Hello!
A lot of the Airbnbs in Paris only have washers but no dryers. I am noticing the same thing in other parts of France too. It seems like most places only come with a washing machine.
For anyone who has stayed longer than just a few days, how do you usually dry your clothes? Do hosts usually provide drying racks, or is there some trick I am missing? Curious how people typically handle this.
Thanks.
There should be a rack. What time of year are you traveling? I watch the weather and do laundry when I’ll have a sunny day for it to dry. You can always go to a laundry to use a dryer.
We bring a little clothes line that is made of twisted cords so you can tuck the clothes in without needing clothespins. We are always able to find a spot in the bathroom, ideally over the tub if there is one, to hang what we wash. Downside is you are washing just a few things at a time. Also, I haven't personally seen them, but are some of those a washer/dryer combo in one machine? (Kind of like a bread machine?)
The spin on the European washers is pretty good but I often send the clothes on a second spin only cycle so they are less wet before I take them out. Then I hang on hangers or on a drying rack provided. There are usually such things in the place but I also travel with a couple of foldable hangers in any event. If you have any questions about what supplies just message the host in advance.
Thank you all. I thought I was missing something obvious and was a little embarrassed to ask a silly question to the hosts. I will reach out to my hosts and come prepared.
It's an entirely valid question, not dumb! I always make sure that the apartment has at least one drying rack. I also inquire about an iron and ironing board since my clothes are cotton or linen and definitely need to be ironed. The ironing board also acts as a drying surface for me. The portable clothes line works very well as another suggested. If the bathroom has heated towel racks, they are great for drying clothes.
Not having a dryer is why many suggest not packing jeans because they take so long to dry, but for winter travel, I take black jeans for extra warmth. Timing matters as it will take @ 2 days for jeans to dry, but if you can put them on a hanger when it's winter and dry them near the heating source, that works well. In warmer weather, I pack chinos which dry quickly.
As for the combo washer/dryer, I used that only once which I didn't like because my clothes came out very wrinkled. Now, I find the cycle that is for washing only.
To operate the washer, if the instructions are in another language, find the operation manual by googling it and translating.
I take my own Tide pods and double Ziploc them for my checked bag. When I've had the luxury of a separate dryer, I take dryer sheets. Since the washers and dryers are much smaller than in the US, I tear dryer sheets into halves or thirds.
the place we rent in the fall has a washer but not a dryer but a rack -- I don't care to use the rack although it would be fine and there is a big panel heating unit that would make it efficient. What I do it wash the clothes and then. put the wet clothes in the shopping trolley and walk to a nearby laundromat -- there are 3 within an easy stroll. It costs very little and the clothes are dry in those giant commercial dryers in about 20 minutes -- and they have folding tables which is convenient I read a book while they dry (I don't think clothes theft is a big problem BUT the stakes are high traveling having all your capsule wardrobe disappear so I stay). The washer takes a very long time -- at least a couple of hours, but the dryer is fast. And I fold everything to go back in the drawers and we are set. It is like a Euro for 10 minutes and most of our clothes take 20 minutes -- sometimes I go for 30 if the jeans are not dry.
There are some machines that both wash and dry -- avoid those -- they are clothes wrinklers.
Welcome to living like a local. I have two racks with clothes or linens drying in my living room 3 days a week when the weather is cold or on the balcony when the weather warms. Then we iron. One trick I use is to hang the pants by the cuffs, so the weight of the pants straightens the legs. Also, I don't spin on the highest speed 1200, but on 1000 or 800 to lessen the wrinkles. Shirts go on hangers, but I still run an iron over them because I'm around people I know. Since, as a visitor, you won't be seeing people repeatedly, you might want to skip the ironing unless it's summer and you have linen dresses, shirts, and pants.
The only thing I miss from the US is soft towels, but the dryer at our local laundry is 5 euros for 30 minutes. I'll pay for some things, but not that. LOL.
We can consider ourselves lucky: my mother-in-law in Burgundy and cousins in Brittany used to hang their wash on lines strung across the garage in winter where it took three days to dry. But her own mother, DH's grandma, used a scrub board for washing.
Happy laundry.
Sometimes the drying rack will be folded up straight and in a somewhat hidden place. That recently happened to me in Brasov and I finally found it stuck in a narrow cubby next to a wardrobe. If you don't see one, I would definitely ask your host, because chances are they will have one there. That's what most people use to dry their clothes.
There are plenty of self service laundromats in Paris. One hour+ and I can be in and out with everything clean and dry.
The only thing I miss from the US is soft towels, but the dryer at our local laundry is 5 euros for 30 minutes. I'll pay for some things, but not that. LOL.
And I absolutely do ! I only wash my towels when I know I can get to the laundromat later to dry them.
But yes - your apartment should have a drying rack, which should work for most if not all of your things.
We always travel with a travel clothes line that goes above the tub or in the shower. But, I admit, I don't like to live like a local when it comes to this, because I feel like nothing dries overnight...and I always scope out the nearest laudromat as back up.
Depending on the weather it absolutely can take 24 hours or more for clothes to dry indoors on a rack. That’s normal for us though. Dryers are very expensive to run and not seen as a necessity, so it’s rare to get one in any holiday rental property.
Thank you all for responses. I have reached out to my Airbnb host and they do provide drying racks and iron. We are going in Summer so it should be good enough for us to do small loads.
The bathroom is not a good place to dry things because it’s damp and typically has a small or no window. For best results put the drying rack in open space where air can circulate and preferably where it will also get some sunlight.
Was just watching a vlog of a young American woman living in Paris. She was proud to have a washer but said she didn't bother with the dryer. European dryers are notorious for being awful. She hung everything to dry.
Which is another reason not to wash things like jeans on vacation. Only bring wash and wear type items that will dry quickly, especially if there is any humidity.
We've been lucky sometimes to find that our apartments have balconies with clotheslines. We always take clothespins with us.
And clothespins are also helpful to use with the drying racks.
I don't have experience in France, but in Germany, Greece and Scotland, the newer houses have a drying rack operated with steam heat. I think it's usually in the bathroom for drying towels.
It costs very little and the clothes are dry in those giant commercial dryers in about 20 minutes
I would be cautious abut what I put in that kind of dryer; drying that stuff that fast suggests to me that it gets really hot, and some fabrics may not be happy to be that hot.
I have used the oven.
Last year on my landing descent into the European airport I managed to get sick (luckily, I was in business class by myself, so no one had to deal with it but me, but it was a mess. ). My first stop after I checked into my hotel was the local laundromat.
What I noticed is I was there is that locals seemed to haul their drying in.
I saw a lot of people come in put clothes in the dryer. Come back take the clothes out of the dryer. They never used the washing machine, but the dryers were in demand.
I have used dryers in laundromats. Be very cautious with them. I pay close attention to them and don’t let them go too long. I generally only get it like 90% dry
I used to work in laundries for my father growing up, and I know commercial dryers can be very hard on clothes
European dryers are notorious for being awful
Are they? In what way? I've owned plenty of dryers over the years with the current one being an AEG model and it's been going strong for several years. I use it almost daily in the winter when there's little sun or wind and it dries clothes, towels etc perfectly well.
The only model that didn't work too well was a combined washer/dryer, it just didn't manage the drying part particularly well.
If your Airbnb has a fan; position it to blow on the clothes. Really speeds the drying time. We've stayed in places with no AC so I'd do the wash in the evening, hang the wet clothes on the rack then aim the fan towards the rack as we typically needed to run the fan at night.
Just to warn people: apartment listings will sometimes say there is a dryer, but what is meant is the drying rack or clotheslines that are outside of a window.
Did anybody already mention rolling up damp clothes in a towel and walking on the roll? Then hanging them up.
Perhaps not in central Paris, but certainly in Italy we have had apartments with drying lines situated outside the windows with a long drop below.
Extra pegs required so as not to lose your laundry!
I love seeing all the laundry hanging outside buildings.
I've used one of those heavy-duty wooden drying racks (from LL Bean) since the 1990s. My jeans and other items dry well overnight as long as the humidity level is controlled. I clip trousers on hangers when possible. The only items I dry completely in the dryer here at home are towels.
Re: Air BnB, I suggest doing your laundry mid stay or at least not your final night. Last year, my friend threw her clothes in the combo w/d in our London rental. The next morning, when we had a long-distance train to catch, we couldn't get the machine door open and had to call the host. He was finally able to budge the door open, and he literally ran down the street with her laundry to drop it in a dryer. Clock ticking. Funny now but not at the time. :)
