How do you wash your clothes while traveling? Little tips for washing clothes on outdoor trips
When the editors at Tanlulv travel, we almost always have to wash our smelly clothes, pants, and socks every night. It’s troublesome but unavoidable. While disposable pants are convenient, they don’t absorb sweat well and can feel tight and uncomfortable once you’re drenched in sweat.
If the hotel has coin-operated washing machines and dryers, you’re in luck — just pop in some coins to buy a pack of laundry detergent. But if there’s no detergent for sale, don’t worry. Just go back to your room, crush up some Soap, or pour in Shampoo or Bath Gel instead — you can still wash your clothes until they’re nice and fragrant, and the result might even be better than using detergent.
What if there’s no washing machine?
First, ask the front desk if there’s an affordable self-service laundromat nearby. Or, check with your room attendant to see if anyone offers laundry services. From my experience, the more remote the place, the more expensive the hotel laundry tends to be — they know you’re stuck and have no other choice — heh, so I just ask around to see if anyone does side jobs. Once during my trip in Hanoi, Vietnam, I only spent $5 to wash a week’s worth of sweaty clothes. But don’t expect them to iron your clothes; as long as they’re clean and dry, that’s great.
My workaround at Tanlulv is: while taking a shower (using Shampoo and Bath Gel), I stomp on my clothes with my feet (especially effective for underwear and socks, similar to beating them with a stick or using a washboard). By the time I finish showering, the clothes are pretty much washed. Then just rinse them with water and give them a shake.
