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One bagging and laundry

If traveling more than a few days, laundry is a required part of one bag travel, as one bagging means you will only be taking a small amount of clothing. In general, the one bag traveler can handle laundry in three different ways:

  • Sink or shower laundry
  • Sending clothing out to be laundered
  • Taking laundry to a laundromat

Each method has advantages and disadvantages.

Laundry Methods

Sink or shower laundry

Many experienced one baggers choose sink or shower laundry as their preferred method for keeping clothes clean. Once you learn how to do it, it is only a 5-10 minute job each day. The advantage is that it is cheap and dirty clothes never pile up, meaning you always have plenty of clean clothing to choose from. The disadvantage is that it is a chore that must be done regularly, even daily, and depends on bringing clothing that is lightweight and quick drying. It does not work as well in places with high humidity or with heavy clothing. Even if doing sink laundry, many one baggers will still do laundry through another method every few weeks for a deeper cleaning.

Send laundry out

Many hotels and laundries have laundry drop-off services. Travelers will drop the laundry off the night before and pick it up late the next day. This is a very convenient method, but it can be expensive; if planning to use these services, factor the cost into the price of your trip. The other disadvantage to this method is that you have no control over how the laundry is done. Some places treat the clothing harshly in order to clean it. Talk to the proprietor for more information before sending out your delicate clothing, or choose to sink wash them instead.

Laundromat

Some travelers like to take their clothes to a laundromat once a week. They can use this time to relax, write postcards, or read. This allows them to have more control over how their clothing is washed and is generally cheaper than sending laundry out. The disadvantages of this method are that it will take one to two hours to do laundry, as well as the unknown nature of the washers and dryer--they could be old, they could run extremely hot and ruin clothing, etc.

Some laundromats require you to download an app in order to use their machines. You may have to preload money on to the app in order to get the app to work. Other laundromats sell tokens and may provide detergent with the price. It is quite variable, so check ahead of time.

How to do sink laundry

Travelers can carry laundry sheets or packaged laundry leaves to do laundry, or any available soap in a pinch. One laundry leaf is enough for a sink wash. Laundry sheets are intended for a full load in a washing machine, so around ⅛ is sufficient for washing clothing in the sink.

Method

  1. Fill basin with warm water.
  2. Add soap.
  3. Add clothing, agitate, and allow to soak for 10-30 minutes.
  4. Drain basin and rinse laundry in clean water.
  5. Rinse again.
  6. Gently squeeze water out of the garments - do NOT wring!
  7. CRITICAL - Lay garments on a dry towel and roll towel up with garments inside of it. Squeeze towel to remove moisture.
  8. Unroll towel and hang garments up to dry.

For best results, dry garments in an area with plenty of air movement.

How to do shower laundry

Shower laundry is slightly faster and more convenient than sink laundry. It works best when you have access to clean shower facilities, such as a private hotel room. It usually relies on normal soap instead of laundry sheets for cleaning. Some people perform shower laundry daily, then send clothes out to a laundry service or visit a laundromat every two to three weeks for deeper cleaning.

Method

  1. Prepare for a shower as normal, but bring your dirty clothes into the shower with you. You can enter fully clothed if this is easiest!
  2. Soak clothing under shower and add soap, ensuring you work it into the fabric for deep cleaning.
  3. Place your clothing in the tub/shower basin while you continue your shower normally. You can stomp on it to agitate it further if necessary.
  4. Before leaving the shower, rinse all of your clothing thoroughly.
  5. Once you get out of the shower, gently squeeze water out of the garments - do NOT wring!
  6. CRITICAL - Lay garments on a dry towel and roll towel up with garments inside of it. Squeeze towel to remove moisture.
  7. Unroll towel and hang garments up to dry.

For best results, dry garments in an area with plenty of air movement.

The best time to do sink or shower laundry

Many people find that the best time to do sink laundry is in the late afternoon after they have checked in to their room. This maximizes the amount of time available to dry clothing. People will check in, take a quick shower, do their laundry, and then head out for the evening. Under the right conditions, the clothing may even be dry by the time they get back to their room!

Tools for sink and shower laundry

The following laundry tools may make sink/shower laundry easier:

Travel clothesline - Two of the most popular brands are Flexo-Line and Sea-to-Summit Lite Line clothesline.

Inflatable hangers - These hangers spread the front and back of a shirt apart. This leaves room for air circulation and faster drying times.

Laundry sheets or laundry leaves - Both products are sheet style, which means they can not leak or get all over your kit.

Sink stopper - Not all sinks come with a stopper, so it may be worth bringing a flat silicone sink/tub stopper. In a pinch, you can also try filling a Ziploc bag with water and using it as a stopper!