Laundry on the go – how to avoid smelling like a tramp while travelling

Carrying your possessions on your back day after day doesn’t necessarily lend itself well to staying clean. Sure, in some countries the laundry in a hotel is so cheap that it’s no trouble to throw in your clothes and have them done in a couple of hours. In other places and on very tight budgets, some ingenuity is needed to stay fresh and keep the flies at bay. Here’s a brief (and slightly irreverent) list of the options available to the traveller, from the most convenient down to the cheapest and cheekiest.

1. Hotel laundry. This could destroy a travel budget in one go, or it could make perfect sense, depending on the hotel’s philosophy on cleanliness. In down-at-heel hotels where they are reluctant to spend too much on cleaning their sheets and rooms, they like you to be clean and will therefore offer the more favourable rates on guest laundry. This is in stark contrast to the opulence of the 5 star hotels, where the staff don’t care how fresh you are as they will clean every towel, sheet and surface very carefully, in search of that generous tip. We stayed in a range of places in India, and I saw the price of washing a humble pair of socks vary from 2 rupees in a mid-range hotel in Amritsar, through to 80 rupees ($2) in an Oberoi hotel in Shimla. Two dollars! They didn’t cost me that much to buy! The golden rule is: always check the price of laundry before you hand it in, or you could get taken to the cleaners, so to speak.

2. Hotel DIY laundry (official). Some properties (particularly US motels) will have washing machines for guest use. This is a great service, where you can throw in your week’s worth of dirty smalls and for a few dollars (and an hour or so lurking around the laundry waiting to switch your clothes from washer to dryer) you can emerge with clean clothes. Hotels frequently are out of powder, so carry your own or be extra nice to the hotel staff and they can usually help you out if you’re stuck. The laundry room is often a great place to meet fellow travellers – and at least you know they’re hygenic.

3. External laundry services – these are a great option in many cities where there is a significant tourist trade. We used one in El Calafate in Argentina, and for $5 we had all our clothes washed and ironed within a couple of hours. Depending on where you are in the world, this can offer huge savings over the hotel option.

4. Hotel DIY (unofficial) – hotel management do not like this, and it’s understandable from their point of view. But hey. It’s free and sometimes it needs to be done. Washing your clothes in the hotel bathroom, and hanging them all over the room can be a pain, and can leave your room more humid than a Turkish bath, but if you’re after a free and private way to get yourself smelling fresh again, this is the way to go. Just don’t expect the maid to be leaving you nice chocolates on the pillow.

5. Washing clothes in places where you shouldn’t – this is not recommended but for the sake of completeness should be mentioned. I have never washed my clothes in a public fountain (myself yes, but that’s another matter). I have met those who have, and while this is clearly wrong, if you are compelled to do this do not under any circumstances consider using detergents (or you may leave an obvious trail to your misdemeanour).

I do confess to washing my clothes in a train toilet sink in Austria. It was a slow process and very uncomfortable, but I eventually got through all my dirty stuff. When I got out at a small village and noticed on the timetable that the next train was in 3 hours, I carefully hung out all my clothes on the benches, the notices and other station furniture and settled in the baking sun with my book to enjoy the next few hours in peace and solitude. It was therefore a shock to me when, a few minutes later, an express train flew through the station and I spent the next hour locating my socks and underwear from around the station. Never again!