clothes washing in Italy

They are unnecessary if you have wash and wear clothng. Select your wardrobe w/ that in mind. you would be surprised and what those items end up weighing that you have to carry around. But take some concentrated liquid soap in your 3 oz bottles to at least get you started. Detergent is pricey in Italy.

I agree. No cotton and no hangers. Assume most apartments would have some hangers. We use CampSuds, a backpacking soap. Three ounces will last a month. Also there are several laundries near the train station in Rome.

Detergent in Italy is not pricey! Why? Because you don't use a lot and the hassle of carrying around detergent just to save a few euros doesn't make sense. Restaurants may be pricey but the detergent will cost you very little overall.

Laundromats are pricey if you have them do it!

Thanks for the advice. Many years ago I used Cel-suds, packets of laundry soap that worked in any kind of water and were excellent for hand laundry. Now I can't find them to buy and will be looking for a substitute, preferably not liquid.

They have regular 'ole Woolite, BTW in Italy...detergent is very cheap (maybe not Woolite, but it certainly wasn't enough for me to even remember the price!)if you buy a local brand...I don't spend more on detergent in Italy than I do for the same in the US.

As for hangers....ummm...are there REALLY apartments that would not provide you with HANGERS for goodness sake???? :-) I doubt it really. That is a faairly basic need for an owner ignore I think (!) I'm surprised the apartments do not have washers (though not dryers) - did you ask? I would also be really surprised if there is not a laundry line or sweater rack to dry things on....and probably an ironing board and iron too ;-) I would just do laundry while at the apartments and then you don't have the bother of laundry in hotels, etc.
Nicole

And if you should happen to splurge on having a laundry wash AND dry your clothes for you (like we did once), just know that you might end up with the dried clothes taken out of the dryer and shoved "as is" back into the bag/pillowcase you brought them in. Then just try to get those wrinkles out. :-)

Re the lack of dryers in Italy - It's an interesting cultural difference. We Americans can't imagine getting by without them, and the Italians can't imagine why we would need one. (Plus electricity is VERY expensive there.)

Just to chime in, I have two inflatable hangers and wouldn't travel without them. The main reasons: they fold down to nothing and they are much wider than a thin, metal hanger, thus allowing more air flow and faster drying clothes. Yes, you'll have hangers in most apartments and hotels, but many of them are the kind you can't move around (permanently attached to the closet rod, so you can't "steal" them) to hang in bathroom, near window, etc.

And yes, European laundry is quite expensive. I paid 13 Euro for a very, very small load (2 pairs pants, a few shirts, socks, undies), and the clothes came back still damp. Take quick dry, easy care clothing!

The permanently attached hangers were what I thought we might find. My husband hates a messy-looking line across the shoulders of his shirts, and I hoped the inflatables might prevent that. And no, the apartments do not have laundry facilities, the brochure says so. There probably are laundromats somewhere, but I hate to spend time in them. I'd really rather just wash our stuff out every couple of nights.

Many thanks to all who took time to respond! I value your opinion.

I have two of the inflatable hangers and really like them. They fold to nothing (folded together they both fit in a ziploc). Also, they do allow for better air flow (as noted above). I use them for shirts, undies, even socks (one over each end). My husband rolled his eyes when I took them to France last year, but guess who used them, too.

Ask about hangars in the apartments. They were in ours in Florence.

Kathleen posted this tip and I love it.
Balloons. Thats right , cheap party balloon, you can buy a bag for a dollar at a "just a buck store"( you do have those types of stores in States too right?)
Insert inflated balloons into sleeves etc whereever needed, I think this such a good idea as they are completely disposable, dirt cheap , and take no room in anyones bag.

If your clothes are synthetic they will dry wrinkle-free. I used one of the stretch 3-strand bands like the one Rick sells (you can get it many places). Stretch it open, the 3 bands make it easy to hang stuff in it.

Thanks all! I do expect to carry Rick's clothesline, and appreciate all the other tips. Happy travels!

I've rented apartments in Italy. Most had clotheslines for drying and all had some hangers (if not enough for all our clothes). If your apartment doesn't have a clothesline, ask the landlord where you can hang your clothes. Drying on lines is the norm (dryers are an expensive luxury) so your landlord will have a place for you.

The nice thing about an inflatable hanger is it separates the front and back of your clothes allowing air into the middle so they dry faster. Assuming you pick clothes that are made of fast-drying fabrics, you won't need them. I've never packed them and never wished I had them. I do always pack a stretchy clothesline. It's small and doesn't weigh much and has come in handy for small items if it's raining outside.

just responded to a PM about how to use a washer in Italy...so thought I'd just post some tips ;-) SOME washers will be simmilar to a teeny, tiny front-loader and aare fairly sefl-explanitory...but...if you find yourself with an odd-lookig thing (sometimes in small apartments) (i have a top-loader that is really a front-loader with the basket turned sidways (i.e. spins front to back)...hard to describe and really funny looking)...

To wash your clothes:
• Open the Lid
• Press down on the metal basket to open in (it will unlatch a space)
• Do NOT overload – your clothes could burn (!)
• Close the metal basket
• Add soap to the “II” (second) space – or first two for a longer wash
• Turn the Temp. dial - I use 40 degrees for almost everything; the others are VERY hot and harsh.
• Turn the knob on the right to “colorato” for colors; “normale” for whites.
• Press “Marcia/Arresto” to start the wash. (“Mezza/Carico” is a lighter spin, “Esclusione/Centrifuga” is no spin.)

DO NOT USE HAND SOAP “A Mano”)!!!
I like to use the tablets "(like the ones you get in the US now for dishwashers) – just drop one in the second space. (I like “Calfort Calgon” tablets) – just make sure the soap you buy has a picture of a washing machine on it!!!!! ALL washers take low suds soap (so don't bring your regular tide from home)...when I first got my machine, I tryed to put Woolite in it -I FLOODED my entire floor with suds;-)

Almost everywhere I have been in Italy, there are clotheslines with laundry drying on them on all buildings. If you go in the warm sunny months, your laundry will dry in no time. I dried jeans in 2 hours in the Tuscan sun last September. I'm sure a B&B or hotel will have hangers you can use, if you have to dry things indoors.

I've always been stumped as to how Italians get their clothes dry in the wetter colder months.

When we were kids (in the days of wooden ships and iron men), we didn't have a dryer. It was done on the clothes line outside in nice weather and downstairs in cold weather.

Many a time, mom yelled and we all ran out in the rain to quick grab the wash from the line during a sudden downpour.

And in answer to your question, "No, we didn't use rocks in those days".

Quite true, my mother didn't have a clothes dryer until I was in high school (I was the oldest). Two of my brothers were only 13 months apart in the era of cloth diapers! I can remember trying to remove from the line clothes that had frozen stiff and were far from dry, when thawed. Ah the good old days. But thanks for all the comments here.