Washing Clothes

I usually have a few well-spaced apartment nights over the course of a trip and I do major laundry those nights. But if I have no apartments booked...like on a trip to Turkey a few years back and on a trip to China I'm taking in Sept, I just do this: wash underwear and socks in the sink. For pajamas, I bring these paper thin pants, which I also wash in the sink. They dry over night as they're so thin.

They're certainly laundromats around and if you're set on those, pop in your lodging addresses onto Google maps and search around there for laundry and maybe do a massive wash of everything in the middle of the month. And as unlikely as it seems, check around for info on your lodging, especially the B and B. I once stayed in a place in Amsterdam where they did my laundry for free. I just handed over my pile and they brought it back all clean and folded.

Many cities have either self-service or full-service (wash & dry) laundromats. Rick's guidebook usually lists these toward the start of each chapter, under Helpful Hints, though in larger cities the info might be with the hotel listings by neighborhood. Hotel staff can usually tell you the closest option. In Assissi, the place at Via Borgo Aretino 6a will do it for you if they're not too busy (closed Sun.).

We did a couple of loads at a very nice coin laundry in Florence (which is, of course, in Tuscany) but just ask the desk at your hotel for the closest option to wherever you're at. The sink works fine for awhile but it's really nice to start all over with a suitcase full of clean, completely dry clothes partway through a trip.

Very small towns may not have a self-serve laundry, though.

Here are some ideas: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/health/laundry
There are many varying opinions from Travel Forum posters. I don't wish to spend time in a laundromat nor pay to do something as simply requiring a few minutes a day. After many international trips, here's my approach...pack clothes that can and are easily laundered in sinks and dry easily overnight. Forever New powdered soap works very well and rinses completely. Inflatable hangers and "J" clothes pins are the equipment to complete the drying process after having used a towel or bathmat to soak up the drips.

I do laundry in the hotel sink on the first night of a 2-night stay. In most cases, my clothes will dry overnight but sometimes I need the second night for certain items to completely dry.

If you are washing in a sink, or in an apartment with only a washer but no dryer the towel trick is handy (provided there is a spare towel). After your clothes are spun or wrung out, place each harder to dry item flat on an open towel. Roll the towel up lengthwise with the item inside. You and a partner should then each take one end of the rolled towel . One person twists the towel and the other just hangs on to keep it from untwisting. Twist it as tight as you can to the point of kinking. When you untwist, the cloths will be almost dry and the towel rather damp. Pull the wrinkles out and hang to finish drying.

If you are washing in a sink, or in an apartment with only a washer but no dryer the towel trick is handy (provided there is a spare towel). After your clothes are spun or wrung out, place each harder to dry item flat on an open towel. Roll the towel up lengthwise with the item inside. You and a partner should then each take one end of the rolled towel . One person twists the towel and the other just hangs on to keep it from untwisting. Twist it as tight as you can to the point of kinking. When you untwist, the cloths will be almost dry and the towel rather damp. Pull the wrinkles out and hang to finish drying.

I now take 7 pair of light underwear since they don't take up much room. I also take 3oz of concentrated laundry soap and a universal plug for the sink for hand wash. We usually only do laundry 1-2 times in 4 weeks of travel.

I take a 2.5 gallon ziplock Baggie and do sink laundry in that, several items at a time, most things dry overnight.

The 2-gallon ziplock reinforced with black electrical tape on the edges is my magical traveling washing machine -- since I'm unexplainably freaked out by the idea of washing my dirty clothes in somebody else's dirty sink. It's a good storage container for the smaller dirty clothes, and it can handle a shirt or pjs washed alone. We also rent apartments frequently and look for ones with a washer. When all else fails, I can always find a laundry mid trip who will wash and fold a load in a few hours while we're out doing something more fun.

The benefit of an hour or two at a laundromat (besides being able to wash EVERYTHING at once) is that we've met some of most interesting people in them so it's never been a waste of time!

Fran,

I've never found laundry to be a problem, although not all towns will have a Lavanderia so you may have to sink wash for an extra day or two. Ask the staff at your hotels, as they will know where the nearest facilities are. I often use that method and the hotels have always had the answer.

I agree with Kathy that doing laundry is a nice break and a good opportunity to meet some really interesting people.

I take Clorox tablets and clean the sink out first before I do my laundry in the sink. Or, I wash some while I am in the shower. I too don't want to spend anytime in a laundry. We pack light and have no problem with not having clean clothes for a three plus trip.

Take a look at Eddie Bauer's Travex line of clothes. They are made specifically for travel so you can wash them in the sink, hang to dry over night, and wear them the next day without looking wrinkled. I took nothing but these on my trip to Italy last year and never had to look for a laundromat.

We've been travelling in Italy every summer for the past eight years and have used a variety of laundry options. For the most part we've been renting apartments the past few years which makes laundry a breeze, but in the past we've found that combining an hour at the lavandria with a fun carry out lunch is a pleasant time to check email, plan a side trip or chat with locals.

In Rome we used a laundry recommended by the nuns at the Pallotine convent where we stayed and they washed dried and folded all of our clothes for 7 euro. Several of the b and b's and small family hotels let us use their facilities and one hostesss insisted on doing our laundry for us.

The key for us is to make all of our clothes mix and match and nothing that needs gentle or special washing.

We've been travelling in Italy every summer for the past eight years and have used a variety of laundry options. For the most part we've been renting apartments the past few years which makes laundry a breeze, but in the past we've found that combining an hour at the lavandria with a fun carry out lunch is a pleasant time to check email, plan a side trip or chat with locals.

In Rome we used a laundry recommended by the nuns at the Pallotine convent where we stayed and they washed dried and folded all of our clothes for 7 euro. Several of the b and b's and small family hotels let us use their facilities and one hostesss insisted on doing our laundry for us.

The key for us is to make all of our clothes mix and match and nothing that needs gentle or special washing.

There's a laundromat in Assisi where you can drop off laundry and pick it up clean the next day. It's a chunk of money (maybe 12 euros?) but well worth it.

This might be helpful. Here's a list of Express Wash lavanderias in Toscana. We used one of these in Florence.

http://www.expresswash.it/lavanderie-apeete/toscana/

And Abruzzo:

http://www.expresswash.it/lavanderie-apeete/abruzzo/

You can find listings for this chain in other regions under the 'Lavanderie Aperte' tab.

I do a mixture of things:

1. Handwash in the sink. Tide has little single wash packets
2. Several of the AirBnB places I have stayed have washing machines in apartments I have rented
3. Two AirBnB places I have stayed offered to do my laundry for free and one host offered me use of their washer (took a few Tide pods in a zip lock)

I have yet to use a Laundromat but am open to it. I travel for 3 weeks and take minimal clothing by design.

I can't thank you all enough! The responses are so much appreciated. I can always depend on this site for experienced and honest advice. Ciao, everyone!