic film canisters.

starrsville is right on with the film containers of powdered detergent. I like carrying Shout wipes or the stain sticks, as they get the job done.

Also remember that a dryer sheet will get the static out of your garments and if you pack them into your clothes, they smell fresh throughout the trip.

I have often done what suze recommends. Shampoo will do the trick and if it is for lingerie, it is mild enough.
But part of the fun is buying something in the country you are visiting, I always end up bringing laundry soap home with me LOL

We are renting apts in Paris, Lisbon and England. All of them have washers and dryers. Does anyone know if they take the standard detergent, or is it different than what we use here (U.S.)?
I've been looking for tablets but have yet to find any;do they even make them for washing clothes? I have them for the dishwasher. I just think that they would travel better then loose powder, and I don't want to look to buy it once I get over there if I don't have to.

I just put liquid clothes detergent into Ziploc baggies, turn it upside down & put it in another baggie in case the 1st one spills. It's cheaper & the baggies lay flat in the suitcase.

Do you have any problems with powders going through customs?

Try www.minimus.biz

a whole website full of travel-sized and single-use packages.

I use regular powdered detergent in zip-lock bags, but I use the small ones (maybe 3x3) sometimes available at craft stores since the zip part can get gummed up with soap after repeated use. Like this method because it reduces the bulk as the trip goes on - leaving more room for purchases (though not much in the case of detergent). Easy and cheap, I don't have to hunt for anything special, and doesn't make a lot of waste from packaging. I do buy Shout or other stain remover packets from time to time and take a couple for possible grease spots. Have a tube of detergent I got in England some years ago but find I don't use it because it takes more room. And powder is lighter weight than liquid. Shampoo is recommended for silk but am not sure shampoo with conditioner is necessarily good.

The best source of small travel bottles I've found was some individual bubble bottles used at weddings. Got mine at a dollar store and they're readily available. The wands pull out, the opening is wide for easy filling, and I've never had one leak, even in checked (unpressurized) luggage. (Though I do put anything that might make a real mess in zip locks just in case.) I'm a little compulsive about taking small amounts of something I probably won't but MIGHT need, like alcohol, nail polish remover, or insect repellant. (And sometimes use it, too.) I'm not a fan of spending my brief travel time shopping for basics (rather be shopping in an art gallery than a pharmacy), of buying a larger amount or spending upscale prices for WalMart stuff, or discovering brands I don't like - which happens from time to time anyway. Also sometimes refill hotel shampoo, mouthwash, and lotion bottles so they're correctly labled.

Have almost never had anyone look at any of my luggage when entering a foreign country - and on those rare occasions, it's just a cursory glance. I realize I'm taking some risk in putting 4 Rx meds in daily pill cases, but my 3-mo. mail order pill bottles are so large that I'd practically need a separate suitcase. (I have refined my packing so I can manage 2 wks. - in warm weather - with a roll-aboard and a large purse.) Only thing I keep in the original bottles is my small emergency stash of painkillers. I can't imagine there would be any trouble with powdered detergent. Just tell the customs guy to take a sniff and slip away while he's sneezing.

I have used the hotel shampoo out of desperation, but shampoo isn't really formulated best for cleaning clothes, I don't think.

If I am traveling a while and think I'll want to do that, I just make my own travel packets, also, as others do. I try to cut down weight as much as possible, so just put a small amount of powder detergent in a piece of plastic wrap, and tie it with a twist tie. I then pack several of these individual sets inside a baggie. That is as lightweight as you can get, and totally disposable as you use it.

The only drawback is that it isn't that easy to find powdered detergent any more, it's all liquid. You could do the same thing with liquid, but I might use a double layer of Saran wrap to be sure of leaks/holes, as well as in the baggie. Or, you could just put some in a small plastic travel bottle or something. I still have some powdered detergent I bought many years ago (Fresh Start) that I have saved to use only for travel.

I have started taking Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap - the 18 in 1 Hemp Lavender Pure Castile Soap. (copying from the label). It is great for washing clothes out, shampoo, bath, basin, etc. and is purely organic. I order it through drugstore.com as they ship quickly. I just put it in a freezer zip-loc and it comes in a 4 oz size for travel.
Carol

As for taking detergent to use in machines elsewhere, is it safe to assume that the European machines and water will work with detergents forumualted for use with American machnes?
Maybe check with the landlord about the recommended detergent for his machines ?

Real Simple magazine, a while back, recommended using shampoo for laundry because it is formulated to remove grease.