How to Do Laundry When Traveling

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If you’re wondering how to do laundry when traveling, we’ve got a great list of tips and tricks for you to take with you on your travels.

Sure, the idea of doing laundry while traveling may sound frustrating or annoying, but believe it or not, it’s something that will make the trip easier for you. It allows you to pack less, re-wear your favorite outfits, and bring fewer dirty clothes with you when you finally get home.

Even though no one likes to waste much of their valuable time doing laundry, sometimes it’s necessary. Washing your clothes once in a while is not scary, and it’s not going to ruin your trip. In fact, it’ll prevent you from dragging around lots of dirty laundry together with your clean clothes.

Not only can this give your clean clothing a funky smell, but it’ll also make you run out of clean clothes pretty quickly – and let’s face it, no one wants that problem.

So, to give you peace of mind for your next trip, let’s take a look at how to do laundry when traveling with our seven top tips and methods.

Table of Contents

1 – Use a Travel Laundry Wash Bag

Travel wash bags are an all-in-one solution to doing laundry that you can pack directly into your suitcase. They’re a simple solution to doing laundry, and one that you can do from the comfort of your hotel room or apartment.

The Scrubba Wash Bag is our personal recommendation, and worth purchasing if you want a simple, D-I-Y solution to doing laundry while traveling.

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2 – Take Advantage of Hotel Laundry Services

If the hotel you’re staying in is offering a laundry service, don’t hesitate to use it. The service usually includes washing, drying, hanging, ironing, or folding your clothes. Some hotels offer dry cleaning services, as well.

Use the laundry bag in your hotel room to put your dirty clothes and make sure you inform the hotel that you want to use this service by filling out a form. Here, you’ll find out the price and if your budget can allow it.

Generally, it takes 24 hours to get your clothes back fresh and clean, but some hotels have same-day service. Although this may be the most convenient way to do your laundry while traveling, it is often the most expensive one. If you prioritize convenience over price, you won’t have an issue.

3 – Find a Laundromat

It’s simple to use Google Maps to find the nearest laundromat in your area. You can wash your dirty laundry in a laundromat on your own or with some help.

The facility typically offers self-service and drying machines. In some laundromats, you can pay for a drop-off laundry service where another person washes, dries, irons, and folds your clothes. All you have to do is pick it back up.

The do-it-yourself model of laundromat is cheaper, as often you’ll only need coins to pay for detergent and the machines. However, in cash economies and less developed countries, laundry services can be very inexpensive.

In Southeast Asia and South America, particularly, you can find affordable, drop-off, and pick-up laundry services with relative ease.

4 – Hand Wash Your Clothes in the Sink or a Bathtub

Hand-washing your dirty laundry in the apartment or hotel sink or bathtub is nothing new or scary. It’s the perfect option if the hotel laundry service is too expensive for your budget and if the laundromats are too far.

The first thing you should do is plug the drain in the sink. There are many items you can use to do this, but we’d recommend investing in a sink stopper, such as the Mudder Sink Stopper.

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Then, fill it up with warm water and soak your dirty or wet clothes for a few minutes. Drain them, rinse them, and do the same thing once again. Hand wash each piece of clothing with laundry soap or a few drops of your own laundry detergent.

To travel, you’ll need to get yourself a travel-sized laundry detergent. The Dynamo laundry detergent sheets are a great and lightweight way to travel with detergent, and ideal for hand washing clothes.

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Finally, rinse each piece of clothing until the detergent is gone, and wring excess water off. Hang them and let them dry. It’s really easy, and it won’t take too much of your time.

The Hawatour portable travel clothesline is a great choice to travel with if you’re looking for a simple solution.

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5 – Book an Airbnb or Apartment with a Washing Machine

If your stay is long term, an Airbnb or a local apartment service is often a much better and far more affordable option than a hotel.

As Airbnbs are usually furbished apartments, there’s always a high chance they’ll come with washing and laundry equipment included. Check the listing before you book to make sure. The same applies to an apartment.

Nearly always, these services will be included as part of the overall price, free of additional charge. Naturally, this is a great way to experience an area or city as a local would.

Being able to do laundry will allow you to have the best of both worlds: to feel as though you have a home in the place your visiting with all the amenities, while still being able to have a wonderful holiday or vacation.

6 – Pack Clothes that Require Less Washing

Try to pack fabrics that dry quickly and don’t need to be washed that often. In this way, they will stay clean and fresh for longer, and you may not even need to do laundry. They include merino wool shirts, denim, travel underwear, and quick-drying and stain-resistant pants.

You could also consider clothes that are easier to wash, such as natural fibers like cotton, and aim to pack as many clothes that are made from these fibers as possible.

7 – Use a Laundry Service App

Our last solution to the question ‘how to do laundry when traveling’ will take a little research, but there are plenty of apps out there to book laundry services. Many of them will even collect your washing and return it.

Different apps, however, operate in different countries. A good tip is to search ‘best laundry app Indonesia,’ naturally replacing ‘Indonesia’ with the country you’re visiting, and see what you can find.

Often, apps will require a phone number for activation. So be sure to pick up a local SIM from the airport or a telecom shop if you’re serious about using them, or check if your service provider operates in the country you’re visiting.

How to Do Laundry When Traveling Summary

Doing laundry when traveling doesn’t have to be stressful. There are plenty of hacks, services, and apps in every country to get your clothes clean, ironed, and folded in no time at all.

One final time, here is our summary of how to do laundry when traveling.

1 – Use a Travel Laundry Bag
2 – Take Advantage of Hotel Laundry Services
3 – Find a Laundromat
4 – Hand Wash Your Clothes in the Sink or a Bathtub
5 – Book an Airbnb or Apartment with a Washing Machine
6 – Pack Clothes that Require Less Washing
7 – Use a Laundry Service App

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