What soap to use for clothes?

I use Rick's "Travel Wash' soap and I like it. Just click on the Travel Store tab above and you'll find it.

A small tightly sealed bottle of Woolite -- A cap full will wash what you are talking about. I screw the top on tightly and then put it in a plastic sealed sandwich bag. Works every time.

I haven't used them before, but am bringing the clothes washing soap sheets for hand washing to lighten my load. I also let my fingernail scrub brush do double duty for additional washing or stain removal and have been known to use hand soap or body wash if I've run out of laundry soap. Woolite has worked well in the past as well as the Tide individual packets you can buy in the travel or sample size section of any drug store.

As others have said, the Travel Wash works great. However, I have switched to "Forever New" which is a powdered laundry soap for hand washing items. It works great - good at getting stains out too - but my main reason for switching is that it is one less item that has to fit in my quart-sized "Gels and Liquids" bag at security. It comes in a 4 ounce travel size, or you can buy a larger size and put however much you want in your own container. Also saves the weight of carrying around the liquid. You can find it at Macy's as well as other places.

I normally would have said, just use the hotel shampoos( they are crap for hair anyways),, but I have tried the Forever New stuff and loved it. It comes as a powder, it rinses out easily,, and you don't need much,, plus as noted, you can carry it on. I got mine at a department store lingerie section.

The Travel Wash that can be bought on this site, REI has Sea to Summit concentrated wash or liquid Dr. Bronner's (I get it at the drug store). All are good. Have a great trip.

Another Forever New user here. The 4 oz. container was plenty for my trip and worked great. You can always use the hotel shampoo as a laundry soap to supplement your soap if you run out. As another poster said, you can find the Forever New in the women's lingerie section of a department store.

Your shirts will dry much quicker if you use a blow-up hanger. You can buy them at a good travel store.

We use a product call CampSuses available at backpacking stories. Extremely concentrated - one 3 oz bottle has lasted for three or four months of travel. It is biodegradable and easy on everyone.

I will second the suggestion of using blow up hangers. I've used Rick's laundry soap with good success, but as has been already stated, it does take up room in your 3-1-1 bag. I would NOT suggest those little dry soap leaves you can get at REI or travel stores. They don't work well at all. Another way to help clothes dry quickly is after washing, roll them up in a towel (microfiber is best) to get rid of excess moisture.

Andrea is spot on. Roll them in a towel and squeeze. Then they'll dry quickly, even slung over a chair back.

Amazon has Forever New in various combinations, from small individual sizes to a 32 oz container. A great way to get rid of excess water is to use either a chamois or a micro fiber towel, both will wick away lots of water and will dry quickly. Plus, neither weigh much, or take up valuable space in your travel bag. To use, roll the clothes up in the towel, then twist.

I didn't own a blow up hanger, and I was too cheap to go buy one,, but, I did find some balloons in a drawer in my house( left over from a party) , threw some in my suitcase( they take up no room) and when drying a shirt I just semi inflated them and shoved them up shirt,, worked great!

Those wicking athletic shirts ( Under Armour, Nike Fit, etc.) dry incredibly fast. I just press them dry with a bath towel and hang on a regular hangar; no need to pack extra stuff. I washed my shirt after a hike yesterday and timed the dry time. It was dry in 23 minutes (I am in low-humidity Glacier NP right now, somewhat wa extra fast, but even under normal conditions it rarely takes more than an hour for the right shirts.)

I use a small amount of shampoo for sink washing. Dish-washing liquid would work, too.

If space permits for your liquids/gels I recommend Campsuds Bath Soap and Shampoo - peppermint version. It's a versatile highly concentrated biodegradable gel that is great.

Last May I tried Forever New and really liked it. I got the large size at Macy's and then put various measures of it in small snack-size zip lock bags (which are great for so many things BTW when you are traveling.)

Great advice here - I'm ditching the soap sheets and getting some Forever New today. I hated taking up room in my 3-1-1. I did use the Dr. Bonners all in one soap, shampoo, laundry soap, toothpaste in the past. Hated it - turned my hair into straw and wasn't so great on my clothes either - had better luck with real shampoo for hair/laundry.

I use Neutrogena for my body, and also for clothes in a pinch. So this way it does double duty....

Great post and excellent info! Those of you that have used Forever New: If 2 of us are taking a trip for 28 days would the 12 oz bottle be sufficient?

I've had great success with a bar of Ivory soap for me, my hair, and my clothes. Of course, with your clothes you have to rub it on the clothes a little. Probably not suitable for those with bad backs. After washing clothes, I wring out the excess water with the bath mat. If it's still moist in the morning, no big deal. I'd much rather step onto a moist bath mat than try to dry with a still moist towel. I use inflatable hangers. They take up almost no room and have the "handle" built in. I also take along several "drip dry clothespins" for underwear and a suction cup, twisted cloth line.

I suggest using the Purex 3-in-1 laundry sheets. They're soap, softener, and dryer sheet in one. I cut off the end strip (dryer sheet part) and sliced the sheet into 1 x 1 inch strips. Plop one in the sink, fill with water, toss in your clothes. They have a light scent and you don't have to worry about putting them in the liquids bag. I too bring inflatable hangers (yes, I was made fun of by my travel mates, but not until they realized how useful they are). I've also used peppermint Dr. Bronners soap (my usual travel soap) and it works fine too. I believe Mr. Steves advocates using hotel shampoo, but I find it difficult to rinse out of clothing. As mentioned in prior posts, wrap your clothes in a towel tightly (I usually stand on them too) and they'll be dry in a jiffy. The best advice I ever got: try out whatever you select BEFORE you leave home. A couple test runs will confirm what works for you.

I've used travel soap and shampoo for sink washing. My favorite now is the pack of laundry detergent sheets from REI. It costs about $2.50 for 50 sheets. It's about the size of two books of matches.. They pack in your dry stuff - no liquid. You use about 4 sheets per laundry load - less for a small sink load. I didn't like them the first time I used them, then I read the directions. You stir the sheets into a little bit of water to turn it into liquid detergent before you add it to your wash. REI also has shampoo and body wash sheets but I'm less fond of those.

I agree with so many comments about the "Forvever New". I have always taken it in the suitcase. You don't have to worry about it leaking as it is a powder. I put both containers inside of two Zip-locks. As at least one person said, it can be found at Macy's in the lingerie dept., or at Nordstrom also.

Another vote for Camp Suds. A 1 oz. bottle was enough to wash clothes for two people on a three week trip.

A huge Thank You to all who recommended the Forever New about a year ago on another thread - LOVE IT! I ordered mine on Amazon.com - the price was comparable to retail store prices, and there was no S&H. Jennie, I simply took a ziploc bag and a smallish scoop, and scooped out however many sink washings I thought I'd do. Then, a few extra ;-) I also packed that same scoop (a fast-food plastic spoon) in the same bag, then double-or triple-bagged it. It smells great, but it's strong. Plus, you don't want it all over your luggage...an extra ziploc bag is very cheap insurance. My bottle is a 32oz size - I took more than enough for 4 adults on a 2+ week trip, and I've used it quite a bit in the two years since that trip, and the bottle isn't half gone. Use very little! Try it out on some dirty clothes at home first - you'll figure out how much you'll need. Plus, you don't have to worry about your 3-1-1 bag (grrrrr) since it's a powder. John, I've used (very plain, simple) shampoo several times; it's fine - you'll either need to check a bag, or buy some there, though. The thing about many of those 'performance' shirts is that they're made of synthetic materials, and it's pretty common knowledge that they can be rather stinky if you're not very diligent about cleaning them - the fabric doesn't release the odors and oils as well as cotton. There's always a trade-off (sigh)...but you're thinking like I do. They are so lightweight, small to pack, and dry soooo quickly you'll never want to take any other clothing! But I still suggest Forever New and these.

Ditto the comments on Forever New. Just bought and tried it - works great!

i can't remember the brand now, but i got those detergent+dryer sheets at Target. i cut them into strips, and used a strip in the sink each time i did a wash. it was great because it didn't take up space in my little baggie of liquids on the way there, and it didn't come with the risk of opening inside of my bag and destroying everything. very easy.

Those are Purex sheets, and they smell great but the scent is Very Strong - double or triple bag them ;-)

I went to Macy's for the forever new and for $15 you get a large container (or lifetime supply for the avid traveler). So instead I went to the local grocery store and bought a small box of powdered laundry detergent for $5 and measured a small amounts into zip lock baggies. Takes up no room in the suitcase and even better stays out of the 3-1-1 baggies.

Castile Soap...buy a bar in the soap section of any grocery store soap section in U.S.; I like Campsuds like Bruce & Frank, yet don't like the idea of liquid spilling inside my luggage...Forever New not as cost effective as a simple bar of Castile Soap. The brand I use is Kirk's Castile. If you like several scented options try CoalPot all-natural soap, hand-made in the West Indies Island of Dominica. Their website lists a distributor by mail in the U.S. and other countries.

I have one baggie of good ol cheap Kirkland ( Costco) powdered detergent, and one baggie of Clorox 2powder for stinky stuff. Triple bagged. Both very concentrated. Used to adore Dr Bronner's bar soap for clothes and body ( not hair) but the Costco stuff really works better.

I also second...or maybe third....the Purex 3 & 1 sheets. They can be easily torn and tossed into the sink for hand washing. They do not need to go in your 3-1-1 bag. I put them into a couple of baggies. Plus they keep your bag smelling fresh, despite being in 2 baggies. I won't take anything else.

John, This is slightly off topic, but don't forget one of those white, flat round rubber stoppers to keep the water in the sink. You can get them at Wal-Mart for a dollar. Many hotels don't have proper stoppers. This old-fashioned thing beats stuffing a sock in the drain to keep the water from draining. As for detergent, I just use shampoo or body gel, but then I don't take good clothes. I leave mine.

I just returned from my trip and based on this post, purchased Forever New and loved it. It was very hot, I was very sweaty and the black dye from my camera strap and my leather purse transferred to my white shirt. The soap remarkably took the stain completely out. It is a winner. My old soap would not have done the trick. (I also used a shout wipe on the front stain - but did not use it on the back of the shirt - the soap got the stain out).

I see Forever New comes in 14 pack at Amazon in granular form. Any problem carrying this onboard?
Also , as usual in Europe, no dryer at the apartment we are staying in. Is there fabric softener in Forever New? Thank you.

Before you pay to ship Forever New, check your local department stores, in the lingerie dept. I get mine at a local bra shop. I don't think you need a separate fabric softener. It's really just for hand washing, but it cleans very well. It's a powder, so no issues in security.

Bar soap or whatever the hotel has. If it is good enough for my body then it is good enough for the clothes on my body. Never made sense to carry extra liquids. Edwin

I like the Forever New and have also used CampSuds -- but of course the Forever New does not have to go in your one quart-size liquid bag!

Some years ago Consumer Reports said Ivory Liquid dish detergent was just as good and cheaper than Woolite. I put some in a small plastic travel bottle and used it successfully for years to hand launder clothes at home and when traveling. Have also used Campsuds and Travel Wash. Sometimes I use the hotel shampoo or use my own baby shampoo for hair and clothes. I haven't yet tried a cake of Kirby's Castile soap that someone recommended for hair and clothes. Lots of stuff works fine.

Besides a low-sudsing soap, I highly recommend a synthetic chamois (like "The Absorber"). It gets the extra moisture out of your clothes, plus it's small and lightweight and can be endlessly reused. When we used towels, they were too damp to be useful after rolling one or two pieces of clothing. Anyway, synthetic chamois is not supposed to entirely dry out, so we just kept ours in a ziplock bag. Oh, and those exercise shirts you mentioned are great - they dry quickly, pack small and are lightweight.