She’s a badass at finding travel discounts, drilling down the details and asking the hard questions. Her work has been featured in both travel and educational publications. Ultrasound is combined with a cleaning solvent or just water to provide cleaning. The technology has been used to effectively clean and sterilize a number of different types of hard-to-clean objects including watches, jewelry, lenses, medical instruments, fountain pens, sports equipment, CDs, eyewear, etc. Most options lie flat (such as the suggested options above) and take up very little space. If you have one like we do that just lies flat but doesn’t work with suction, you need to hold it flat until the sink or tub has a bit of water in it first and the stopper is completely submerged. The weight of the water keeps it down.

Travel Laundry: How to Hand Wash Clothes in a Sink Travel Laundry: How to Hand Wash Clothes in a Sink

Top Trip Tip: Consider how much work is involved in handwashing versus visiting a laundromat Type and Length of Trip

Machine or Hand Washing?

If your plan is to use laundromats, do a little research before your trip to make sure laundromats are available in the places you are traveling. Some countries don’t have them and they can be difficult to find in certain areas even in countries where they are fairly common. Readers sing the praises of Tide and say it’s excellent for washing clothes on the go. Other TFGs who struggle with where to buy travel size laundry detergent suggest simply pouring larger bottles of this soap into smaller containers. One reader says, “I put Tide into one of my shampoo 3-1-1 bottles.” Try to hang in a ventilated space for best results (outdoor spaces are great if an option), and make sure that any dripping water will not damage surfaces.

Hand-Washing Clothing on the Road | What to Pack Guide to Hand-Washing Clothing on the Road | What to Pack

Travelon’s Twisted Elastic Clothesline (pictured above) requires no clothespins. I just insert fabric between the twisted lines. Tension holds wet clothing items in place. One reader shares, “I use a small chunk of Sard soap. It’s not a detergent sheet, but it’s still good for sink washing.” No Rinse Shampoo: For when you don’t have any water, use this no-rinse, no-water shampoo to clean your hair on the go.

Sea to Summit’s Wilderness Wash: this super-concentrated, all-purpose soap works as a body wash, shampoo, and even for washing clothes and dishes. It’s also biodegradable and safe to use outdoors. However, in some countries, such as many in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, prices for laundry are very inexpensive. So you may pay only a few dollars for a load of laundry to be washed and dried and this is both a convenient and inexpensive option. However, luxury hotels in these countries often still have fairly high prices. My travel buddy brought the Earth Breeze laundry sheets on our trip to Italy and I loved them so much I use them at home now too! Reply I sopropyl alcohol– We also currently have a a little bottle of isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol used for disinfectant when washing reusable face masks as well as for tweezers, nail clippers etc. Just note there is often limitation on how much of this can be brought in luggage on planes due to its flammable nature. Pears is a household name, having produced its iconic transparent soaps for more than 200 years. Cheap, moisturizing and travel-size, it’s still a hard-to-beat offering. Each bar is made with natural oils and filtered by eye for purity to create a gentle soap. The addition of glycerin makes it an excellent choice for those with delicate skin or who will need to wash their hands more frequently. The standard 125g size is still small enough for travelling, with the advantage of being suitable for body wash too.