How to Deal with Laundry While on Holiday

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. All recommendations and opinions are my own.

Whether it’s because you are travelling on a longer holiday, or just packing light, laundry is an inevitable chore that cannot be avoided. Here are my top tips for managing laundry whilst travelling and holidaying.

How to Manage Your Dirty Laundry Whilst Travelling

Make your life easier by stashing your dirty items into a travel laundry bag. When you go to do your laundry it will be so much easier and you will avoid that frustrating moment following a wash when you realise that you’ve missed a whole pile of dirty clothes. Keeping them separate also stops the dirty clothes from stinking up your clean clothes. I like this laundry bag because its not bulky. It’s also not transparent, which makes it less embarrassing to carry to the laundromat.

Another good packing strategy is to use packing cubes. If I don’t use packing cubes, my suitcase becomes a jumbled mess. When I’m trying to find a particular item (which is always at the bottom of the bag), I’m like a dog digging for a bone and my bag ends up in utter chaos. These packing cubes are a great way to keep your suitcase organised and tidy, and they really do make it so much easier to find exactly what you need and fast.

Tip

• If you can’t do laundry whilst your travelling, then consider using ultra thin panty liners. These liners are so thin, light and breathable that you won’t know you are wearing one. They also have odour control. These liners will extend the life of your underwear until you can get some laundry done.

Washing Methods

Visit a Laundromat

This might seem like an obvious option, but to be honest, before I began travelling, I had never needed to visit a laundromat before and I didn’t know what to expect or how it worked. The first step is finding one. If you are camping, then most campsites generally have a guest laundry. Some hotels and hostels may also provide a small guest laundry. Usually these kind of machines are coin operated or you need to purchase some tokens from the reception desk. When booking your accommodation, check what kind of guest services they have available. If not, a Google search of ‘laundromats near me’ is a good start, you could also ask your accommodation host or the local Tourist Information Centre.

Laundromats have different ways of operating. Laundromats can be unmanned (but will have security cameras) or manned. Some even have an onsite cafe and comfortable seating. The laundromat will contain washers and dryers and you will need to operate them either by inserting the correct amount of coins, or by purchasing a token from the staff or a coin operated machine that dispenses the tokens. They sometimes have packets of single use detergent that you can purchase, however, this is not always the case, so I find it safer to bring my own. Some laundromats may have a change machine, but try to bring lots of coins with you in case they don’t.

Usually at home I split my washing up into colours and material types that have different washing requirements. However, when I’m travelling I’m trying to save on money and time so I just tend to chuck it all in one wash. So when choosing the wash function, I generally keep to a cooler wash of 30-40ºC so it suits a range of materials and colours. This is also where Colour Catcher Laundry Sheets are a godsend. These beauties help to prevent colour run by mopping up the excess colour particles.

When it comes to choosing a detergent, make sure it is suitable for top and front loaders because you never know which kind you will end up using. There are a variety of travel friendly options to choose from. If you want to take it in your carry-on, then if you take liquid detergent, make sure it is carry-on size like this one. You will need to put it in your liquids bag.

Another option is using Laundry Soap Petals which are airline and TSA Carry-on Compliant. However, I’ve recently become a fan of these Laundry Detergent Strips. You tear off a strip and put it in the detergent dispenser and they dissolve in hot or cold water. They are super light, take up very little room and are airline and TSA Carry-on Compliant.

If you are a fan of using fabric softener, then taking a liquid gets messy, instead use fabric softener sheets in the dryer.

Once you have your laundry in the machine and have added your detergent, you generally need to feed your coins/tokens into the machine you are using. However, some laundromats I’ve used in Europe have a central control panel that you feed your coins/tokens into and then you need to tell it which machine you are using. Be careful not to get mixed up with the washing machines versus dryers.

The machines at laundromats are generally much faster than your ones at home. The machines usually have a timer display on them telling you how much time is remaining until the load is done. The dryers are large and if you don’t overfill them, they can dry your clothes in about 20 minutes. I split my loads into several dryers.

Make sure you bring something to do while you are waiting, as you should really stay in the laundromat to keep an eye on your laundry, otherwise things can go missing. I personally find the idea of stealing someones clothing weird, but it does happens, so remain vigilant! However, some of the manned laundromats may have a staff member who keeps an eye on your laundry and moves it from the washing machines into the dryers for you then puts it back into your laundry bag.

Laundry Services

Hotel Laundry Service

Having put myself through university by cleaning in hotels, I know how expensive it is to have the hotel do your laundry for you. I remember when I first saw the laundry price list, I was horrified at how much guests were being charged. Needless to say it was mostly business people that used this service as they were able to charge it as a business expense. But if you can afford it, this might be the option for you.

Local Laundry Service

Particularly travelling in Asia, it can be quite cheap to use a local laundry service. These services typically charge you by the weight, so they will weigh your laundry and then advise you on how much it will cost. They will then do your laundry for you which usually takes about half a day/ a day depending on how busy they are. Then you just collect your lovely pile of freshly laundered clothing.

Hand Washing

Hand washing is best when you only have a few items such as underwear that you want cleaned. You can either wash them in the bathroom sink or in the bath if you have one. Sometimes I even do a little bit of hand washing when I’m in the shower. The problem you may encounter is not having a plug, which makes life difficult. You can travel with a universal silicone plug like this one which is light and doesn’t take up much room. Or you could get these travel laundry detergent kits for doing laundry in the sink. They contain sachets of detergent and a universal plug. As these sachets are liquid detergent, either pack them in your checked-in luggage or remember to put them into your carry-on liquids bag.

You will also need a way to easily dry your washing. I travel with a portable, pegless clothes line. It also comes in handy if you get caught out in the rain and need to dry off clothes. The fun part is figuring out where to attach it in your room!

Using a Portable Washing Device

If you are hiking and camping, then consider taking a portable washing device with you. This Scrubba Wash Bag is a portable washing bag that packs up small and is light. It’s lined with little nodules that help get your clothes clean. There is even a clever version of the Scrubba Wash bag that also be used as a backpack and an outdoor shower.

If you are camping or travelling by camper van, then a non-electric portable clothes washer like this one is a convenient way to wash clothes. It just requires some hand power.

You will also need a way to easily dry your washing. I travel with a portable, pegless clothes line.

Choosing the Right Travel Laundry Detergent and Accessories

Travel Laundry Detergents for Washing Machines

As I mentioned above, when it comes to choosing a travel laundry detergent, make sure it is suitable for top and front loaders because you never know what kind of machine you are going to end up using. There are a variety of travel friendly options to choose from. If you want to take it in your carry-on, then if you take liquid detergent, make sure it is carry-on size like this one. You will need to put it in your liquids bag.

Another option is using Laundry Soap Petals which are Airline and TSA Carry-on Compliant. However, I’ve recently become a fan of these Laundry Detergent Strips. You tear off a strip and put it in the detergent dispenser and they dissolve in hot or cold water. They are super light, take up very little room and are airline and TSA Carry-on Compliant.

When I’m travelling I’m trying to save on money and time so I just tend to chuck everything in one wash. This is where Colour Catcher Laundry Sheets are a godsend. These beauties help to prevent colour run by mopping up the excess colour particles.

If you are washing silks or wool’s, then you need to ensure that the detergent is non-biological (doesn’t contain enzymes), and you should wash the articles by hand so as not to ruin them. Refer to my Travel Laundry Detergents for Hand Washing section below.

Travel Friendly Fabric Softeners

If you are a fan of using fabric softener, then taking a liquid gets messy, so use fabric softener sheets in the dryer instead.

Travel Laundry Detergents for Hand Washing

The problem you may encounter is not having a plug, which makes life difficult. You can travel with a universal silicone plug like this one that is light and doesn’t take up much room. Then use these sink suds laundry detergent sachets for doing laundry in the sink. As these sachets are liquid detergent, either pack them in your check in luggage or remember to put them into your carry-on liquids bag. These detergent sachets are also safe for washing delicate items like wool’s and silks.

Travel Laundry Accessories

Travel Laundry Bag

I like this travel laundry bag because its not bulky. It’s also not transparent, which makes it less embarrassing to carry to the laundromat.

Travel Washing Line

Unless you have access to a dryer, you will also need a way to dry your washing. I travel with a portable, pegless clothes line. It also comes in handy if you get caught out in the rain and need to dry off clothes.