Hey there travelers and welcome to my post where will will check out my 5 tips for doing laundry when traveling this year. Washing clothes while on the road can be a hassle, however finding somewhere to do laundry can be of great help as it allows you to bring less to bring less stuff, wear your favorites again and bring home less dirty laundry.
However, it may or may not surprise you to know that not only may it be difficult to get your clothes washed when traveling, but also ridiculously expensive as well.
Tips for doing laundry when traveling
As above, whether you’re a budget traveler or on an extended vacation, finding effective ways to wash clothes is well worth the effort. So with all that in mind, let’s check out some good options for doing laundry on the road.
1. Pack a laundry bag
Laundry bags are a great option as they allow you to do washing absolutely anywhere. All you need is some water and a detergent of your choice and you are good to go. All you do is:
- Place your dirty clothes in the bag
- Add water and detergent
- Squash the bag down – some deflate
- Rub it back and forth on a hard surface for a few minutes
- Add fresh water to rinse and then hang to dry
This method is cost effective and can be done anywhere such as a hotel room, hostel or even a tent. And for those of you looking for an eco-friendly option, use a chemical free detergent instead.
2. Use the hotel’s amenities
Laundry services, which typically include washing, drying and folding are usually available at most full-service hotels or cruise ships. It’s common for many to provide dry cleaning as well.
There will often be a laundry bag provided for you – look in the wardrobe – where you can fill out a form to specify what you’d want done with your dirty clothes. Some hotels provide quick same-day service however in general, plan on waiting at least 24 hours for your clean garments to be returned. The hotel may do the laundry for you in-house, or they may send it to a separate facility.
The thing to keep in mind here is that most of these services come at a cost – usually from $30 to $50 for a full load. Dry cleaning will cost $3 to $5 each shirt/dress and $2 to $3 per pair of underwear .
However, if you look around you can find hotels or even some hostels that will provide washing machines and dryers either free of charge or for a smaller cost (much like a laundromat) for their guests. This can be a very cost effective method to clean your clothes for a fraction of a cost of using a laundry service.
3. Use the hotel’s sink or tub
If however you really need a good night’s sleep and have spent your daily budget on the room itself, another option for washing clothes while traveling is to use the hotel sink or bathtub to hand-wash your clothes. Put simply, you’ll need to fill the sink with water, add some laundry detergent and wash your clothes by hand. When finished, just hang them on the shower rail to air dry – some hotels even provide a pull out clothes lines in the bathroom to hang stuff from as well.
Packing clothes made of quick-dry textiles such as polyester, nylon and other synthetics is also recommended if you want to perform a lot of hand washing when traveling. You will also need to get your own laundry detergent and a portable clothesline won’t go astray either.
Check out these: 3 Best Travel Clotheslines
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4. Visit a laundromat
If you are in a city or town, a laundromat is another cost effective option. Common services provided by theses facilities include self-service and automatic washing machines and dryers. Most are coin-operated – although in more recent times a card reader will also be available – where you can wash and dry. You can usually purchase detergent on a ‘per use’ basis here as well.
My only real recommendation here is that you should be careful about where you are in terms of leaving the laundromat to do something else whilst your clothes run through the cycle. Theft is common here, especially in hostels etc.
5. Use an external service
If you are traveling in non-western tourist areas such as Bali or Phuket etc. then you can get your clothes washed for a very decent price – last time we were in Bali we got a week’s worth of clothes washed, dried and folded for $6. Most will do pick up and drop off, usually with 24 hours but same day will cost about $1 more.
And if you have been travelling for any length of time, then many also offer a mending service as well where they can sew up holes, mend frayed seams or refix a missing button.
Conclusion
So there you have it, my 5 tips for doing laundry while traveling this year. I hope it has been of assistance but as usual, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out by commenting below.
Do you have any other tips to get your laundry done when travelling? If so, please comment below.
Until next time
Have fun
Paul
