lori1329 on How to Hand-Wash Clothes

discount airlines which only allowed us 15 kilos in our checked bag before charging some hefty excess baggage fees! This meant I had to pack carefully and hand-wash a lot of items along the way to ensure we had clean clothes for the entire trip.

Before we left for our trip, I purchases two travel size laundry detergents. These are typically sold in the travel section in the toiletry department of stores like Wal-mart and Target. This is the same area where you can find little things like travel hairspray and deodorant.

I’ve seen both dry detergent and liquid and I like to use the liquid when hand-washing. It dissolves more quickly in water when washing in a bathroom sink and I find it easier to rinse out as well.

The first thing I do when hand-washing is plug the bathroom sink and fill up it up about halfway with water. I choose the water temperature based on what the clothing tag says. As the sink is filling I pour in about one capful of my travel detergent so that it dissolves a bit in the washing water.

Next I put in the clothes. Depending on the size of the sink I may only wash one or two pieces at a time. I move them around a bit so that the entire piece comes into contact with the soapy water. Then I concentrate on areas that tend to hold more odors such under the arms of shirts. I scrub those areas a bit more by rubbing the clothing together to penetrate the material.

 

If I have more pieces to wash, I will take the piece currently in the sink and ring it out so that it is not dripping. I then set it on the side of the sink while I wash other pieces.

Depending on how dirty the item is, I usually only wash about four items in one sink-full of water. If I have more to wash I will usually drain the sink and refill it to get fresh water and more soap. I don’t like the idea of washing clothes in dirty water, but I try not to be wasteful with the water I am using. I wash in it until it looks visibly dirty.

After all the clothes are washed, I begin rinsing them. Sometimes, I do this by filling the sink with fresh water and moving the clothes around in it. Then I usually have to end up letting the water from the faucet run on the item for a while. This is the only way I’ve found to really get all the soap out.

Once the water runs clear through the clothing and I don’t see any more soap bubbles, I wring out each piece of clothing. This takes some strength and I wring each piece out several times until it is no longer dripping wet.

At home, I have an elevated rack in my laundry room where I can hang clothes for drying. When I’m in a hotel room I tend to get pretty creative with the space available. If I have several items I usually hang things on the shower curtain rail (be sure it is sturdy), faucets in the shower, on the sides of tubs and on towel racks in order to get everything thoroughly dry. I leave it there for day and typically don’t have a problem with the hotel maid bothering it.

Sometimes items need to be dried flat and there is often limited counter space in a hotel bathroom. I’ve found that draping a towel over the sink and laying a sweater or similar item out flat is the best way to dry things that can easily stretch or lose their form when hung. The towel helps soak the moisture and I usually turn the piece of clothing over once throughout the day.

I’m happy with the results I get from hand-washing and it is a necessity if you are an avid traveler. It takes a little time out of your day, but it is better than the alternative of paying a good portion of your travel budget to a laundry mat or to an airline for overweight baggage.