Laundry Soap

Frank, what a coincidence - I was at REI not 30 minutes ago looking at those. I'm glad to hear they work okay. I was thinking about getting some for my next trip. At least the laundry ones. Did you try the others?

No, I'm only interested in the laundry ones. No need for the others.

Frank II,

Interesting that you should mention the soap leaves. The local travel/luggage store here has started to carry something like that (it might be the same brand?). They're also stocking the soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc.

I've been thinking of trying them, but wasn't really sure how much soap there would be in those small leaves. I'd be interested to know how well they work. Be sure to let us know when you get back.

Ken...there are two brands on the market. The ones I like come in a yellowish/transparent plastic container. The ones with the "girly" smell, sorry ladies, come in an orange plastic container. (Both are the same size but marketed by different companies.)

I've already given them a test run. While they don't make a lot of suds, I could definitely see the water get a "soapy" color and they did take a smell out of a shirt I had soiled.

I'm still going to bring my normal liquid laundry stuff on my next trip, but will take these along as back-up and to try over a few days.

Hi There -
I work with Sea to Summit, and they have a full Trek & Travel line of liquid and tissue soaps with and without scent in liquid and tissue forms. The scent is green tea and meant to be gender-neutral and there are formulas for shaving, shampoo, laundry and general use. All options are TSA-compliant for carry on. Retailers who carry these can be found at seatosummit.com for locations throughout North America. Happy travels! Pat

Thanks for the heads up. I tried soap leaves a few years back and was underwhelmed. I remember thinking at the time that laundry soap would be a perfect use for a leaf-type product.

I usually bring a small plastic bottle of Woolite--I made the mistake of buying the large economy sized bottle at Costco years ago, and it is literally a lifetime supply. So I try to budget for it in my liquids and gels baggie. But if the laundry soap leaves work, that saves more room for sunscreen etc.

I use shampoo to do laundry in the hotel sink. Works well for me and no need to buy a special product.

I just bought the shaving cream tissues at REI and they seem to lather up just fine. I'm glad to take the trial sized canisters out of my 3-1-1 bag!

Use a little shampoo in the sink and press on. No sense carrying anything more than you need.

Dawn, I too tried the Sea to Summit Shaving cream leaves...not bad. I usually use shaving oil which comes in a very small container so I'm not sure what I'll do on my next trip.

I got rid of all my Travelon brand leaves as they have too much perfume for my liking.

Agree with Steven on using shampoo for laundry soap. We also carry Wool Lite.

Shampoo is designed not to strip your hair, so it isn't the best at removing greasy dirt. It's fine in a pinch, if your clothes aren't really dirty. But if I am going to be on the road for a month or more with limited clothing, I know I will need something a bit more effective than shampoo.

The only thing I take for laundry is the packets of detergent. Available in the supermarket. It is for one machine load but can certainly be used in a sink for hand washing. Or, make your own soap packets in a plastic zip lock.