Laundry, a trick.
 

When you are on a tour, odd nights in different hotels, it is often difficult to get your laundry thoroughly dry. Here's a solution. Spread out one of the thickest bath towels that you can find, lay all your wet clothes out on it, roll the towel up like a swiss roll, now hop up and down on the roll for about two minutes, unroll it and you'll find that even the thickest socks will be nearly dry. Everything should be ready for your suitcase by morning. Incidentally we found small bottles of liquid detergent the easiest thing for hand-washing especially in small wash basins and don't forget a cord, some pegs and maybe wire coathangers.

Nice tip NigelWaring!

I'll remember to jump on my towel next time.. but rather than messing with clothesline & clothespins & wire hangers, may I suggest packing a couple molded plastic type hangers in the bottom of the suitcase instead? Very handy.

Thanks for the great tip! Any tips on the actual washing process you could share? I always seem to make a huge mess trying to hand wash in the sink, especially larger items such as pants. I recently read an interesting one that stated to wash in a large ziploc bag, and rinse in the sink. I'm always looking for great little time or energy saving tips. :)

I learned of the washing in a ziplock bag from these threads too. Gotta love Fodors !!

Oh and Nigel, thanks, next time I will hop on my laundry!!

I love the hopping on the laundry for two minutes!! I am always looking for tips on laundry since I was banished from doing laundry during my entire first marriage due to messing up a load particularly badly. I've never recovered and still feel like an underachiever in that area.

I don't wash things like pants in the hotel sink. Doesn't work out very well.

I use the shampoo provided by the hotel (or bring a 2 oz. bottle of Woolite). I only do things like t-shirts, undies, etc.

If I need to do pants or larger items, I make time and find a laundry service or self-serve with regular machines & dryers. Or honestly, for outerwear I just keep wearing it. Unless you go hiking or spill your food on yourself, I don't mind wearing the same pants (alternating them) for a couple weeks straight.

Yup, me too Suze; if I shower everyday, those outer clothes really don't get dirty. I never do laundry on the road, even at a laundromat. I just wash my underwear by hand and hang it in the shower. I'll just add the rolling in the towel and hopping on it to expedite my routine, :).

The smaller items you can do in the sink and their shampoo works great and usually leaves a nice smell to your clothes.

For larger items.....just take em in the shower w/ you. Wash em, put them on the floor and stomp on them, then rinse along w/ yourself and wring to dry. THEN do the towel trick....works great!!!

I hang things out in the room on hangers...from picture frames, from lamp shades. back of chairs, door knobs..wherever. I never leave anything in the bathroom to dry cause I learned first time first trip it does not dry. Try to find someplace in your room where the AC unit or fan is blowing air....things will be dry by morning unless you are trying to wash blue jeans!

I do the wrapping in the towel trick but have never tried hopping on the towel or showering with clothes.

I never washed heavier clothing like jeans/pants/sweaters. I tend to wear my clothes in layers and am perfectly happy to wear outer items several times. I confess I don't understand why people would want to wash jeans in a 2-week trip unless they end up with food spills or similar. I always take wet-wipes and they are great for getting rid of stains.

We both buy travel trousers and to be honest they are so comfortable that we tend to wear them all the time. We've got some Ex Officio that drip dry in 2-4 hours and don't need any pressing, my wife has another brand as well. I tend to wear Gabbicci when travelling, they also dry quickly. We've stopped going on cruises where they have only formal nights so this solves the problem of dressy shirts, it's only to take your mind off the food, if they don't have an alternative casual dining area we don't go.

Spot cleaning for the larger items usually works okay. Then it dries a lot faster than if you totally saturate the product.

I usually wear my clothes multiple times too - but that plan didn't work last month in SE Asia. It was hot and steamy so I was too sweaty for multiple wearings. Didn't think of that in the planning process - LOL. So we just sent the clothes out and washed undies in the sink like usual. I know it is cheaper to wash everything in the sink, but things like pants are too much of a pain. I sort of figure that the airline tickets alone cost a couple thousand dollars, I can spend $30 on laundry - LOL.

An alternative to jumping up and down on the rolled towel is to have another person hold one end while your hold the other and you both twist. Not good for items that need ironing, but fine for socks and underwesr. T-shirts are usually okay if you shake them out after unrolling and before you hang them to finish drying.

"Spread out one of the thickest bath towels that you can find, lay all your wet clothes out on it, roll the towel up like a swiss roll" - I don't hop up and down, I twist the towel so it absorbs water. To "fine-tune" a hairdryer can be used.

I usually use the shampoo bottles for washing (bring my own shampoo for my hair type) and bring the universal sink stopper in case the hotel's is not working or absent.

With large items like pants and heavy sweaters I would rather find a self-service laundry.

Usually wash at night, let it drip-dry overnight, in the morning put on hangers (or folded over a hanger not to deform)

On cruises we've overcome the problem of a small washbasin by buying a large container of drinking water, about 10 litres, the way we drink water this empties very quickly, we then cut the top off fairly carefully with a small pair of scissors, it is ideal for both soaking and washing and can be filled up from the shower. Our last cruise was ten weeks and we ended up with two of these.

I've used Nigel's tip for years and it usually works well. Except in damp climates in winter. Then, if there's a radiator in the room, old tip I learned while living in England (in So. Cal., we have none of these!) is to put all washed (and partially dried per towel) on the radiator. Only downside is jeans -- they get stiff as a board and end up shaped like the radiator!

Sometimes that doesn't work, especially in hot humid climates.

Putting something just under the ceiling fan, on a hanger is really helpful if it is very humid.

A few years ago I read on Fodors a tip on putting washed underwear on blown up balloons to help it dry faster. It works and I got lots of ribbing after my frineds saw them all over our hotel room in Paris. They checked to see if I was using them again on our trip to China a few weeks ago. I did! I too have found it hard to wash pants and have them look good.

I find my inflatable hangers cut the drying time dramatically for tops and shirts. Also reduces the wrinkles. I also always carry a twisted pair travel line with hooks. You can clip it anywhere and don't have to worry about pegs.

On our tent safari in Tanzania, we each had a bucket of water for our showers. The first person put the dirty clothes in the washbasin with soap and the run off water would fill it and then then we would stomp on our Columbia travel pants and shirts. The next person would save their run off water to rinse the clothes.

I spent 5 weeks on Lake Balaton in Hungary with 4 13-year-olds, 2 boys, 2 girls, none of them my own kids. Laundry was necessary but I sure didn't want to do it for everyone (I was the "mom" and moms do the laundry).

My trick - #1 advise the kids to bring something other than jeans because they will be washing them themselves and they won't like the way they look when hand washed or bring jeans and wear them dirty.

#2 Pack a sandwich size ziploc bag of dry laundry detergent. If bag were to leak, no damage to luggage but pleasant scent.

#3 Put a handful of dry detergent in the pocket of pants and wear into shower. Wet down with clothes on, if necessary make soap paste to extra wash spots. Strip, wash yourself while agitating laundry with your feet, rinse yourself and clothes. Use the twisted towel method to replace the spin cyle. hang from tree todry completely.

I recognize that this sounds pretty extreme but understand that we were in a fairly rustic camp (did have running water, usually warm) and the kids accepted the challenge. In fact they were pretty pleased when others who had been complaining about the absence of fresh laundry, copied them. It became an anticipated camp activity.

P.S. My kids didn't miss their jeans and the other participants were not happy wearing really skunky jeans the last couple weeks.

Hi, all!

I have a rather unconventional suggestion, but this has totally changed the way we pack.

THROW THEM AWAY. When you pack, dig to the bottom of the drawer and take your oldest, ugliest, faded unmentionables, socks and stockings on your trip. Take enough for each night of your trip. Or, if it's a long trip, make sure half are disposable.

Liberate yourself of these items as you travel and make extra room in your suitcase as you go!

If you run out, believe it or not, we haven't been anywhere in the world that didn't sell underwear, so far....

Happy Travels!

wow- See the other thread called "packing tips". you're not the only person recommending the old underwear for traveling idea! It's a very popular suggestion this week!!!
:-)

I love the throwing away as you go! I have never understood going shopping for clothes for your trip (unless there are special needs); I am much more of this mindset of packing stuff to throw away and make room for fun fantastic stuff you are going to buy on your trip. Besides, who are you looking to impress with those gorgeous new clothes you buy for a trip....a bunch of strangers in a city far far away who you'll never see again. That being said, I'd bring a couple of outfits I look really good in for picture purposes. :)

I agree, ncountry! However, I do confess to saving my buying for while I'm on the trip. I'd rather dress as the locals dress, and bring home fashion that won't be here for two year!

Okay, if you pack light also, then you can come with us.

LOL! On the other hand, I've got stories on packing light.... Two stories: 1) I ended up on a cruise ship with an older couple sharing bunk beds in one room (a separate long story). They did not realize there was dress up for dinner night on a cruise and as they watched everyone walking by in all their finery, they glumly said "I think we overdid the underpacking".

2) second story, I went around the world on a 6 week trip with one small suitcase the size of a big gym bag. I hadn't realized that it would be winter in Sydney Australia in August and found myself cold and underdressed. My solution to this was to wear ALL my clothes.... I looked kinda like a bag lady in all my layers when I attended Evita in their gorgeous huge theater. That being said, I'm sure no one remembered me. :)

But I'll bet you remember Evita! I might have missed the cold Australia in August also.... It was so cold in Paris in May a few years ago that we all had to buy jackets, but the shopping was half the fun. Since it was may, jackets were on sale all over the city.

Nonetheless, I still stand by packing light. I do take or wear one outfit I can convert to evening - always.

But as to the topic for this forum, I have a confession. Part of being able to pack light is simply getting the laundry done somewhere. If there isn't a laundry service at the hotel, then we've always been able to find a local laundromat. Spending $20 on hotel or local laundry is SO MUCH easier than lugging twice the clothes and detergent with you!! (Do people really take detergent?)

If your hotel laundry is especially expensive, then ask the housekeeper or front desk if they know a local person who picks up and does wash/dry/fold. This is especially the key when we're with our three kids. The hospitality professionals in your hotel likely have a neighbor or aunt who will do laundry for a reasonable fee. Use your resources, and go have a glass of wine before bed instead of scrubbing grundies in the sink. What a better way to end the day on a fabulous trip!

8 or 9 day trip? You don't need more than three sets of clothes and one evening outfit, a pair of comfy shoes and a pair of dressy shoes that you love. One bathing suit and a pair of flips and you're off!

Believe it or not, I've never done laundry on a trip! I must be really grungy. I'll wash my undies in the sink but I just don't think my outer clothes get that dirty...well, actually, that now brings back memories of Nepal and a really adventurous day on a packed local death trap bus careening around steep hilly turns followed by white water rafting then multiple rides on the top of trucks before reaching my destination at 11 pm totally dusty and dirty and having to share a room with a rooster that crowed at dawn. I went to the village center and went to the water pump and essentially took a shower fully dressed in front of the entire village. I must have washed those clothes later by hand with water and bar soap.

I'm very impressed with how many uses you had for that black sarong!

The sarong has become part of my routine packing now. My husband sometimes even asks if it's packed before we leave. I've replaced it a couple of times; twice in the same sarong shop in PDC. Never leave home without it!

An indelicate reply; I always use a mini-pad in my underpants (tried to get my husband to do it too, but until they invent peni-pads, he won't do it). That allows me fresh underwear at my arrival without having to unpack or wash. This really saved me when, during an air traffic controllers in France we were rerouted to Milan, had to catch a bus to the train to another train on the Italy/France border; 36 hours of travel without the possibility of a hotel or a stopover.

I carry spare underpants, socks, and a top in a plastic bag in my carry on, in case my checked bag takes a detour. I travel solo, but if you're part of a couple, you do know to put some of your clothes in your partner's checked bag, and vice versa, right?

If you are travelling by rental car in summer, you can put your almost-dry stuff over the seat, and let it dry via solar-power (I wouldn't do this for undies! And you may want to crack the car windows a little to let the humidity escape.).

(-: I must wash stuff too often. I take detergent, and I always cadge my relatives' and friends' washing machines. I often buy detergent for my hosts, too. And I look for hotels that provide guest laundry machines.