Laundry again

I have not tried it but there is some sports laundry detergent that you can use with hand washing that will get the stench out. I took one shirt to Europe one time that I had not trialed at home and it stunk after 1 day even though I did not. I could not get it fresh smelling with hand wash so it no longer goes to Europe with me. It will come out fine in a machine wash here at home but I do hand wash for everything when I travel.

I tried the Merino wool tees and they were great. I wore one for 6 days straight during a Paris heat wave to give it a test,lol. I was traveling solo and after 6 days it still smelled fine but I was grossed out so washed it. Unfortunately even the Merino made me itch so...nope on that.

Apparently vodka deodorizes clothes. I haven't tried it but I believe it was Mardee (a frequent and reliable poster) suggested it in another thread. It's something to consider. Just bring a small spray bottle and buy a nip of unflavored vodka somewhere along the trip.

I had forgotten about that! She worked as a costumer in the theater!

Bacteria is the stink. If you wear your shirt once and washing the day you wear it, you'll save a lot of the problem.
For drying, bring out best you can but take the second towel, wrap the shirt in it and wring some more...or even stomp on it.
By now it won't be dripping wet, so hang in the main room where there will be more air circulation than the bathroom.
Do some trials at home.

Apparently vodka deodorizes clothes.

And it works best if you wear the clothes while drinking it.

Long ago, we decided that having the hotel do it for us was a worthy splurge. You should value the time you spend going somewhere to do it as being worth something.

We hand wash everything when we are somewhere for more than one night so there is plenty of dry time. We just use shampoo, but let everything soak for a bit before rinsing. Roll in towel, then hang to dry. Sometimes will splurge and have hotel do some pants if they get nasty (have also handwashed some as well). I also pack a travel bottle of frebreze, which helps between washes.

Get a few merino wool shirts--merino wool can be worn for many days and will not stink. It does stretch out a bit if you wear for 6 or 7 days, but if that does not bother you, then you won't need very many shirts. I wear merino wool year round here in TN and it wicks away any sweat and regulates my body temperature. It is also great for cooler weather and layers very nicely. Invest in some and you will not want to go back to synthetic (plastic) shirts. Get 3 short sleeve and 2 long sleeve shirts and you can go for a long time with those items without needing to launder. Also, merino wool undies dry overnight and about 2 or 3 pair will be enough if you wash them out each night. Merino socks can also be worn for days on end without needing to change. All of these items will definitely lighten your packing and need for more clothing.

But I wrung them so much that I had several blisters which popped.

Here's my tip -- after you take a shower do your laundry, whether it's the underwear from the past day or two or time to wash shirts. Wring them dry but don't kill yourself doing it, because the next step is to lay your towel flat on the bed and put the damp clothes on it. Single layer, no overlapping. Roll it up like a burrito, then stand on on end and wring with the other (or if there's two of you each grabs an end). Unroll and hang to dry. You'll be amazed at how wet the towel gets, moisture that no longer needs to dry out of the clothes. The reason you do it after the shower is the towel is now too wet to use, but they're going to replace it when they service the room the next morning.

I’m in Stan’s camp. I don’t go on vacation to do laundry. I gladly pay the price at the hotel to do it for me. I always get a kick out of the various ways you can fold, package and present laundry. Often wrapped in tissue with an orchid. Small luxuries.

A few random laundry thoughts:

One of my main reasons for preferring Airbnbs to hotels is having access to a washing machine, and sometimes even a dryer.

Merino wool definitely resists odors and is worth the investment. I look for sales at places like REI and Moosejaw, and I've found some good deals on Amazon.

I travel with laundry "sheets" made by Lazy Coconuts. They take up very little room and can be used for hand and machine washing. They have no scent and leave clothes smelling fresh.

I recently stayed at a Comfort Hotel in Stockholm. It had a laundry room with what I assume were coin- or card-operated machines. I didn't need to wash my clothes but the laundry room seemed like a great amenity for a hotel.

Besides my Rick Steves travel clothesline, I also travel with a few S hooks and carabiners that come in handy for a variety of clothing-related situations.

Besides my Rick Steves travel clothesline, I also travel with a few S hooks and carabiners that come in handy for a variety of clothing-related situations.

I bring two 12 inch pieces of velcro. They can wrap around just about anything, be wedged in door hinges, etc. in order to string up a clothesline

Some of those synthetic fabrics really collect a bad odor. My husband had a couple of his golf shirts out of his nice ones that were more difficult to completely remove the smell of a sweaty day. So definitely check which of your current ones might be more prone to not smell clean when you’re traveling. My preference is natural fabrics because they clean much easier, especially when sink-washing.

I do roll my clothes in a towel to help dry them after squeezing out the water. But, I find that it helps to hug them and then let them sit rolled up in the towel for at least a minute. Give the towel time to absorb the water, and then unroll it. My clothes are dry the next morning. (I move locations often, so I wash clothes for a few minutes each day.)

I hate spending time on vacation doing laundry. On longer trips I always try to stay somewhere with a washer/dryer on the premises. But EU machines take 2-3 times as long to do the job as American ones do, they work differently to conserve energy. So I use underwear for backpacking that can be done in the sink and dries in less than an hour. I buy socks at the local "dollar" store and throw them away. If I'm on business I have the hotel clean and press shirts and pants. And when all else fails I go shopping and buy new, clean, stuff and mail the dirty stuff home.

One thing about buying as you go, I find it helps me blend in. I know I'm doing it right when I'm stopped in the street by tourists, or when a local national asks about the train schedules when we're on a platform somewhere. Clothes are cheap if you're not picky, and I've got so I can tell Americans just by the clothes they wear.

I used to do everything by hand except for pants which I would either send out or find a laundry to use (I'd do everthing at that point.)

Now, I'm getting old and lazy. I look for hotels with self service laundry--yes, they are out there--or I'll let the hotel do it. (Shirts and Pants).

I have no problem doing undergarments and socks in the room and an occasional shirt. The former are quick drying.

My current shirts are blends and dry overnight but I'm thinking of switching to merino wool.

Did a bikepacking tour of Europe in 2023 and hand washed everything - had to pack super light because I had to carry everything on my bike. My bike kit was all synthetic, my street clothes were a mix of synthetic and merino wool.

I used Dr. Bronner's castile soap for the washing duties and it worked. It removed the funk from the synthetic fibers without issue. A small bottle lasted a whole month of daily washes, no problem.

I did the burrito trick for drying and everything was dry by morning. I asked for an extra bath towel from the hotel and they obliged without a fuss.

Much as I could've used hotel laundry for my street clothes I opted out given how well sink washing worked.

I have not traveled for more than 10 days at a time. I pack for 5 days and wash in the hotel room. Like others said, I use a clothes line or travel friendly hangers.

Borax powder is great for removing the odor from synthetic fabrics. For handwashing, you can use it as a pre-soak. I use 1-2 T per gallon of water. If you are doing a load in a washing machine, you can add 1/4 C of Borax along with the detergent.

https://www.thespruce.com/borax-laundry-booster-1387922#:~:text=To%20remove%20offensive%20smells%20like,Wash%20as%20usual.

But I haven’t had to use it since my husband switched from synthetics to merino for his hiking, workout, and casual wear shirts 10 years ago, and I still have half a box of 20 Mule Team borax in the laundry cupboard.

I’ve never gone to a laundromat or paid for hotel laundry. Undies washed when I shower every night or morning. Tees or button shirts are sink washed every other day (I don’t travel in summer) and hung up after the burrito in a towel thing. I only wear natural fibers, lots of cotton, so no funk or smell in suitcase issues ever. Almost everything dries in 12 hours. So easy and quick.

With the Olympics just ending, which included equestrian events at Versailles, surely Louis XIV has come to mind? Supposedly great advances in the art of perfumery were made during his reign - and if perfume was good enough for the French nobility of the time, perhaps a healthy sprinkle each morning would reduce the need for all of this nonstop laundering?

We’ve decided that spending a little over an hour at a laundromat is worth it. Go early in the morning. Start your laundry. Find a bakery nearby and have breakfast. The wash usually takes under an hour, and drying 30-45 minutes. We get all our clothes clean for about 10€. And we’re done before most sites open.

My friend's brother started this company and ended up on Shark Tank and he's been featured in Men's Health too; Swiff Spray. He's a scientist in Australia, from Tampa originally. His wife was giving him grief for his manly smell when he would ride his bike home and he invented it. It basically stops/inhibits the growth of bacteria, it's antimicrobial.

I spray it on my clothes on the regular, particularly for my kiddos in puberty. We went to Kyoto in July and it was 110 degrees with 100% humidity and my husband's clothes managed to not stink! So washing with the Tide travel packs worked well despite how saturated our clothes were in sweat. It lasts for five washes so I sprayed all our clothes before we left. Works great for shoes too.

It's called Swiff Spray! https://swiffspray.com/

Posted by markcw

With
the Olympics just ending, which included equestrian events at
Versailles, surely Louis XIV has come to mind? Supposedly great
advances in the art of perfumery were made during his reign - and if
perfume was good enough for the French nobility of the time, perhaps a
healthy sprinkle each morning would reduce the need for all of this
nonstop laundering?

Oh please NO!

This just results in someone being marinated in a scent that their noses are immune to, but the rest of us aren't. And the BO is still there underneath.

Either do the laundry by hand or in a machine or use the "spray the smelly parts of your clothing with rubbing alcohol or vodka" trick.

Please.

I'd rather put up with normal BO than someone who is generously perfumed.

FYI, that Swiss Spray is on Amazon, okay reviews, not a lot of them though.

https://www.amazon.com/SWIFF-odor-protection-spray-fabric-freshener/dp/B09YY5C5RY