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Clothesline

Did you find the travel clothesline and towel helpful?

Posted by
2393 posts

I use the clothesline when I hand wash in hotels. I don't have the towel but I do carry a microfiber towel to help wring out the hand wash.

Posted by
683 posts

Wife and I use the clothesline often, since it allows you to hang damp washed clothes in the shower, where drips are harmless. We also carry smallish (c. 14 x 24 inches) travel towels, which have come in very handy during the few times our Airbnb places have not supplied towels.

Posted by
786 posts

We used the RS travel clothesline in 2015 and found it very useful. The suction cups weren't much good, though. Better if you can find something to hook the ends too, especially if you have to stretch it very far. On that trip, I took along a Sham-Wow, mainly to roll sink-washed clothes and get some of the water out. For our upcoming trip, I "splurged" on one of Rick's micronet towels, but haven't tried it out yet.

Posted by
2667 posts

This may be overkill but for our trip, I bought the RS clothes line, folding hangers and my travelling buddy has hangers with a single clip. Haven't used any yet since we're a few months away from our tour.

I'm curious about the towel. Do hotels not provide towels? We're staying in mainly 4 star hotels (ratings from Trip Advisor's site). I know from experience that wash clothes and soap may be not supplied and am taking my own but have always had towels.

Posted by
15678 posts

horsewoofie, yes, hotels always have towels. The towel the OP is probably referring to is a high-absorbency, lightweight cloth used specifically for soaking water out of sink-washed clothing so they can dry faster. You usually roll your items in it, wring it out, repeat...

Posted by
11613 posts

Hotels have towels. The poster referred to an airb&b property.

Posted by
9363 posts

Yes, the clothesline comes in very handy. In fact, I just bought a second one, for the times that you can't find appropriate places to attach one (or you haven't done laundry in a couple of days and need more hanging room. They have Velcro loop ends now, not suction cups.

Posted by
1419 posts

We always bring the clothesline and use it! We also bring a microfiber travel towel. We've stayed at a lot of smaller family run places which only provide 2 towels. Regular towels will only absorb so much water. We hand wash in sink, wring out, then roll in towel to get as much moisture out of the clothes as possible. Having that extra towel has come in very handy!

Posted by
2527 posts

A clothesline used to be part of my required packing, but now I just use a couple of inflatable hangers and lightweight "J" style laundry hooks. It's pretty impressive how many ways slightly damp clothes may be arranged to dry using the hooks.

Posted by
15678 posts

Yep, we've pretty much dispensed with the clothesline with suction cups as they don't work very well. I pack a couple of plastic (not metal) hangers + some clips for drip-drying clothes. I might hang them in the bathroom until most of the water is out and then move them to a rod above an open window to speed drying.

Some accommodations have retractable clotheslines installed in the tubs but they don't usually mention those in their list of amenities. On 3-week trips, we hit coin laundries and do a deep clean on everything. Devoting a couple of hours doesn't bother us, and we've met some interesting locals and other travelers whilst doing a wash up!

Posted by
328 posts

We have always had towels provided at our many Airbnb rentals. I guess we might just be lucky. Having said that, we do travel with a couple of swimmers chamois towels. If dried out, they weigh nothing. We dispensed of our RS clothesline several trips ago. We usually stay in apartments that most of the time have clotheslines so we take mini plastic clothespins.

Posted by
13802 posts

I, too, have converted to a plastic coat hanger which has a hook on it as well. I could never get the knack of poking clothes thru the braided clothesline without causing a big pucker and decided the hanger worked better for me.

I also travel solo so I think it makes a difference if you are trying to hang 2 people's worth of washing in a European sized hotel or just one!

Posted by
7980 posts

Hotels which allow washing clothes in the room (many don't) usually have clotheslines installed that stretch across the tub or shower. For Hotels that don't allow it we use the clothesline in the shower at night and then move the now damp things to the close on hangers in the morning. They obviously don't want water on the floors in the room or on furniture.

I still pack the line, but have not used it in the last few trips, so will probably drop it.

Posted by
203 posts

I've found heated towel racks very handy and useful for drying some hand-washed items. Even when there was no discernable heating coming from the rack.
I found them in all of our rooms in Italy in 2015. I learned, however, that I had to do any wash before dinner of the final night in each city for the items to be dry by packing time the next morning.
Otherwise, I roll the wet clothing in a regular towel and then step all over the "roll" to extract as much moisture as possible, then drape over shower curtain rod.
All of this was under clothing and just for one person, so I cannot give any guidance for two or more travelers in the same room or how this would work for trousers or shirts/blouses.

Posted by
217 posts

Thank you for all you input. We are staying in Air BnB apts and 2 of the six places have washing machines so that will be helpful. I think hangers would be more helpful that the rope for drying tops.

Thanks everyone.

Kathy

Posted by
26829 posts

I think inflatable hangers are quite helpful for in-room laundry. By separating the front of the garment from the back (at least at the top), they promote air circulation and somewhat quicker drying. They also seem to reduce wrinkles a bit. I agree that it can sometimes be a problem to find enough places to hang things, even for a solo traveler, in a tiny bathroom if several days' clothing needs to be washed at one time due to a series of one-night stops.

Posted by
4138 posts

I take the clothesline and either drape things over it or put them in the braid, depending on the garment. A pucker in the panties is not an issue for me.

It's been my experience that most apartments with washers do not have dryers, but they usually do have lines outside accessible via a window or provide a drying rack of some kind. I've also used towel racks and the occasional wine rack. We've had one apartment with a fancy combo washer-dryer which didn't dry at all.

There are lots of ways to wash clothes or get them washed while traveling. Over the years we've adapted to the concept of what we call "European dry," no matter how we get our clothes clean.

Posted by
1625 posts

Kathy-At the AirBNB that we stayed at they had a folding hanging rack that we used. Just know the clothes took about two days to dry. I took a clothes lines and NEVER used it. I usually just wash 2-3 pairs of underwear at night, hang over the towel rack or shower and they are dry the next night. Ask your host if she has a drying rack.

Posted by
1625 posts

Oh and about the towel. I grew up without any special towel to wring out hand washed stuff, we just used normal towels and did just fine. I think I have special muscles built up from all the clothes me and my sisters hand rung and towel squeezed before hanging up to dry.

How about a bungee cord with "hooks" on the end. You can find these at auto parts stores, dollar stores, hardware stores. You can also just buy some cheap cordage "paracord" at a hardware store or the camping section at Walmart and just tie - up a line wherever you can in your room. It may be awkward - but I bet it would work. Maybe string it between a couple of chairs.

Posted by
451 posts

I LOVE a SHAM WOW. After washing clothes, roll the clothes up in it and it sucks out extra moisture, then wring it out and do it again. I cut out a small portion and keep in a zip lock bag for the baby. Also, the sham wow works wonders keep you cool hot nights by simply getting it damp and then laying it over your chest as you go to sleep, it will keep you cool. My daughter confiscated mine the last trip to europe. I also use a string for a clothes line.

Posted by
131 posts

Great thread. Lots of good info! I'm so glad kathyw asked this question. I had looked at the RS clothesline and showed it to my husband and he pointed out that he thought it would be difficult to put clothes on it without getting a pucker at the place of insertion. I much prefer the idea of a few travel hangers and clips and possibly the aforementioned J-hooks. I've also noticed that most of our lodging has a heated towel rack in the bathroom. that seems like an excellent drying spot.

since I'm traveling with three kiddos, I'm going to have each of the two older kids (14, 16) in charge of doing their own handwashing and drying. for the loads in the washer in the airbnb's where we have a washer, I'm going to supervise that, lest I end up waiting an hour - or more if it's a combo washer/dryer - for one shirt to finish. my kids are famous for washing one thing at a time.

Posted by
809 posts

Someone mentioned inflatable hangers to keep the sides of a garment separated while it's drying, to speed up the process. I have an inflatable hanger but also bring along a small package of balloons. Blow a few of those up and slip them into the arms of shirts and the legs of pants, and the drying goes much more quickly.

Posted by
81 posts

Scully, for a family of your size I'd recommend dropping off a load to a laundromat early in the morning a few times on your drip. The combo washer/dryers take forever and you'll have clothing draped everywhere trying to air dry. For maybe $8 or $10 you can have a load done at the laundromat and pick it up later in the day.

Posted by
752 posts

Yes! I bought the RS clothesline and ALL sizes of the RS microfiber towels.

The clothesline is light, coils up and packs well, and is great for undies and quick-drying socks.

I pack ALL the RS towels -- large, medium, and small -- every trip. These towels are Amazing, they wick like a human chamois but they are luxuriously soft, silky, and pliable. Even though towels may be provided in hotels and B & Bs, they may not, or they may not be changed everyday, or they may be little, rough, and skimpy.

I always use my RS towels and they pack like a dream, so light and easy to fold, they slip in between the cracks and add no noticeable weight. They wash up easy and dry fast. I even use them to remove excess water out of a just-washed item i need to dry faster.

I've slept on them, I've used them to cover up in a cold flight cabin, and they are still beautiful, I got the Turquoise towels, they have such a beautiful silky sheen, they are my prized possessions, and they are the first items i pack!