Everyone knows that laundry can be a bit of a chore. At home, you have a system in place. When you’re on the road it can be a bigger hassle. But there are a few options to do your laundry while traveling. Which one works best for you, depends on your budget and travel style.
Using hotel services
Many hotels offer in-house laundry services. These include washing, drying and even ironing of your clothing. Most luxury hotels also provide dry cleaning services. If you want to make use of your hotel’s laundry services, you’ll usually find a laundry bag in your room. Just pop your dirty clothing into the bag, fill out the form and let the staff know. Many hotels aim to get your cleaned clothes back to you within 24 hours. When washing clothes in hotels, make sure you know what the different care symbols mean. The rates for individual laundry items will vary widely depending on the type of clothing and hotel. While hotel services are convenient they are among the more pricey options to take care of your laundry.
Bring your own laundry detergent
You can wash easy-to-clean items like socks and jersey tops in the hotel sink. Just make sure you pack your own detergent, especially when traveling to more remote locations. Travel-sized laundry kits like liquid pods are a simple and much more affordable alternative to hotel services. You can then wash your items in the hotel’s sink or bathtub. While hand-washing a few items is economical and works well on short trips, for longer stays you may want to use a washing machine. Some accommodations like the Staybridge Suites have on-site launderettes which guests can use free of charge. Alternatively, you could ask hotel staff for launderettes nearby once you’ve got a few items to wash.
Choose accommodation with laundry options
One of the easiest ways to manage laundry when traveling is to book accommodation that has a washer. Airbnb and other guest houses will usually let you know if washers are available at your chosen location. Sometimes a host may include the detergent in the price but more often than not you will need to bring your own. Make sure you ask for the washing machine instructions in a language you understand or use a translator because it could be difficult to use someone else’s washing machine when it’s in a different language.
Essential items to pack for doing laundry while traveling
When you plan on doing some laundry while traveling, it’s worth making a quick list of items to bring. If you’re going to use the hotel’s services then you probably won’t have to pack any additional items. For other accommodation types or when hand-washing your items, here are some of the top items to consider. Take a travel-sized laundry detergent and stain remover. You never know when you might spill some red wine on your favorite silk shirt. A travel clothes line will come in handy when you’re going away for a little longer or are traveling in a camper van. If you’re not quite on board with hand-washing, you can pick up a washing bag which acts like a miniature washing machine. And don’t forget a travel laundry bag to store dirty clothes in.
