Laundry?

We used a laundry service that was at a dry cleaners in Dingle, worked great. I am pretty sure it was listed on Rick's book. It does not hurt to have a couple pair of quick dry underwear (like the one from Ex Officio) but I don't think you should plan around washing stuff in the sink. There really is no need, places that will do your laundry for you are not that hard to find. The Ex Officios have an added bonus of being wearable for at least a couple of days without washing, too--since they are made of moisture-wicking fabric.

I am a dedicated light packer! I've gone as long as 8 weeks doing hand wash. I take 3 pr pants and 5 or 6 tops and wear things more than one day. The pants I can usually go 3 or 4 days, shirts 2 or 3 altho I got some merino wool tee shirts last year and wore one for 6 days without any odor. (gaaack, that sounds gross but they still smelled clean!!) I wash underwear every night and wash pants and shirts when I have at least a 2-day stay somewhere. I use a 2 gal ziplock bag for my washing machine so I can put clothes in to soak, head out to dinner and come back and finish them up while still being able to access the sink to wash hands or brush teeth.

I know many use local laundromats, it just works better for me to hand wash. I do a wash trial at home on any new clothes I purchase to make sure they will dry overnight.

I've done trips that log with just a few outfits, and washing in the sink. It worked out fine. By the end of the trips, I was tired of the same four outfits, but I would much rather do that than carry around 13 days of different clothes. For sink washing I would try to wash clothes the first night of a stay at a hotel, or at least when I still had 2 nights left. That gives everything longer to dry. I've had a lot of trouble getting socks to dry, so if you plan on any sink laundry, try to find some really light weight socks.

I leave in three weeks for a 10 week trip. I will have 5 shirts, 3 pants and 5 sets of undies/socks.

I will hand wash, find a laundromat, and occasionally let the hotel do it.

Ireland is not a third world country. People wash their clothes there as well. Your hotel will either offer a laundry service or know where the nearest laundromat is located.

Washing in the sink is not so bad. You've gotten some good tips so far. As an alternative, pack a couple of "two-gallon" ziploc bags and wash your clothes in them. Put in some water and detergent and shake. (Make sure the detergent is for hand washing). Add the clothes. Add more water. Shake for a minute or two. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Pour out the water and refill. Shake again. This is your rinse cycle. Repeat if necessary. Hang to dry. Your clothes get clean and you get some upper body exercise.

I don't wear a different outfit every day. My multiple-wears strategy is like Pam's. Nobody but you will notice the repeats. I got tired of sink washing, as well. Nearly every chapter of Rick's Ireland book includes laundromat info in the introductory section, as well as hoteliers always know what's closest. A full-service wash and dry often costs only a few euros more than doing it yourself, so I choose that option, when available. However, if asking a hotel to handle the transaction, confirm the price, since fancier hotels charge fancier prices.

There is lots of great advice on the packing forum about what to pack, and how to deal with laundry. It can be hard to find coin operated laundries when you are in an unfamiliar place, and hotels charge a lot for doing it. If you pack the right clothes you can hand wash as you go. Whenever you spend more than one night in a place that is the time to hand wash so that you can hang it up to dry, and by the time you are moving on is should be dry. I try to pack for only a week and hand wash as I go. I have a light weight pack towel that I use to wring the water out of clothes. Lay item flat on the towel then roll it up and press out the water. The pack towel absorbs more water than a regular towel, and it dries quickly. The key is in the fabric of the clothes. Take items that aren't going to wrinkle badly when you wring out the water, or the wrinkles will come out when you hang them to dry.My last trip, to Italy, I almost exclusively had Eddie Bauer's line of Travex clothing. Made to travel, dried over night, and never needed ironing.

My wife and I use carry-on size suitcases and we have no trouble packing enough clothes to go 18 days without repeating shirts. Pants can be worn 3 or 4 times before needing to be washed. If you need to wash something the grocery stores sell soap. There are coin operated laundry locations but not necessarily where you want them when you need them.

Thank you so much for all the great advice!