Storing Soiled Laundry

Hi Nancy,

You use a laundry bag. :) You can use a plastic bag or a smaller bag. I always grab those plastic bags that you find in hotel closets. They are supposed to be for laundry and dry cleaning. I just use them for storage for the most part. Also, air out your clothes and pack them in the AM. If you think that you'll have some items that you think will be particularly aromatic, then get a zip lock bag for those items. I've never found that smell has been an issue with laundry. There is always the sink for rinsing them out.

Pam

I haven't had a problem just using a sort of heavy plastic shopping bag, but if you're concerned, you can buy large ZIP-Lock bags at the grocery store. I think they're 2 gallons. Based on great advice from someone here on the forum, I now take two of those with me for washing clothes in cases there's no plug for the lavatory/wash basin and you don't always have access to a washing machine.

If you think all your dirty clothes won't fit in one of the 2-gallon bags, you can buy a larger plastic bag intended for garbage.

Thx. I've used plastic grocery bags in the past but didn't store them in my suitcase. I didn't think a plastic bag wud contain the stink, but I'll use a plastic garbage bag; that shud contain the stink much better than a plastic grocery bag.

I will vouch for the 2 gallon zip lock bags. They seal in any aromas and you can compress the air out so dirty laundry takes less space. I have also used one as a wash bag for small items. I don't leave home without a supply of baggies from snack size up to the 2 gallon.

Sleeping Bag? Laptop?
I cannot remember seeing anyone with a sleeping bag in recent years. If you're going to be staying at hostels, just carry single bed sheets.
My 17" laptop was extremely heavy, and I've bought a 1 lb. Chromebook to stay in touch with the world via Wifi. They're just great--and can be found for around $150.
I've also seen some world travelers trash some of their dirty clothes as they travel--and buy new.

I meant to question the sleeping bag, too. I don't stay in hostels, but I know I read recently that it's rare these days to need even a sleep sack in a hostel. Be sure you aren't taking something that is totally unnecessary.

I'd do nearly anything to avoid carting a laptop around Europe. Including asking friends if they know someone who has recently traded up and has an old smartphone or tablet that still works. $25 - $50 and you'd be good to go.

Hi,

I would check if the hostels require a sleeping bag. They provide the sheets (free ) in a seal plastic bag at check-in. I stay at hostels at least once on a trip, this last one was an exception. I put the soiled laundry in plastic bags wrapped around rubber bands or use binder clips. In the small hotel or Pensionen I wash a few items in the room sink, usually the first night I'm there after returning from dinner, just to keep the dirty bag manageable while replenishing my clean supply.

The hostel (private ones) have laundry facilities, which has been my experience in Germany and Austria.

Nancy,

I take a few 13 gallon (kitchen trash can size) plastic bags to keep my dirty clothes separate from my clean ones.
I only pack for a week, so plan to do laundry every week anyway.
I also wash my underwear in the bathroom sink or while I take a shower.

I would also reconsider taking your laptop & sleeping bag...

BTW, don't forget to take a lock to lock up your valuables in the lockers while you're sleeping.

Have a wonderful trip!

I posted about the 2.5 gallon Ziploc bag as a makeshift washing "machine", I take a couple of bags and they are also the laundry bag. Pack some Woolite packets (shampoo works too, in smaller amounts) and you are set.

There is a thread on the most useless item ever packed in the packing forum. The only thing i could think of was a sleeping bag. I packed a sleeping bag more than thirty years ago when i was a poor university student. I thought i might need it to sleep outside on a beach, under a bridge or at a train station. I think i only used it twice. Once to sit outside on a the deck of an over night ferry. Another time was to sleep on a roof of an Athens hotel. I think the cot on the roof was about 5 bucks. I could have had a room and a bed for about ten bucks. Chose the roof so i could talk about it on a travel forum thirty years later. It has been a long time, but when i stayed at hostels, they always provided blankets, and often sleeping sheet. I believe hostels prohibited sleeping bags because of possible bedbugs. If you ditch the sleeping bag, you will save alot of space and weight.

i just use plastic grocery shopping bag to wrap up dirty laundry, if any. On a long backpacking trip, i try to sink wash and hang dry everything each day so that i usually carried clean clothes in the backpack. I usually limit to only 3 or 4 sets of t-shirts, socks, underwear and only wear a clean set for ond day before washing. This helps to keep packing light and force myself to sink wash. This is easier if you stay in your own room and are not sharing a dorm. I wear quick drying clothes and underwear. I prefer to wear cotton socks. After washing and overnight hang dry, cotton socks are still damp in the morning but one minute over a hairdryer will make them hot and crispy. If no dryer and i have to check out, i just stuff the damp socks in the same plastic shopping bags until i can dry them at the next hotel. I prefer to do this 5-10 minutes each evening than to spend 1-2 hours looking for and hanging out in a laundromat.

I've always packed my clothes in large garbage bags in my suitcase, because I think it keeps things cleaner. I don't think there's any need for fancy packing cubes or any other arrangements. It's a very easy option, and you'll always have a bag to store your dirty laundry. Bring two or three extra large garbage bags with you - they'll be useful for sitting on the ground and all kinds of other things and don't take up any space if you fold them flat.
You'll probably be doing laundry before anyone notices the "stink" - just tie a loose knot in the bag, it won't smell. Some hostels do provide washing machines, so it's good to inquire before you go.

You can do a good job washing laundry in the sink or under the shower using gallon-sized (or larger) ziploc bags: add laundry and a little shampoo (works really well, no need to bring extra detergent), zip the bag, massage the laundry, empty and rinse well. Roll up everything in a dry towel, and squeeze out all the water. If you need to hang damp laundry, bring large safety pins instead of clothes pins - you can attach safety pins anywhere.
You might think about investing in a few microfibre towels - check out hiking and sports shops for good values. They are highly-absorbent, dry quickly, weigh nothing and take up no room if folded flat.

I agree that bringing a laptop is not only heavy, but will be a temptation for thieves. Hostels do not provide safes, and take no responsibility if your belongings "go missing". If you can do whatever you need to on a smartphone, there is always free WiFi available in cafes, etc.

Unless you plan on sleeping outside in a park somewhere - which is not advisable (or permitted) for many reasons - you will not need a sleeping bag. Hostels have real beds, with sheets and blankets. You'll just need to bring toiletries and a towel.

It would be advisable to reserve ahead in hostels or budget hotels. You can always cancel if you change your plans. A single female travelling alone should not leave lodging to chance.

My suitcase and duffle bag have zip pockets that I use to keep dirty socks and jocks separate. I have a large heavy duty dept store shopping bag (kept from a blanket or towels purchase) which I use to separate clean from worn in my case.

To keep the underwire in my bras from getting out of shape, I put the dirty ones in a freezer ziplock bag (thicker density plastic) and then stack them with my clean ones in the lingerie packing cube.

All other dirty clothes go into a thicker bag. My suitcase (Eddie Bauer Expedition) also has the feature where dirty clothes can go into the lower zippered area.

Do a search for "Plastic Compression Packing Bags" and you will get lots of hits. These are heavy duty reinforced plastic ziplock type bags that you can fill, then squeeze all the air out to save space. They are mainly advertised for clean clothes packing, but I find they work better for dirty clothes. 2 gallon ziplocks will work as well, just not as durable, I have had my bags for 10 years or so and many trips.

I have used plastic bags in the past, but now am more fond of a mesh lingerie bag (a larger version of the free bags that come with rick steves luggage) undies and socks go in it....over night its out of the suitcase probably on the floor to air out a bit.....then back into the suitcase. odors don't seem to accumulate if they can air out. (dirty t shirts, etc, get folded differently until they can be dealt with

I do use zip lock bag for my dirty clothes. I also use fabric softener dryer sheets in my suitcase to keep everything sweet smelling (or not smelling at all). If you want your own sleeping bag, you might want to think about splurging for a silk sleep sack. It takes up very little room and you will know no one else has slept on them.
It sounds like a wonderful trip. Wray

You definitely don't need a sleeping bag for hostels, university lodging, convent stays or any cheap hotel, pensione or B&B you might stay at. A comforter/duvet or blanket and sheets are almost always included in the price of a hostel (in the rare instance they aren't, you can typically rent them for about 2 Euro). I don't recommend spending money on a silk sleep sack. I purchased one before I went off on a year long trip, and in that entire year I think I used that silk sack maybe 3 times when the bedding seemed "questionable" in a few really dumpy hostels. Read hostel reviews carefully on hostelworld.com, and try to book in advance when you can, but if you are winging it, sometimes you might find the only beds available are in the less desirable places. If you are trying for a private room in a hostel, there are usually only a handful, so definitely book well in advance and see if you can find something in a similar price range at a budget hotel.

I've come across more hostels now providing a bath and hand towel for each guest at no charge (bring your own washcloth if you use them, they won't supply those). If you book in advance you can always email now to see if towels are included. Otherwise, get yourself the quick drying microfiber bath and hand towel. They weigh far less than a conventional towel, take up less space in your suitcase.

I use packing cubes to keep dirty laundry separate from clean. They make very lightweight cubes in all different sizes that are lined and waterproof to put wet or damp items in (like a towel or bathing suit). Most hostels, even some of the small ones, have some sort of coin-op laundry room. Use it, especially if staying in a hostel dorm. Nothing will piss off your bunk mates more than finding your sink washed wet undies and shirts draped all over bed frames and chairs to dry. If your hostel doesn't have one, there's always the neighborhood laundromat, many of which have drop off wash and fold service for a few Euro more if you don't want to wait around.

If you don't have one and it fits in your budget (or you can borrow from a friend), I would suggest using an iPad or other tablet device over a laptop if all you need to use it for is to surf the internet, book a hostel bed, purchase train tickets in advance, or send/receive email. I have an iPad Mini which weighs next to nothing and I can easily stash it in a hostel locker when not using it, or stick it in my day bag to use free WiFi that is nearly everywhere in Europe these days. You can also use it to read books, watch a movie or listen to music.

In addition to a padlock for any hostel lockers, I would recommend purchasing a cable lock as well. I have stayed in more than one hostel where there were absolutely no lockers for guests, so having a small lock on my suitcase and using the cable lock to secure my suitcase to a fixed object in the room (i.e., the bed frame) was useful. Same with taking trains on one's own. There are times when the overhead racks might be so full that you are forced to leave your bag in an area at the end of a train car that is out of your sight. Being able to use the cable lock is helpful so no one walks off with your suitcase when the train stops at different stations along the way.

Nancy,

I'm slightly older than you and stay in Hostels from time-to-time, so have a few comments to add. To begin with, as the others have said "ditch" the sleeping bag. Many Hostels won't allow them to the possibility of introducing contaminants or whatever into their bedding. Most places provide at least a cotton sleep sack if not actual sheets. If you're worried about hygiene, pack along a silk sleep sack as they're light.

For Hostel stays you'll need to bring a towel (the micro-fibre types work great), flip-flops for the shower (for those properties that still have communal showers) and a small but robust Padlock for the Lockers (used to secure your valuables). DON'T use the cheap TSA Luggage Locks!!!

I often use HI Hostels as I've found the facilities are fairly consistent from one property to the next, they're well run and many provide breakfast. They often have more than one property in larger cities. Having an inexpensive HI Hostels membership provides some benefits such as slightly cheaper rates and preferred booking over non-members. While they sometimes host student groups, I've never found that to be a problem.

For dirty laundry, I just use a plastic bag tightly sealed, and it's stored in a different compartment in my Backpack than my other clothing. That's always worked well for me. I assume you plan to do sink washing periodically?

Re: "sleeping bag"

I would think that you really want a travelers "sleep sack" or "travel sheet" similar to:
https://www.rei.com/product/690012/cocoon-coolmax-travel-sheet
http://www.cocoon.at/products/index.php/p/tropic_traveler_en

http://travelfashiongirl.com/travel-sheets/
Get a rectangular one, not a mummy sleeping bag liner unless you like to be confined.

We have silk sleep sacks for sleeping in wilderness huts that provide duvets but not sheets. Hostels also typically require sleep sacks to separate your skin from the duvets, but may rent or sell you low cost cotton ones if you do not have a sack.

Actually, I have never encountered any hostel in Europe that requires you to have a sleep sack. Most discourage their use, as well as the sleeping bags, out of concern hostelers may have previously been in a place with bed bug infestation and then are bringing some "critters" into the new hostel with them on sleep sacks or sleeping bags. It can happen quite easily, which is why more and more hostels are really getting into providing travelers with both sheets and a duvet with a removable cover for washing between guests.

Ceidleh: You may be confusing sleep sacks with sleeping bags. Or the hostels are changing. It's been about 8 years since we bunked in a hostel and we used our sleep sacks. The Norwegian huts only provided duvets and we used sleep sacks.

Hostel FAQ: https://www.hiusa.org/hostels/hostel-faq#8

What is a sleep-sheet?

Basically a sleep-sheet is two sheets sewn together to form a sack.
When you go to bed you get inside the sleep-sheet so the bed always
stays clean. Many hostels now provide all bed linens to guests within
the cost of the overnight, while others will rent sleep-sheets to you
for a additional fee. All HI hostels provide blankets.

Can't I just use a sleeping bag?

Most HI hostels do not allow sleeping bags. Only in a few cases, like
remote and rustic mountain locations. Because sleeping bags have lots
of tufts and seams, it's easy for bugs like ticks to get inside the
sleeping bag while you are camping and later come out when you unroll
the bag in the hostel. Sleeping bags are also much heavier than a
simple sleep-sheet and much harder to wash. So unless to plan to go
camping you may want to leave the sleeping bag at home.

http://www.reidsguides.com/hostels/sleepsacks.html

Most hostels provide you with a pair of sheets and a blanket for your
bed, but require that you use your own sleep sack. This is basically a
sheet folded in half lengthwise and sewn across the bottom and most of
the way up the long side—sort of like an ultra-thin sleeping bag.

However, note that you cannot use your own sleeping bag, sleeping bag
liner, or anything else that has any sort of thick pile to it. This is
because, from the hostel's point of view, Lord knows where you've been
and for all the hostel know your bag is infested with bedbugs, which
they'd rather you not introduce into their beds.

Norwegian Trekking Association huts:
https://english.dnt.no/cabin-visit-from-a-to-z/

1. Sleeping
   

Nothing is as comfortable as going to bed after a long day in the
mountains. Remember to bring a cotton hut sack or a little sleeping
bag....

My laundry bag is a 2.5 gallon Zip Lock (made by Hefty). I think it's better to have plastic since the laundry will be in the bag with your clean clothes.

My bag becomes my washing machine. I have laundry detergent leaves from REI, a shamwow type towel for wringing and a stretch laundry line. I pack clothes that work well for hand washing and line drying. Each night I wash my socks and underwear from the day plus a t-shirt if it needs it.

I wash everything I have at a laundromat at least every other week, even the things that aren't in the dirty clothes.

No confusion on the difference between a sleeping bag and a sleep sack. As mentioned in my earlier post, I had purchased a silk sleep sack prior to a year long trip that involved stays in many hostels. It was basically a very thin pouch made from lightweight silk material that you could use as a substitute for actual bed sheets or use similarly to a sleeping bag in hot, tropical climates where a conventional sleeping bag would be too warm.

The use of my silk sleep sack was widely discouraged by many hostels that had strict policies about absolutely no outside bedding permitted (including sleeping bags, sleep sacks, your own sheets, pillows or blankets). Their concern was that most hostelers are not going to wash their bedding materials (such as a lightweight silk or cotton sleep sack) every single time they move from one hostel to another. You get a few bedbugs that crawl inside a sleep sack unnoticed and then move onto another hostel, you risk infesting the new hostel. This was why I found many hostels are offering sheets and duvets free of charge (or for a very low rental cost during one's stay), so packing a sleep sack (not a sleeping bag) for me was wasted space in my suitcase as it was only used a few times over the course of a year's travel.

Packing a sleep sack and a sleeping bag might be more useful if one is doing something like an extended thru hike where you are traveling a long distance and staying in tents, huts or hostels in very remote areas, but I suspect the OP is likely doing more of a city to city, town to town trip for 2 months and isn't going to be primarily hiking and camping in rustic accommodations on a regular basis.

Hostel bed bugs:

http://whatsdavedoing.com/camino-de-santiago-packing-list/#sleeping

There’s a lot of talk about bed bugs on the Camino, so I treated my
liner, sleeping bag and the outside of my backpack with a
permethrin-like spray recommended by a pharmacist in Madrid
before I left. It did the job — I got very few bites during the night,
and none were from bed bugs.

At some point I've done all the sink laundry I'm going to do and start putting dirty clothes in a big plastic bag--not so much that they're stinky but that I don't want to grab something dirty accidentally instead of clean.