What to pack for workouts, and how to deal with laundry after you sweat.
Finding the time to fit in a workout when you travel can feel great. Whether you take thirty minutes to run on the beach or use the equipment in a hotel gym, your body will thank you after sitting on a long flight, a lengthy car ride, or after eating a heavy meal.
But what are you supposed to do with your sweaty, smelly gym clothes when you’re done exercising? And what clothing fabrics are the best to purchase and pack so you can bring as little as possible on your trip and still have what you need?
Follow the below tips to better understand what to bring on your vacation and how to wash those items so you don’t hesitate to work out yet stay clean and fresh.
Ask About Access to a Washer and Dryer
Some hotels offer a laundry area either right in your room, down the hallway, or even on another floor of the hotel. Washer and dryer costs can range from being free of charge to costing a few dollars per load of laundry. Check the hotel website, speak to a representative over the phone, or ask at the front desk when you arrive to find out what’s available. For example, the amenities listed for each hotel on Marriott’s website indicate if a washer or dryer is available at that location. Similarly, Wyndham Hotels lists under the hotel amenities section at each location if they offer on-site guest laundry, laundry services, or dry cleaning services.
Use the Hotel Laundry Service
If you don’t want to do laundry yourself, a laundry service (where the hotel takes a bag of laundry and cleans the items for you) may be available. The cost of laundry service at hotels and resorts can vary widely, ranging from one to a few dollars per item, depending on the hotel.
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For example, Sandals Resorts offers optional laundry and dry cleaning services with price lists and laundry bags available in each room. Holland America Line Cruises offers their travelers ”Laundry by the Bag.” For $25 ($35 during a high-demand period) guests can fill the ship-provided pouch and items will be delivered the next day via their valet laundry service.
“I’ve been traveling full-time for nine years and have easily done laundry in 80+ countries. I rarely send my clothes out at hotels as it’s quite costly per piece, and it’s much more affordable to send it out at a local wash and fold or do it myself at a laundromat,” says Lola Méndez, travel writer. “To find one, I just search Google Maps or walk around the neighborhood. I use Google Translate to translate the instructions. Usually, you can buy small packets of detergent on-site.”
But even if you do have access to a laundry room or laundry service, it may be more convenient to wash a few items at a time–especially when you bring only one gym outfit and want to squeeze in multiple workouts.
Hand Washing
When a washing machine or laundry service isn’t an option, following the below steps to hand wash clothes in a sink or shower can be your best bet.
“Turning clothes inside out is important for thorough cleanliness, especially with sweat stains,” says Jonathon Reckles, VP of Marketing at CD One Price Cleaners.
Next, make sure you use cold or warm water so you don’t damage the fabric.
Once your sink is full of water, “Ensure the soap is completely dissolved in the water before soaking your clothes,” says Jess Farinha, a cleaning and organizing expert and founder of London House Cleaners. She suggests gently scrubbing the areas that get the most sweat and then rinsing them thoroughly. Then, gently squeeze out the water. “Avoid wringing your clothes too vigorously to prevent stretching the fabric.”
Reckles recommends “using sport-specific laundry detergents which are designed to combat bacteria and odors.” Here are a few travel-friendly soaps he recommends: unscented, biodegradable sheets like these Travelon Laundry Soap Sheets, which are perfect for handwashing individual items. The compact plastic container holds 50 sheets and weighs next to nothing. Another recommendation is Tide Travel Sink Packets, a travel-size liquid detergent packet made for small, quick washes. And finally, SinkSuds Laundry Detergent Packs are specifically designed for delicate items and are great for washing gym clothes.
Sports bras may be the most difficult to keep fresh on vacation because they are thick and padded and absorb a lot of sweat.
“Sports bras are almost always exclusively microfiber because that is what provides the wicking effect,” says Jené Luciani Sena, author of The Bra Book. She recommends hand washing sports bras in a hotel sink with baby shampoo and then hanging them to dry.
“Remember that sports bras are made of materials meant to hold in moisture and keep it away from the body so it will take some time to dry,” explains Sena. Check to see if your sports bra has removable padding. If so, take the pads out to wash and allow the padding and the bra to dry separately.
Drying Clothes
Sena also suggests using a blow dryer on a medium setting to speed up the drying process. Although it may be tempting to hang clothes over the vent of a heater, she warns against this because the clothes can catch on fire.
“If you’re short on time, hanging clothes near an air conditioner or fan will help speed up the drying process,” says Farinha. “Just make sure to not leave clothes in direct sunlight if they are made of a material that could be harmed by the UV rays.”
“For quicker drying, I like to lay the clothing flat on a towel and roll it up to soak up more moisture,” says Jewels Rhode, MPH, Atlanta-based Lifestyle and Travel Expert & Wellness Advocate. Laying clothes on a table or couch may keep them from drying so she suggests using a portable clothesline to hang dry clothes.
Keep Clothing Fresh
Undergarments should be washed after each wear, but gym clothes can be worn once or twice depending on the intensity of your workout. “If you walk around the block a few times, they might be salvageable,” says Patric Richardson, known as the Laundry Evangelist,“ but after a hard workout, bacteria forms and you can get a skin irritation so you don’t want to push them beyond their limit.”
Washing clothes in shampoo should make them sanitary or suitable for additional wears, but it still may not take away odors. Richardson suggests bringing along an empty spray bottle and filling it with a cheap bottle of vodka after arriving at your destination. After spraying your clothes, the vodka will dry completely clear and odorless and take away the sweat smells.
You may be tempted to set clothes aside and wash them later. Just make sure you don’t leave your sweaty clothing sealed in a bag or they will smell even more, says Reckles. If you have to keep clothes in a gym bag, “pack a small amount of baking soda to help absorb unwanted odors. Simply sprinkle the baking soda inside your bag and let it sit for a few hours before wiping it out with a cloth. This simple trick can help keep your gym bag and clothing smelling fresh while traveling from place to place.”
Pack Clothes That Dry Quickly
In general, packing vacation clothes made of materials that dry quickly makes it easier to wash any clothing item, not just gym gear.
“Quick-drying materials like polyester, nylon, and merino wool are great travel-friendly clothing options. You want to avoid bringing too many heavy fabrics like denim because it takes longer to dry,” explains Rhode.
“Choosing the right fabric for your gym clothes can help tremendously in keeping them fresh, especially when traveling,” says Reckles. “Be sure to pack moisture-wicking fabrics like Dri Fit, which dries quickly and resists odors. Because of its breathability, it does not absorb sweat the way other fabrics do, such as cotton. This helps to reduce the odor trapped in your workout clothing.”