Trick I learned while bicycle touring: Get in the shower wearing your skin layer! Soap up the nasty bits, shampoo, rinse. Remove socks, briefs, and t-shirt, wring 'em out and finish the shower. To dry, hang using any of the many travel clotheslines. The two important factors to getting your undies dry by morning are hanging them where the air moves and wearing only synthetics made with fibers that are 100% hydrophobic. Popular Merino takes a bit longer to dry, of course. Outer clothing usually only needs to be cleaned every three or more days.
Two minutes of scrubbing lightly soiled daily wear may be enough but they need to be left soaking in the detergent for about 30 minutes to allow the detergent to act chemically and loosen up the dirt in the fibers so that when you do the 2 minute scrub the dirt easily comes out.
I have been staying with relatives for 3 weeks at a time twice a year and worked my way into refined gear and processes. First and foremost I do use lightweight synthetic clothes and layer for warmth in winter. Second I only carry 3 sets of clothes and wash every night so I am packing extremely minimalistic. Third, I use pouches for all toiletries and laundry soap and I have calculated at home how many days I can get out of each size pouch (30, 50, 100ml). I only bring enough for the trip and come home empty. A Tide sink pouch is 5ml of soap. Extrapolate that to how many laundries you will have to do. 100ml = 20 sinks of wash. MOST IMPORTANTLY I always fill the sink with water first, then add the soap and mix it before putting in clothing. This ensures full contact of a uniform mix of water and soap with clothes. I have also found that the longer I keep the clothes in contact with the soap, the cleaner it gets so sometimes I leave it overnight. Smells fresher, even lifts tough stains.
The best travel laundry soap comes from France. We have a French store in Montreal that has it. It's white and blue and says "Genie" on it, but there are many brands. It come in a paste form like tooth paste. It really works great. If you have hard to remove stains, it removes it. We use it even when we are not travelling.
Great video as always! I’ve tried the Scrubba bags. My first one was a bit bigger than the one you reviewed. I found it a PITA compared to washing in the sink so I’ve been doing sink laundry for the last few years. I didn’t know twisting would ruin merino. I’ve been twisting the clothes to get water out and twisting the towel after I rolled it up. I haven’t noticed any damage so far, but I’ll be sure to stop that in the future. I’ve used Bronner’s, dry laundry flakes, those Sea to Summit dry laundry leaflets and hotel shampoo. Those Sea to Summit sheets are very convenient, but pricey and if your fingers are wet, they stick together. Hotel shampoo has worked very well for me and I don’t have to bring extra detergent with me. Lately I’ve been bringing these biodegradable laundry sheets that are about twice the thickness of dryer sheets and about the same size. I buy them on Amazon. I cut them in half or quarters and they dissolve in the sink. I also bring a different type that doesn’t dissolve and is thrown into a dryer after the washer to use as a fabric softener/ static remover when I know I’ll be using a public laundromat.
Merino is more fragile than synthetic in general. Twisting it occasionally won't do much, but it will stretch over time. I have some older merino shirts that are all stretched out. Blended fabrics will hold up better. Funny about the Sea to Summit sheets, I've done that with wet fingers. It's very easy to forget your fingers are wet and grab another one. Stuck half the pack together! 😆 I'll have to try those laundry sheets.
We travel quite a bit in France and everywhere we go there is a "laverie". On top of the French touchless laundry soap paste, "Genie", we bring a few Tide pods in a sealed sous-vide bag. The people at the laundromat are quite helpful. The few times we have used them, the attendant gladly offered to put our laundry in the dryer for us. Basically taking care of everything for us except for folding. We start one or 2 washes depending if we have color and we leave. Ninety minutes later, we go back fold and thank the attendant. No tipping required, but we always buy them a cup of coffee or something.
Using a professional laundromat is always a better choice. I reserve hotel laundry for when I don't have time, it's expensive, or I just need to wash a few items,
I may start handwashing delicates in a dry bag even when not traveling. One can, for example, move the dry bag around to agitate the clothes while walking the dog.
I love the scrubba washbag. I have the regular size I bought at the end of 2016 (old version) without the twist cap. I tried on a pair of muddy cargo pants, months before a trip and the nubs did a good job cleaning my pants. Now my scrubba is always in my suitcase. I bought a twist clothesline for about $6 on Amazon but realized I needed a second one to dry more clothes. I eventually bought 100ft elastic shock cord for $12 and small aluminum carabineers. To make another in the length I choose. I just hooked it through a carabineer pulled it longer than my desired length and tightly twisted the two sides together. Tied off the end and attached another carabineer. I now carry full size laundry sheets for your washing machine in a Ziploc bag instead of laundry soap in 3oz containers. They can be torn in half or a quarter size depending on your needs.
Great tips! I´m too old for hostels, etc so i use the sink but im noting down the drybag method for an emergency wash, very clever. Also the burrito method is awesome, it shortens the dry times a lot. I usually bring 5 shirts , 2 tencelmerino ones as daily driver, 2 cotton ones moonlighting as "pijamas" and a 5th as an extra if something happens. I wash each of them at night, same for . Most washing machines at hotels, etc dont let you add detergent and they use very agressive ones os i usually opt for hand wash and delicate soap.
I'm too old for hostels too 😆Washing machines are good for a full load, but I like to do shirts, underwear, socks especially to lengthen time before having to wash everything. Airbnb with a washing machine works great too.
Back a few decades, when there were stuff sacks, but not dry bags, using a stuff sack to wash things around mountain cattle troughs and streams in Albania. A constant flow of pure spring water, then the items hung up to dry in the breeze on the tent guylines while the vodka and fizzy orange bottle soothed my aching frame. I can't recommend a two litre fizzy pop bottle with a half bottle of vodka in it enough.
I have found the Scrubba works very well for my daughters super stinky athletic gear during multi-day tournaments. Much better than the sink which never got out all the smells.
Sink works but I also prefer the dry/bag Scrubba. This bag I used in this video actually sprung a small leak this week so I may have to patch it. Scrubba is much more robust.
I’ve been using plastic grocery bag, thick ones, as sink stopper, to handwash small items. Afterward drip-dry in the shower, then burrito wrap, then it’s dry enough to hang in the closet to dry overnight. Large items may have to be washed in the shower, but not while wearing them.
I often use the bath mat in hotels to roll up and ring out the newly washed items. Also, I used to carry some liquid soap (Ivory or Campsuds) but now I just use the shampoo or body wash that the hotel provides and carry only a small piece of a laundry soap bar just in case. Underwear I take in the shower with me. I have 4-6 clothes pins with a hook or else use a hotel hanger. The key to ultra light travel is to do a little hand laundry every night. If what I take off from the day won’t be worn again , I wash it. I have minimal clothing but it ‘s always clean and ready to wear. Everything but some of the wool socks will dry overnight.
Great tips, I agree it's best to do a little bit every night =) Getting enough dry towels to burrito roll is difficult when you wash too many clothes at once.
I usually wash my clothes in the shower as I'm getting ready for bed. Asian's typically go to bed clean so I don't understand why Americans don't do this so their clothing and bedding would be cleaner and fresher. I always make sure to pack items that dry quickly so that when I wake up my clothes are dry. Because most socks I wear are cotton those I typically will overpack and not wash. So I've gone on a business trip before and clothing that touches my skin like a shirt or pants and I didn't come home with a lot of laundry and survived with just a carryon.
Nix the travel drying lines just bring a good length of paracord it’s fine enough as can put clothes over line or better use clothing hangers at accommodation if possible… loop the rope to hold hangers in place or double the line also works to help them sliding with weight to centre. Its worked for me on multiple trips! Keep the rope always in travel towel bag or dry bag so always have it. Cheap & lightweight. If want small clips get a bunch of those from the dollar store that are for documents with the black plastic centers. Generally find something to set it up with or use a carabiner. There’s no need to get sucked into purchasing novelty items. They even have detergent full size sheets now that can cut or tear piece off to do small bag loads. Any dry sack will do don’t spend on scrubba brand. And if the sink is dirty why are you spending your money to sleep there? I got a drysac as found the tiny sinks annoying. Now in my 40s find accommodations still affordable thou not shared dorms as I like to get proper sleep, wake up early, not surrounded by others, not worried about how I change or who’s around my gear I leave behind etc. The peace of mind is worth the extra bucks however I’m not staying fancy because I’m out taking in the experience of place I’m in! Good luck ✌🏽
synthetic clothing (t-shirts, underwear, socks etc. x4) + dry bag + laundry soap sheets + small clothesline I find the challenge is whether the clothes will dry overnight. Often if I'm arriving late at an accommodation I won't risk it (not drying overnight) and save the laundry to somewhere I'll be staying for 1+ days. Admittedly I have used a hair dryer to dry clothes more often than I'd like to admit.
This is true, the weather really determines how fast clothes dry. In dry areas clothes dry fast, but not as much if it's humit. Sometimes I have to put on a slightly damp shirt in the morning. Defintely better to wait until you have enough time to dry your clothes before washing them.
@@OneBagTravels I just got back from 10 days traveling in London with my 12 yo son. I found the dry bag to be handy, but not *that much* better than just sink washing. I am not sure it was worth the weight. Next time I will probably skip it unless I really don't care about weight.
Ok, back from a week in Italy with husband and two kids and drybag was perfect for this use case. Used drybag like a washing machine, fill with water and a squirt of soap. Agitate with arm. Drain and rinse cycle with clear water. Drain then rinse items in sink one by one and wring out. Then have kids roll up in towel then hang dry. When by myself I skip the drybag but super handy with multiple people.
I thought about using silicone on the inside of a dry bag. It's a common solution to prevent sliding in tents. May pick up dirt and not sure how long-lasting that would be though.
Great video, thanks! I love inflatable hangers for the faster drying time (more airflow inside the garment) and lack of wrinkles, and they can be surprisingly lightweight. Gotta go with dry laundry strips vs. liquid.
I know this is late. Ive had the older larger scrubba. It was a bit too much to bring around. If a mini is only good for a few socks/underwear, then you might as well just use the sink a couple items will be pretty fast abd manageable even if the sink isnt plugged.
I’ve started taking the Scrubba after experiencing two hotel situation with a more mid century/minimalistic type sink that had barely any depth and washing clothes was just impossible.
For sure I won't put the towel on the hotel floor (not hygenical) to do what you did. You just simply bring back the dirt to your washed clothes. I always hang the washed clothes (twist dry first) near the air con or heater. They will dry easily over night.
Depends on the hotel. If its not dirty I think it's fine to do, clothes on the inside of towel so dirt isn't getting on your clothes. Obviously you wouldn't want to do this if you're reusing the towel. Can also do it on the bed, a rug, etc. Twist dry works fine but can stretch clothes out more over the long term.
@@OneBagTravelsNo, when you roll, the part of the towel that was on the carpet will go on the clothes (and I don’t trust a carpet even if it looks clean).
I watched this for nostalgia for travelling as I used to be a flt att until Covid, March 2020. I only basically ever washed underwear & stockings while showering, though. I see others mentioned your method of towel rolling clothes as unhygienic. I agree with them. The part that is being rolled, coming in to contact with your clothes,touched the carpet. Most Westerners wear shoes indoors so bring back germs- virus, bacteria, fungi. Even in the East you can pick up fungi like athlete’s foot, which is actually the contagious ringworm fungus, or planter’s wart etc, from the floor surfaces. I used to wear shower flip-flops and slippers in all hotel rooms. If you use another towel underneath the “burrito”one, which you don’t roll, but use just to lie there as a base to cover the carpet, and put your “burrito towel” on top to wring, that would be a more hygienic option. I would do that in the hotel bath, though, not on the carpet at all, still using the 2 towel method. Also, I saw a comment about someone using the ice bucket to wash clothes. 🤢An ice bucket is small so it must be for underwear. Would that person really like to use the ice cubes from an ice bucket that was previously used to wash some random stranger’s underwear in it? 🤦🏻♀️
Curious to know the make of the clothesline that you ended the segment on. I like one by REI that is actually a braided cord so that you can tuck a tiny bit of the cloth into it in lieu of clothespins. But as a backup I always travel with a length of paracord that can be looped around furniture or anywhere there is an anchor. Thanks for another helpful video. Happy holidays!
Me as well. I jimmied up a facsimile of the Sea to Summit Lite Line Clothesline with some paracord, dollar store beads (add as many as desired) and a pair of accessory carabiners. Even strung another on my balcony for line drying the occasional item when home. :-)
Braided cord is a good idea. The one I have is just paracord in a film canister with plastic clips on the end. I've had it for years, not even sure where I got it frome. It's basically the same as this one: www.monkeybrad.com/make-a-self-contained-camping-clothesline/
Instead of stomping on your burrito (and making the carpet soggy?) try twisting it to get the clothes drier. If you travel with a stick of hiking pole fold the burrito in half, insert the stick in the bend and use that to twist the water out.
The burrito stomping method does have some issues. I do a light twist/squeeze to get most of the water out before stomping, and you can do it in the bathroom so carpet doesn't get soggy, but still I usually wouldn't do this and use the towel again. Twisting works fine with synthetics but some fabrics like merino wool can stretch out if you twist them too hard or too often.
My three favorite brands for travel are KÜHL (pants/shirts/jackets/sweaters), ExOfficio (underwear) & Merrell (footwear). Actually, the majority of my clothing consists of those brands.
Kuhl has some great clothes that work perfect for travel. I have several pairs of their pants and a few shirts. Pricey but lightweight, easy to clean, comfortable, very much worth it for me. I like ExOfficio underwear but try to find them on sale because the price is steep for underwear.
As a female been wearing a bra for more years than I wish to admit have very recently learnt to wash while wearing!!!!. Am travelling in a few weeks for 60 plus days, but changing hotels every 6 days or so. Have learnt what I have always done is what other people do, but know now to use my dry sack as a tub. But sometimes the hotels have a bath, will be using that to wash the bigger clothes in.
I used to travel a lot for work. Like 75% of my work time, with clients paying big money for the work i did, so i just gave my clothes to the hotel and get them back all clean and dry in the evening. No way i was doing my laundry by hand after 12 hour work days.
Hi! have you found some sort of foldable bag that can be used to dry clothes by attaching a hairdryer to it by any chance please? I can't find anything that doesn't come with the heating/blower element... Thank!
Like this thing? Not a bag but kind of a pillow that you put your clothes on and run a hair dryer through. I've never used anything like this as I don't carry a hair dryer. www.amazon.com/Portable-Minutes-Clothes-Quickly-Problems/dp/B08M6933CJ
@@OneBagTravels thanks! I saw these but they are not very convenient. I am looking for some sort of bag in which you put the laundry and the blast the hot air inside to dry things faster. I will keep digging and report here if I find something :) hair dryers are available in hotels and can speed things up a notch 😊
@@jd5787 Good point. The bag would have to hold the clothes in a way they weren't clumped up, or they would have to move like an electric dryer. Maybe hang clothes on a hanger, put a large thin linen sack over the entire thing, cut a hole in the bottom with a draw string to hold the dryer? I don't know if that would work but it's the best I can come up with 😆
Any suggestions for travel detergent sheets for sensitive skin? I can only find larger packs of sheets, not small ones for sensitive skin. Also, how do you dry out your dry bags after using them for laundry?
I bought Lazy Coconuts brand on Amazon, they have some good options for sensitive skin, come in a 48 pack for ~$15. I don't know if any other good options that are smaller, but the box is rather small so can just stick it somewhere between trips. I just turn the drybag inside out and hang it up somewhere in the bathroom.
It's only as rough as you want to be with it. I think the Scrubba would be less rough than a washing maching, but slightly more rough than swishing in a sink.
I wash my clothes in the sink starting from top down. So hats, hankies, shirts, pants, briefs, then finally socks. The top ones tend to be cleaner, so if you wash them all together, your hankies will get contaminated with your briefs and socks.
You fail to note that in a humid country like Jamaica in the winter overnight drying of laundry doesn’t happen no matter how much you remove the excess moisture from your clothes
One problem with the burrito method, from the looks of it, is that one rolls all manner of hotel floor dirt into it from the underside of the towel, and that underside ends up touching the clothes directly...
Yes that can be an issue. I'd do it on the bathroom floor, preferably on the bathmat to soak up more water, then not use that towel again. If you can't do that I'd just squeeze as much water out of your clothes as possible and hang dry them.
@@OneBagTravels And yet another option, to think of it, is to first make a sandwich of the towel (folding it in half with the clean side's halves touching each other); once that is done, the rolling can begin...
Many swear by it. They don't stink like synthetic but can be itchy. I think blends are better. Wool and Prince have some good blends of merino and nylon, which gives you the soft feel of merino, but the strength of synthetic. They also have merino/linen blends if you don't want any synthetic at all.
@@OneBagTravels I am just browsing the comments as often its as good a read as the presentation ! You should really try merino wool, it often resembles cotton/poly cotton, i can vouch for it being resistant to smelling over a long period of wear and a big plus is that it used to be quite expensive, however its seems to be quite reasonable now. Try it, i suspect you will not be disappointed. Mike in County Durham UK
people from the developing world like me might find the dry bag cute but unnecessary. we regularly wash clothes by hand without it, especially as students or single people renting small space with no washing machine
There's a Tvattomaten in Stockholm. But yes, not many. You can really use any soap but shampoo is probably less harsh so won't clean as well but like you said, good if your clothes aren't too dirty.
40,00$ is expensive? An original Scrubba, in Brazil (where i live), costs 536,76. An a minimum wage is 1320. Off course i will use a regular drybag ! 😅 Thank you .🙏 🇧🇷
My wife and I took a 5 week trip to Europe 3 years ago. I took a 90l kelty backpack. My wife took 2 suitcases. Man did we ever overpack. After watching hundreds of RUclips videos we only travel with a carryon. I have an Osprey transporter 40 snd my wife an Osprey Porter 46. We sure did learn our lesson. Thank you for your in-depth detailed videos.
@@craiggardner5525 Both great packs! I did a similar thing when I first started traveling, big backpacking backpack that I had to constantly repack. Never did that again!
What you’re doing with soaked clothes on a towel and stepping on it over the CARPET! It will eventually destroy that carpet because of the mould that’s going to grow thanks to people (like you) that don’t stop and think. Do it on the bathroom floor which probably is more suitable to resist water. 🤔
No need to watch this, nothing new. Just use the hotel's or ur own soapbar, economi al and a ti allergy. Instead if washing in the sink, which is fine to use for soaking if needed for dirty clothes, you can also wash clothes under sho er y wearing them ( put soap on areas like armpits, seams,...;-) ) or student method, stand on them so that they get a great stampi g and also all the shampoo and soap from your body& hair wash falks on to clothes.Rinse and leave to dry.
Merino is much more fragile than synthetic or cotton. I use merino blends because it doesn't have that problem as much. For pure merino stretching probably depends on how you hang it. Like thin wire hangar probably would stretch it in the shoulders over time, hanging it over the back of a chair probably not.
thanks man. Travel makes me younger, smarter and happier. Best money I ever spent on myself is traveling.
Thanks George Carlin!
Do you solo travel?
@@HendrikLodewijk I always travel with my wife. Solo is only for work.
@@george.carlin Ah nice, I'm travelling solo now and wanted to ask for advice. Thanks!
@@HendrikLodewijk ask away
I vividly remember the lady teaching me the burrito method 19 years ago in a hostel in Australia 😊
The wise Australian hostel woman knows her stuff!
Draining hand washed clothes has always been a problem. I didnt think of the burrito wrap method! Such a Great a idea
Trick I learned while bicycle touring: Get in the shower wearing your skin layer! Soap up the nasty bits, shampoo, rinse. Remove socks, briefs, and t-shirt, wring 'em out and finish the shower. To dry, hang using any of the many travel clotheslines. The two important factors to getting your undies dry by morning are hanging them where the air moves and wearing only synthetics made with fibers that are 100% hydrophobic. Popular Merino takes a bit longer to dry, of course. Outer clothing usually only needs to be cleaned every three or more days.
Shower laundry is efficient but I can't seem to get myself to jump in fully clothed 😆
Two minutes of scrubbing lightly soiled daily wear may be enough but they need to be left soaking in the detergent for about 30 minutes to allow the detergent to act chemically and loosen up the dirt in the fibers so that when you do the 2 minute scrub the dirt easily comes out.
Good call to let it soak a bit
Good call to let it soak a bit
Yep I use the laundry soap sheets. Rip a piece off, use the sink method and the towel burrito and step on it.
I have been staying with relatives for 3 weeks at a time twice a year and worked my way into refined gear and processes. First and foremost I do use lightweight synthetic clothes and layer for warmth in winter.
Second I only carry 3 sets of clothes and wash every night so I am packing extremely minimalistic.
Third, I use pouches for all toiletries and laundry soap and I have calculated at home how many days I can get out of each size pouch (30, 50, 100ml). I only bring enough for the trip and come home empty.
A Tide sink pouch is 5ml of soap. Extrapolate that to how many laundries you will have to do. 100ml = 20 sinks of wash. MOST IMPORTANTLY I always fill the sink with water first, then add the soap and mix it before putting in clothing. This ensures full contact of a uniform mix of water and soap with clothes. I have also found that the longer I keep the clothes in contact with the soap, the cleaner it gets so sometimes I leave it overnight. Smells fresher, even lifts tough stains.
Good tips, thanks!
The best travel laundry soap comes from France. We have a French store in Montreal that has it. It's white and blue and says "Genie" on it, but there are many brands. It come in a paste form like tooth paste. It really works great. If you have hard to remove stains, it removes it. We use it even when we are not travelling.
I can see France having the best soap.
Great video as always! I’ve tried the Scrubba bags. My first one was a bit bigger than the one you reviewed. I found it a PITA compared to washing in the sink so I’ve been doing sink laundry for the last few years. I didn’t know twisting would ruin merino. I’ve been twisting the clothes to get water out and twisting the towel after I rolled it up. I haven’t noticed any damage so far, but I’ll be sure to stop that in the future.
I’ve used Bronner’s, dry laundry flakes, those Sea to Summit dry laundry leaflets and hotel shampoo. Those Sea to Summit sheets are very convenient, but pricey and if your fingers are wet, they stick together. Hotel shampoo has worked very well for me and I don’t have to bring extra detergent with me. Lately I’ve been bringing these biodegradable laundry sheets that are about twice the thickness of dryer sheets and about the same size. I buy them on Amazon. I cut them in half or quarters and they dissolve in the sink. I also bring a different type that doesn’t dissolve and is thrown into a dryer after the washer to use as a fabric softener/ static remover when I know I’ll be using a public laundromat.
Merino is more fragile than synthetic in general. Twisting it occasionally won't do much, but it will stretch over time. I have some older merino shirts that are all stretched out. Blended fabrics will hold up better.
Funny about the Sea to Summit sheets, I've done that with wet fingers. It's very easy to forget your fingers are wet and grab another one. Stuck half the pack together! 😆 I'll have to try those laundry sheets.
We travel quite a bit in France and everywhere we go there is a "laverie". On top of the French touchless laundry soap paste, "Genie", we bring a few Tide pods in a sealed sous-vide bag. The people at the laundromat are quite helpful. The few times we have used them, the attendant gladly offered to put our laundry in the dryer for us. Basically taking care of everything for us except for folding. We start one or 2 washes depending if we have color and we leave. Ninety minutes later, we go back fold and thank the attendant. No tipping required, but we always buy them a cup of coffee or something.
Using a professional laundromat is always a better choice. I reserve hotel laundry for when I don't have time, it's expensive, or I just need to wash a few items,
I've been following you for some time now and find your content extremely practical and informative, many thanks for your help.
Thanks for following Jonathan!
I may start handwashing delicates in a dry bag even when not traveling. One can, for example, move the dry bag around to agitate the clothes while walking the dog.
Good idea, or better yet, put it inside one of those dog backpacks and have the dog wash your clothes while it walks!
Oh yes, the animal rights movement would love this idea@@OneBagTravels
I love the scrubba washbag. I have the regular size I bought at the end of 2016 (old version) without the twist cap. I tried on a pair of muddy cargo pants, months before a trip and the nubs did a good job cleaning my pants. Now my scrubba is always in my suitcase.
I bought a twist clothesline for about $6 on Amazon but realized I needed a second one to dry more clothes. I eventually bought 100ft elastic shock cord for $12 and small aluminum carabineers. To make another in the length I choose. I just hooked it through a carabineer pulled it longer than my desired length and tightly twisted the two sides together. Tied off the end and attached another carabineer.
I now carry full size laundry sheets for your washing machine in a Ziploc bag instead of laundry soap in 3oz containers. They can be torn in half or a quarter size depending on your needs.
Love the closeline. Laundry sheets is a great idea, soap can be so messy.
Great tips!
I´m too old for hostels, etc so i use the sink but im noting down the drybag method for an emergency wash, very clever. Also the burrito method is awesome, it shortens the dry times a lot.
I usually bring 5 shirts , 2 tencelmerino ones as daily driver, 2 cotton ones moonlighting as "pijamas" and a 5th as an extra if something happens. I wash each of them at night, same for .
Most washing machines at hotels, etc dont let you add detergent and they use very agressive ones os i usually opt for hand wash and delicate soap.
I'm too old for hostels too 😆Washing machines are good for a full load, but I like to do shirts, underwear, socks especially to lengthen time before having to wash everything. Airbnb with a washing machine works great too.
Back a few decades, when there were stuff sacks, but not dry bags, using a stuff sack to wash things around mountain cattle troughs and streams in Albania. A constant flow of pure spring water, then the items hung up to dry in the breeze on the tent guylines while the vodka and fizzy orange bottle soothed my aching frame. I can't recommend a two litre fizzy pop bottle with a half bottle of vodka in it enough.
I have found the Scrubba works very well for my daughters super stinky athletic gear during multi-day tournaments. Much better than the sink which never got out all the smells.
Sink works but I also prefer the dry/bag Scrubba. This bag I used in this video actually sprung a small leak this week so I may have to patch it. Scrubba is much more robust.
I’ve been using plastic grocery bag, thick ones, as sink stopper, to handwash small items. Afterward drip-dry in the shower, then burrito wrap, then it’s dry enough to hang in the closet to dry overnight.
Large items may have to be washed in the shower, but not while wearing them.
Genius with the grocery bag.
I often use the bath mat in hotels to roll up and ring out the newly washed items. Also, I used to carry some liquid soap (Ivory or Campsuds) but now I just use the shampoo or body wash that the hotel provides and carry only a small piece of a laundry soap bar just in case. Underwear I take in the shower with me. I have 4-6 clothes pins with a hook or else use a hotel hanger. The key to ultra light travel is to do a little hand laundry every night. If what I take off from the day won’t be worn again , I wash it. I have minimal clothing but it ‘s always clean and ready to wear. Everything but some of the wool socks will dry overnight.
Great tips, I agree it's best to do a little bit every night =) Getting enough dry towels to burrito roll is difficult when you wash too many clothes at once.
I usually wash my clothes in the shower as I'm getting ready for bed. Asian's typically go to bed clean so I don't understand why Americans don't do this so their clothing and bedding would be cleaner and fresher. I always make sure to pack items that dry quickly so that when I wake up my clothes are dry. Because most socks I wear are cotton those I typically will overpack and not wash. So I've gone on a business trip before and clothing that touches my skin like a shirt or pants and I didn't come home with a lot of laundry and survived with just a carryon.
Shower laundry is a good idea too!
Many of us Americans shower at night. To each their own.
Excellent video! Helping me to fit everything into a tote bag for two weeks in Portugal this fall 🙏
Glad it was helpful, have a fun trip!
Good tips, thanks for the recommendations
Nix the travel drying lines just bring a good length of paracord it’s fine enough as can put clothes over line or better use clothing hangers at accommodation if possible… loop the rope to hold hangers in place or double the line also works to help them sliding with weight to centre. Its worked for me on multiple trips! Keep the rope always in travel towel bag or dry bag so always have it. Cheap & lightweight. If want small clips get a bunch of those from the dollar store that are for documents with the black plastic centers. Generally find something to set it up with or use a carabiner. There’s no need to get sucked into purchasing novelty items. They even have detergent full size sheets now that can cut or tear piece off to do small bag loads. Any dry sack will do don’t spend on scrubba brand. And if the sink is dirty why are you spending your money to sleep there? I got a drysac as found the tiny sinks annoying. Now in my 40s find accommodations still affordable thou not shared dorms as I like to get proper sleep, wake up early, not surrounded by others, not worried about how I change or who’s around my gear I leave behind etc. The peace of mind is worth the extra bucks however I’m not staying fancy because I’m out taking in the experience of place I’m in! Good luck ✌🏽
I like it, paracord and binder clips work great. I use those things for a lot of other uses too. Great tips, thanks for sharing!
synthetic clothing (t-shirts, underwear, socks etc. x4) + dry bag + laundry soap sheets + small clothesline
I find the challenge is whether the clothes will dry overnight. Often if I'm arriving late at an accommodation I won't risk it (not drying overnight) and save the laundry to somewhere I'll be staying for 1+ days.
Admittedly I have used a hair dryer to dry clothes more often than I'd like to admit.
This is true, the weather really determines how fast clothes dry. In dry areas clothes dry fast, but not as much if it's humit. Sometimes I have to put on a slightly damp shirt in the morning. Defintely better to wait until you have enough time to dry your clothes before washing them.
Thank you. I once bought a cheap plastic hink (10 L ) and used it as my washing machine.
Thank you! Great info and demonstrations!!!! Happy travels. Sheila
Happy travels!
Very informative video, learned a lot! Esp about choosing the right size
Glad it was helpful!
I will be trying the drybag method when my son and I go on our pandemic postponed Norway trip.
This little bag is great for t-shirts, socks, and underwear. Which are the items I find myself needing to wash most often.
@@OneBagTravels I just got back from 10 days traveling in London with my 12 yo son. I found the dry bag to be handy, but not *that much* better than just sink washing. I am not sure it was worth the weight. Next time I will probably skip it unless I really don't care about weight.
Ok, back from a week in Italy with husband and two kids and drybag was perfect for this use case. Used drybag like a washing machine, fill with water and a squirt of soap. Agitate with arm. Drain and rinse cycle with clear water. Drain then rinse items in sink one by one and wring out. Then have kids roll up in towel then hang dry. When by myself I skip the drybag but super handy with multiple people.
Maybe the abrasive surface in the scrubba could be replicated with a non slip shower mat, cut to size
I thought about using silicone on the inside of a dry bag. It's a common solution to prevent sliding in tents. May pick up dirt and not sure how long-lasting that would be though.
Great video, thanks! I love inflatable hangers for the faster drying time (more airflow inside the garment) and lack of wrinkles, and they can be surprisingly lightweight. Gotta go with dry laundry strips vs. liquid.
I'd probably go the hanger route if I was traveling for business. I do like laundry strips, I've been experimenting with them lately.
I know this is late. Ive had the older larger scrubba. It was a bit too much to bring around. If a mini is only good for a few socks/underwear, then you might as well just use the sink a couple items will be pretty fast abd manageable even if the sink isnt plugged.
True, sink works well in a lot of places especially for socks.
Traveling otr and staying in numerous hotels- laying freshly washed clothes in the drawers will try them - spread the clothes out & close the drawers
Don't you need some air flow? 🤔
Nice! Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
I’ve started taking the Scrubba after experiencing two hotel situation with a more mid century/minimalistic type sink that had barely any depth and washing clothes was just impossible.
Definitely had that happen, hotel sinks can be a tricky business because you never know how big they will be.
I love this! Thank you :)
Glad you like it =)
For sure I won't put the towel on the hotel floor (not hygenical) to do what you did. You just simply bring back the dirt to your washed clothes. I always hang the washed clothes (twist dry first) near the air con or heater. They will dry easily over night.
Depends on the hotel. If its not dirty I think it's fine to do, clothes on the inside of towel so dirt isn't getting on your clothes. Obviously you wouldn't want to do this if you're reusing the towel. Can also do it on the bed, a rug, etc. Twist dry works fine but can stretch clothes out more over the long term.
@@OneBagTravelsNo, when you roll, the part of the towel that was on the carpet will go on the clothes (and I don’t trust a carpet even if it looks clean).
I watched this for nostalgia for travelling as I used to be a flt att until Covid, March 2020. I only basically ever washed underwear & stockings while showering, though.
I see others mentioned your method of towel rolling clothes as unhygienic. I agree with them. The part that is being rolled, coming in to contact with your clothes,touched the carpet.
Most Westerners wear shoes indoors so bring back germs- virus, bacteria, fungi. Even in the East you can pick up fungi like athlete’s foot, which is actually the contagious ringworm fungus, or planter’s wart etc, from the floor surfaces. I used to wear shower flip-flops and slippers in all hotel rooms.
If you use another towel underneath the “burrito”one, which you don’t roll, but use just to lie there as a base to cover the carpet, and put your “burrito towel” on top to wring, that would be a more hygienic option. I would do that in the hotel bath, though, not on the carpet at all, still using the 2 towel method.
Also, I saw a comment about someone using the ice bucket to wash clothes. 🤢An ice bucket is small so it must be for underwear. Would that person really like to use the ice cubes from an ice bucket that was previously used to wash some random stranger’s underwear in it? 🤦🏻♀️
Curious to know the make of the clothesline that you ended the segment on. I like one by REI that is actually a braided cord so that you can tuck a tiny bit of the cloth into it in lieu of clothespins. But as a backup I always travel with a length of paracord that can be looped around furniture or anywhere there is an anchor. Thanks for another helpful video. Happy holidays!
Me as well. I jimmied up a facsimile of the Sea to Summit Lite Line Clothesline with some paracord, dollar store beads (add as many as desired) and a pair of accessory carabiners. Even strung another on my balcony for line drying the occasional item when home. :-)
@@Fetucinee hey MacGyver, good idea with the beads! Savvy travelers are we .. cheers!
Braided cord is a good idea. The one I have is just paracord in a film canister with plastic clips on the end. I've had it for years, not even sure where I got it frome. It's basically the same as this one:
www.monkeybrad.com/make-a-self-contained-camping-clothesline/
Cool tips thanks!
Instead of stomping on your burrito (and making the carpet soggy?) try twisting it to get the clothes drier. If you travel with a stick of hiking pole fold the burrito in half, insert the stick in the bend and use that to twist the water out.
The burrito stomping method does have some issues. I do a light twist/squeeze to get most of the water out before stomping, and you can do it in the bathroom so carpet doesn't get soggy, but still I usually wouldn't do this and use the towel again. Twisting works fine with synthetics but some fabrics like merino wool can stretch out if you twist them too hard or too often.
This was super helpful! Thank you
You're welcome =)
My three favorite brands for travel are KÜHL (pants/shirts/jackets/sweaters), ExOfficio (underwear) & Merrell (footwear). Actually, the majority of my clothing consists of those brands.
Kuhl has some great clothes that work perfect for travel. I have several pairs of their pants and a few shirts. Pricey but lightweight, easy to clean, comfortable, very much worth it for me. I like ExOfficio underwear but try to find them on sale because the price is steep for underwear.
As a female been wearing a bra for more years than I wish to admit have very recently learnt to wash while wearing!!!!. Am travelling in a few weeks for 60 plus days, but changing hotels every 6 days or so. Have learnt what I have always done is what other people do, but know now to use my dry sack as a tub. But sometimes the hotels have a bath, will be using that to wash the bigger clothes in.
Baths definitely work, just gott make sure it's clean first 😉
I used to travel a lot for work. Like 75% of my work time, with clients paying big money for the work i did, so i just gave my clothes to the hotel and get them back all clean and dry in the evening. No way i was doing my laundry by hand after 12 hour work days.
Also take disposable vinyl gloves to protect your hands while washing clothes.
Good idea if you're using any harsh detergents, but most of the products I mentioned here are fairly mild.
Good idea for sensitive skin!
Gloves to wash your clothes, are you serious ?
@@roverops Very serious. Laundry detergent is very bad for the skin of your hands. Just wringing out wet clothes can also hurt your skin.
I’ve been trying to decide a size, and 5L sounds like it’ll work for me, as I wash almost daily when traveling. Gracias
Hi! have you found some sort of foldable bag that can be used to dry clothes by attaching a hairdryer to it by any chance please? I can't find anything that doesn't come with the heating/blower element... Thank!
Like this thing? Not a bag but kind of a pillow that you put your clothes on and run a hair dryer through. I've never used anything like this as I don't carry a hair dryer. www.amazon.com/Portable-Minutes-Clothes-Quickly-Problems/dp/B08M6933CJ
@@OneBagTravels thanks! I saw these but they are not very convenient. I am looking for some sort of bag in which you put the laundry and the blast the hot air inside to dry things faster. I will keep digging and report here if I find something :) hair dryers are available in hotels and can speed things up a notch 😊
@@jd5787 Good point. The bag would have to hold the clothes in a way they weren't clumped up, or they would have to move like an electric dryer. Maybe hang clothes on a hanger, put a large thin linen sack over the entire thing, cut a hole in the bottom with a draw string to hold the dryer? I don't know if that would work but it's the best I can come up with 😆
@@OneBagTravels thanks! Seems like an OK DIY solution!
Any suggestions for travel detergent sheets for sensitive skin? I can only find larger packs of sheets, not small ones for sensitive skin.
Also, how do you dry out your dry bags after using them for laundry?
I bought Lazy Coconuts brand on Amazon, they have some good options for sensitive skin, come in a 48 pack for ~$15. I don't know if any other good options that are smaller, but the box is rather small so can just stick it somewhere between trips.
I just turn the drybag inside out and hang it up somewhere in the bathroom.
Thanks for your sharing
Thanks man!
You're welcome!
Why 5L? What if you wash your jacket/sweater/pants? If you use a 20-30L dry sack, then it can be rolled up to any size if necessary.
Good point, 5L is good for socks, underwear and a t-shirt or two, but too small for larger clothes.
Just found ur channel..very useful information..SUBSCRIBED
Great, glad you find it helpful, thanks!
I wonder if the Scrubba would be too rough on merino? The weight/bulk penalty of the scrubba is a dealbreaker for me anyway, but I'm curious.
It's only as rough as you want to be with it. I think the Scrubba would be less rough than a washing maching, but slightly more rough than swishing in a sink.
Great video !
Thanks
Thanks!
I wash my clothes in the sink starting from top down. So hats, hankies, shirts, pants, briefs, then finally socks. The top ones tend to be cleaner, so if you wash them all together, your hankies will get contaminated with your briefs and socks.
Good call, I often do a separate socks/underwear wash too
You fail to note that in a humid country like Jamaica in the winter overnight drying of laundry doesn’t happen no matter how much you remove the excess moisture from your clothes
How do Jamaicans dry their laundry?
One problem with the burrito method, from the looks of it, is that one rolls all manner of hotel floor dirt into it from the underside of the towel, and that underside ends up touching the clothes directly...
Yes that can be an issue. I'd do it on the bathroom floor, preferably on the bathmat to soak up more water, then not use that towel again. If you can't do that I'd just squeeze as much water out of your clothes as possible and hang dry them.
@@OneBagTravels And yet another option, to think of it, is to first make a sandwich of the towel (folding it in half with the clean side's halves touching each other); once that is done, the rolling can begin...
I have more trouble.getting things to dry in damp climates like Ireland. Things take several.days to dry hanging.
Good point, it's much more difficult to get clothes to dry in places like that.
Merino wool? Sounds awful for travel, but I will have to try it. Hate the synthetics
Many swear by it. They don't stink like synthetic but can be itchy. I think blends are better. Wool and Prince have some good blends of merino and nylon, which gives you the soft feel of merino, but the strength of synthetic. They also have merino/linen blends if you don't want any synthetic at all.
@@OneBagTravels I am just browsing the comments as often its as good a read as the presentation ! You should really try merino wool, it often resembles cotton/poly cotton, i can vouch for it being resistant to smelling over a long
period of wear and a big plus is that it used to be quite expensive, however its seems to be quite reasonable now.
Try it, i suspect you will not be disappointed. Mike in County Durham UK
Would letting clothes dry on a radiator or using a hair dryer work fine?
Yes as long as they aren't too hot, probably would take awhile holding a hair dryer. I wouldn't do that with wool though.
Put water in the sink, add the standard soap you get in the hotel, wash the clothes with you hands, dry on any hanger you get in the hotel. Done 🤷♀️
Yes.
I used to do it this way and recently got the Scrubba - much better results!
Very useful video
Thanks a lot
I’m amazed people don’t know how to wash their clothes without a machine! 🤣
It's a long-lost art
Big smile..................i guess that is a first world ''problem'' :) Mike in County Durham UK
people from the developing world like me might find the dry bag cute but unnecessary. we regularly wash clothes by hand without it, especially as students or single people renting small space with no washing machine
What's your method for washing clothes?
Does anyone know what brand those synthetic pants are? Thanks.
My two synethtic pants are both by Kuhl, the olive colored ones are the Radikl Pants, the dark gray/black ones are the Renegade Rock Pants.
thx
Why not just wring out each item really good and then iron them dry?
I'm not a fan of ironing if I don't have to
Public Laundromats don't really exist in Sweden. Shampoo works well if the clothes aren't too dirty, gets rid of the stink.
There's a Tvattomaten in Stockholm. But yes, not many. You can really use any soap but shampoo is probably less harsh so won't clean as well but like you said, good if your clothes aren't too dirty.
Then how do you wash the towel?
Housekeeping 😁
Why not use the washing machine?
That is the preferred method. This is for when you don't have one, or if you're traveling and don't have time.
@OneBagTravels oh ok. I thought u were saying not to use the hotels washing machine.
Niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
40,00$ is expensive? An original Scrubba, in Brazil (where i live), costs 536,76. An a minimum wage is 1320.
Off course i will use a regular drybag ! 😅
Thank you .🙏 🇧🇷
That is expensive! Hope to visit your beautiful country one day =)
@@OneBagTravels 👍
Pair of underwear? Just take them to the laundromat, note the time and pop back. The shove in the drier. SIMPLES!!
Seems like a lot of work for a pair of underwear.
😮😮😮😂lol I have none of these
🤷♂️
I just hang dry mine in the shower when I’m traveling. 🤷🏻♂️
I hang mine as well, but after I remove most of the water by rolling in a towel.
I’ll just ask where the local laundry is.
That's an option too 😆
My wife and I took a 5 week trip to Europe 3 years ago. I took a 90l kelty backpack. My wife took 2 suitcases. Man did we ever overpack. After watching hundreds of RUclips videos we only travel with a carryon. I have an Osprey transporter 40 snd my wife an Osprey Porter 46. We sure did learn our lesson.
Thank you for your in-depth detailed videos.
@@craiggardner5525 Both great packs! I did a similar thing when I first started traveling, big backpacking backpack that I had to constantly repack. Never did that again!
I put NOTHING ON A HOTEL floor 🤮, especially a clean towel!
Wise
Don’t lay the towel on the floor!!! 🤦🏻♀️Bed. Put it in the bed.
Yeah, that's a good idea. Floor can be dirty depending on where you are.
What you’re doing with soaked clothes on a towel and stepping on it over the CARPET! It will eventually destroy that carpet because of the mould that’s going to grow thanks to people (like you) that don’t stop and think.
Do it on the bathroom floor which probably is more suitable to resist water. 🤔
I am on a crusade to destroy the worlds carpets one hotel at a time.
Ive washed in a ice bucket in a pinch
That works too!
No need to watch this, nothing new. Just use the hotel's or ur own soapbar, economi al and a ti allergy. Instead if washing in the sink, which is fine to use for soaking if needed for dirty clothes, you can also wash clothes under sho er y wearing them ( put soap on areas like armpits, seams,...;-) )
or student method, stand on them so that they get a great stampi g and also all the shampoo and soap from your body& hair wash falks on to clothes.Rinse and leave to dry.
Student method seems less desirable, but I've done the wash while wearing method which works too.
I've read more than once and seen on RUclips that hang-drying Merino Wool stretches the fabric, What say you?
Merino is much more fragile than synthetic or cotton. I use merino blends because it doesn't have that problem as much. For pure merino stretching probably depends on how you hang it. Like thin wire hangar probably would stretch it in the shoulders over time, hanging it over the back of a chair probably not.