100% Green

Find a laundromat that does wash & fold - & picksup/delivers.

I have also found that at some hotels (for a small tip) the bellman will run the laundry to the laundromat for you.

chx1975

mmm what plastic case ?

Gringa

An old case I had for bar soap.

Premier Owl

I have 2 solutions for laundry..

1. At the regular hotels I stay in, laundry costs are built into my daily rate... (sometimes the hotel wins, sometimes I win, but neither takes advantage on the pricing).

2. I find local laundry service, I take my laundry, the firm delivers back to the hotel

TravelingNomads

Someone gave us great advice when we were traveling to Europe about asking your maid if they wanted to do it after hours. We've also sometimes hand washed items and hung them over the heaters so that they'd dry quickly.

In the US it's much easier since many hotels have self service washers/dryers and there are public laundry facilities everywhere.

davistev

I always pack my oldest clothes, underwear and socks because once used I toss them into the bin. If needed, I will purchase new ones while travelling rather than bother with laundry costs at hotels. I know it sounds like a waste but it works for me. It is a great way to empty your closet of clothes at the end of their lifespan.

If I am travelling only in warm climates, I will also pack old T-shirts and old jeans - wear them / toss them / buy new ones if needed. Cold climates always entails lugging a jacket unfortunately.

But, I return with less than I leave with.

I once travelled from Canada to Australia and tossed all my old clothes as I went. By the time I landed back at LAX airport, all I had was a fanny pack around my waist with my toiletries in it and passport. I was stopped by US Customs as they believed I had forgotten to claim my bags. I had nothing!

A very liberating way to travel.

envgeo

depends on the trip - for work I go with the hotel laundry.

personal - I have a nalgene bottle full of tide granular (not liquid) detergent. most my clothes are quick dry, but one trick I learned was to lay clothes flat on a towel and then roll the towel up and wring the towel. It drastically cuts down on the stretching that occurs when you wring out clothes by themselves.

I typically pack a few empty 1 gallon zip top bags (freezer rated is stronger) for who knows what. Using one to wash clothes is a great idea that someone else suggested.

emma69

I wash my bras, panties, stockings etc. in the hotel sink if needed - I do not like sending those items to a hotel laundry, they are not treated delicately enough for my liking. I also hand wash swim wear if I am at a beach destination. I take either tide sachets, or, a recent discovery, laundry soap 'leaves' that I will be trying on my next trip.

Bear4Asian

"All I had...!" If you read it the way I did, it would make a great movie scene.

sweetsleep

Ah yes the amazing Scrubba bag- so glad I discovered it.
My first bag had a design flaw with the air valve-emailed the company and they sent me the new and improved version super fast from Australia and I live in the US.
Gets my clothes a lot cleaner than trying to hand was in a sink or tub. One side has a nubby area that does allow you to truly scrub the clothes inside.
I have used it everywhere from Africa to Hong Kong-takes up virtually no space in my luggage.

gonebabygone

Same here. Although most places with a washer-dryer tend to also have detergent as well.

Yet another advantage to avoiding hotels!

freecia

Dizolve makes a laundry detergent sheet http://www.dizolve.com/us/

I haven't tried them yet but will when I finally run out of my hoarded purex sheets.

I usually bring an elastic laundry line and a "cross hanger" meant for keeping pants open while drying to speed up the drying process. Great for small items, too http://www.daisojapan.com/p-15646-cr...ger-10pks.aspx Large S hooks also useful for securing laundry line near air conditioner.

For cruises and humid places where there is very little airflow, I have a small usb fan.

gonebabygone

Wow that's ingenious!

Romelle

I'm a little leery of the made-for-tourists products like the above, since I got some rather odd results with a couple I tried. One simply wouldn't do suds and act like soap to do cleaning, and the other seemed to damage elastic. I can't remember the brands any more. Just the results.

I'd really rather just pack a little zip-lock bag with something I have successfully used at home. Nowadays I have been using the pods at home, so keep a box of powdered Dreft for travel that I sometimes use for hand laundry at home. Mild, smells good, I know how it works and trust it. Doesn't use up part of my liquids "allowance". One of those stronger thicker zip locks, not the wimpy snack ones. I even toss in a little plastic scoop if I'm going to be doing laundry regularly.

envgeo

I said it up thread, but do similar. I pour some of the powdered detergent in a small Nalgene bottle. You can to the same with your pod and then you don't have to worry as much about something tearing / leaking into or out of guaranty zip lock. Use the cap to measure out a partial dose