People often ask how I can travel for five weeks or five months with a carry-on suitcase. The key is to do sink laundry when traveling. I can pack for about a week and go indefinitely if I can wash my clothes in the sink when I travel. I mostly wash as I go, a little at a time.

Laundry Options

I almost always do a bit of laundry every day so it’s not a burden, but on some of our more active trips, such as backpacking for a week, I’ve either done a load of laundry in a hotel or short-term rental apartment or I’ve sent it out to a laundry service. For example, in Peru, I found an inexpensive laundry right next to our hotel. When I’m in the US, I take advantage of the little-known fact that most US hotels have coin-operated guest washers and dryers, whether you’re in a budget or five-star hotel. I learned this when I used to travel every week for work, and it can be a lifesaver.

A few years ago, my husband Steve and I traveled through Southeast Asia and Australia for five months with carry-on luggage. We sent our laundry out once in Vietnam and had access to a washer/dryer in Australia. Otherwise, we did sink laundry. More recently, we traveled through Spain, Portugal, and Morocco for five weeks with a Travelpro Maxlite 21-inch carry-on suitcase and laptop pack. Later, I challenged myself to travel for three-weeks with a Travelpro Maxlite International Carry-on 19-inch carry-on plus laptop pack. I can report that I still liked my clothes when I had more variety with the 21-inch bag. I got bored with my limited selections with my 19-inch suitcase, but I was happy with the lighter weight.

I’m a backpacker and you can check out how I do this on the trail. Having a sink and running water is a luxury in comparison. So is having a hanger instead of a bush to hang wet laundry on.

Doing laundry on the backpacking trail

Doing Laundry on the Backpacking Trail, from Inga’s Adventures

Sink Laundry Equipment

Doing laundry in the sink is simple, but one item makes a big difference. Having a flat, rubber universal plug means you can do laundry even if the sink or tub plus is missing or non-functional. Soap can be shampoo, body wash, bar soap, laundry detergent, or detergent sheets. I use a towel to wring out excess water at the end. Everything else is optional.

Required:

• Universal plug
• Some form of soap
• Towel

Optional Items:

• Dryer sheet (optional but nice to have if you have access to a washer and dryer)
• Travel clothesline (optional for hanging clothes)
• Hangers (optional—from hotel room)
• Shout spot remover moist towelettes (optional for spot treatment before washing)

Sink, Shower, or Tub

Sink laundry is the term I’ll use, but I can wash clothes in the shower or tub just as easily.

• Sink laundry:  I use the sink plug or a universal plug to wash my underwear, socks, and shirt.
• Shower laundry: If there’s a little lip in the shower pan, I might use my universal plug or a washcloth to plug the drain for a short time, toss my underwear, socks, and shirt down and lather up (both me and the clothes).
• Tub laundry: Occasionally, Steve and I will both have a few things to wash, and we find easier to fill the tub.

Sink Laundry Procedure

• Use the sink or universal plug and fill the sink with warm water.
• Add liquid or powdered soap.
• Add clothes, let them absorb water and lather up.
• If using bar soap, scrub in the places that need it most.
• Drain the soapy water and wring clothing lightly.
• Fill sink with clean water.
• Swish clothes around and wring to remove soap.
• Repeat with clean water.
• Lay a towel on the floor (a dry towel is good, but it can be the damp towel from your shower)
• Lay the clothes flat on the towel, roll up from the bottom and either wring gently or step back and forth on the roll in bare feet to remove excess water.
• Hang to dry.

Tips for Drying

My clothes will dry overnight 90% of the time. If I have something that I know might be in the 10% of items that might take longer, such as a cotton shirt or merino wool socks, I’ll save them until I’m in a place where we’ll be staying at least two nights.

• It’s best to use quick-dry clothing to start with. Synthetics dry faster than cotton or wool.
• The towel-wringing step is important.
• A travel clothesline sounds like a good investment, and I carried one for years. We used it a few times, but I ditched it this year when I realized I hadn’t used it in a long time, and it was taking up needed space in my toiletry bag. Try it and decide if you like it.
• Bathrooms are the logical place to hang clothes to dry, but they often have no ventilation or air flow. I prefer to hang my clothes in the hotel room. For example, I’ll hang them in the closet with the closet door open, or in a window when there’s a slight breeze. No one wants to hang out in a laundry room, so sometimes I move them back and forth between the bathroom and bedroom. If that sounds like a hassle, remember that I might only have one shirt with some underwear hanging on the hook.
• Socks used to be my biggest challenge until I found Tilley travel socks. They always dry overnight, even in the humid tropics. I also wear Darn Tough hiking socks, and I choose their thinnest running socks.
• To test your clothes at home, wash them in the washing machine and hang them to dry. Check every four hours and see which ones dry fastest. I had a bunch of similar looking synthetic T-shirts, and this exercise was helpful in choosing a few that dried the fastest.
• Jeans—don’t bother. Wear them until they can stand up on their own or send them out to be laundered because they won’t dry overnight. Duer has a good article on how often to wash jeans.
• Hiking pants do well but I don’t wash them every time I wear them. They can go for several wearings.

Quick Dry Products

My travel clothing comes from a wide range of brands. Some are outdoor, travel or just regular, everyday brands. Technical outdoor clothing is often a good choice, especially for pants, but many of my shirts, dresses and skirts are mainstream brands at a variety of price points. Here are a few brands I’ve used. I look for thin, lightweight fabrics that resist wrinkles. For active-wear, I look for odor-resistant clothing. 

• Kuhl, REI, North Face, Columbia, and Royal Robbins have a wide range of travel and outdoor clothing, including pants and outerwear.
• Rip Skirt Hawaii has skirts, dresses, and T-shirts. I like their colorful T-shirts because they feel soft, dry quickly and are a little shorter than others so they go well with skirts.  
• Under Armour T-shirts and shorts come in a variety of fabrics and many have odor control properties.
• Tommy Bahama and Talbots are two of my favorite stores for travel clothing.
• Tilley travel socks and Darn Tough running socks are good for travel and active wear.
• Jockey Women’s No Panty Line Promise tactel bikini underwear dries overnight.
• Urban Coco (Amazon) has a wide range of inexpensive clothing that works well for travel.

Kuhl Trekr Pants for Travel and Hiking

Some brands listed are pricey, but discount brands also have light, thin clothing that dries quickly. I have a few items from expensive brands that have lasted for many years of travel along with inexpensive clothing that is lightweight and quick drying.

Fabrics to look for: nylon, polyester, Tencel, polynosic rayon synthetics, or silk. Thin cotton and merino wool take longer to dry but are also options. I usually have at least one cotton T-shirt because it feels cool and soft against my skin.

Give it a Try

It might sound like a lot of work, but the key to being able to do sink laundry is to wash as you go, a little at a time. If I pack for a week, I can go indefinitely if I can do sink laundry when I’m traveling.

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