Unpacking travel goodies: what constitutes an "empty" suitcase

Mine are stripped right back to the rafters after each trip!
Put in the laundry room on arrival home.
All clothes washed, even if I’ve brought some clean ones home.
All pockets in case emptied.
Packing cubes also washed.
Then the case is left in the garage for a few days, or outside if it’s dry and warm out.
Then all wheels and handles wiped down with disinfectant .
All airline labels shredded, not just thrown away.
Stored away clean till the next trip.
Who’s with me in doing the same?!

Probably not the left over cliff bar, but I store my stuff sacks in my bag, a corkscrew is always in there, a stash of Ziploc bags, occasionally replenished, usually some type c plug adapters, all things I will haul on the next trip likely.

I am definitely in your camp. My “empty” suitcase includes packs of unused tissues, ziplock bags, clean pjs, socks, small notebook, pens, etc.

I remove everything. Clothes go in the laundry, whether they're worn or not. And anything else goes where it should be, which is not in the suitcase. 😊

There are certain things that I do not want to be without or go searching for when I've forgotten them. So everyone of my suitcases has a toothbrush and toothpaste (love getting the Delta's little bags with toothbrush, etc.), ear plugs, pen, highlighter, corkscrew, brush, a couple ziplocks and a couple plastic grocery bags. For a while, I had one of those cheap plastic bag ponchos, but it got lost, and I rarely leave on a trip without a raincoat on, anyway.

This past winter (it is past, correct?). I spent 5 weeks in Australia, home 6 days, spent a week in Seattle, home 8 days, 2 weeks in Hawaii. I would take everything out of the suitcase, refill and repack for the next one. When I was home, the suitcase was open in the middle of my living room (which is by the laundry room) in the process of being repacked.

I'm now trying to decide how I want to handle airtags. I don't give them much thought anymore so when I left for Hawaii, I was glad the airtag was still in the suitcase. I have two airtags, but when I travel, I use one of three small day backpacks, and one of four carry on suitcases, I don't want to invest in that many airtags, so I'm trying to determine what it is that I ALWAYS bring on every trip so I can store the airtags there. Or else, maybe I create a list of items I want to take on every trip and then actually remember to look at it?

Doric8, you’re abnormal - LOL! Seriously, just kidding.

I’m similar to SJ. I completely empty it, let it air out, and I return it to my closet shelf with a bar of soap tucked inside for a clean smell.

I do keep my toiletry kit replenished & stored with cosmetics, dry face makeup remover, toothbrush, etc. inside if I’m traveling again within three months.

When I traveled monthly a few years for work, supporting a second site, I kept my packing cubes & toiletry kit inside the suitcase. …and became a pro at refilling tiny tubes of toothpaste!

I do something in the middle.
I take everything out and leave the suitcase open for a few days to air out. Things like packing cubes go in the wash. Then everything that's good for any/every trip goes back in the suitcase to store for the next trip.

I empty out mine completely. Mainly because of two reasons: (1) We share bags in our family. So after I return, my husband or son may be using the same bag next, and will not want to deal with my stuff in there; and (2) For my next trip, I may need to use a different sized/type bag so I don't want to have to go through the other bags to find out what I left where. So everything gets cleaned or replenished (if required) and put away in their place, waiting for my next trip!

I remove everything. Clothes go in the laundry, whether they're worn or not. And anything else goes where it should be, which is not in the suitcase.

This

Empty means empty.

I'm in the middle. Take everything out, wash & put away all clothes, wipe out suitcase, purse and tote with antibacterial wipes, let dry for a couple days. Remove batteries from clock, put chargers/cords in the a basket so I know where they are hiding, empty bath bag, drug bag, 311 bag. Then repack with things that lives in the suitcase between trips, packing cubes, packable totes, travel storage bags, laundry supplies and ziplock bags. Finally wiggle suitcase back into the closet with its friends. Also put gift souvenirs in the present drawer until I give them.

doric, I’m with you. My packing cubes do go into a RS Euro bag because I use them for trips to my husband’s deer camp numerous times a year (this comes under the things we do for love category) and I’ve never washed a packing cube, by the way. Seriously, I don’t think several of mine are even remotely washable and they only hold clean clothes for Pete’s sake!

Anyway my folding hangers, corkscrew, sometimes my cup heating coil and a few other odds and ends stay in my bag. That may or may not include a couple of small tissue packs and a ziplock of masks. Depending on how our suitcase closet is at the moment, it may get nested inside a 22” Lipault carryon or it’s slotted in with the other bags.

Another emptier here --- it never even occurred to me to leave anything in a suitcase. Maybe partly because we lend our suitcases to family and friends, partly because the suitcases are in the garage where every once in a while we find a mouse nest in some bin or bag or box. But mostly it would just feel strange to me to leave stuff in there. A habit, I guess.

I do exactly as Mardee does. Everything is emptied out and placed where it belongs.

I’ll leave a packet of tissues, travel wallet, travel flashlight after removing batteries, Bic pen, bungee chord, carabiner, packing cubes and a sheet of Bounce. So it’s never truly empty.

We use backpacks, and empty them after every trip. That's just so I don't "lose" items. I recently went through an old billfold "just one last time" before throwing it away, and found my "missing" AARP card, which had somehow slithered down into a deep pocket I didn't even know was there!

We empty every single thing out of the bags pretty much right when we walk in the door of our house. The laundry is done immediately, so we just empty the clothes in the garage and then I start the loads right then. The rest of the stuff goes upstairs into the "travel room". Lately we have not been good about organizing all that stuff, but just this weekend I got some wonderful clear organizers so all the little stuff is visible, but in easily accessible bins. The bags are empty, except every so often we leave an AirTag inside. I do refill my toiletry kit within a day or so and keep that stashed in the travel room as well. I have a separate makeup kit just for travel so I don't have to get into my daily stuff.