How to Manage Dirty Clothes While Traveling
Travel is an amazing way to explore new cities, create memories with friends and family or even participate in some sort of exhilarating adventure. No matter the reason for your travels, there is one thing you cannot escape: dirty clothing. There is just no way around it.
While traveling, you are typically living out of a suitcase, bag or backpack. When you first depart for your trip, your bag is filled with fresh, clean clothes.
However, unlike at home, where you can simply put your dirty clothes into the laundry, you are stuck lugging around your dirty clothing with you wherever you go. This is especially true if you are traveling to multiple destinations.
No need to stress. In this post, we discuss some practical tips about how to manage dirty clothes while traveling.
Keep an empty packing cube for your laundry
Just like using packing cubes for your clean clothes, it is super helpful to bring a separate one for dirty laundry as well.
You can even use a packing cube of a different color to avoid mixing clean and unwashed clothing.
Bring a dirty laundry bag
If you're traveling as a family, it is very likely that you'll have a lot of messy garments. That said, it might be wise to travel with a laundry bag for dirty clothes.
These dirty laundry bags are made up of nylon and are very compact. This material is ideal as it won't add much bulk to your luggage. You might even consider packing multiple laundry bags for larger families!
To keep your hotel room clean and organized, you can even hang this lightweight bag in the bathroom for easily cleanup.
Put in suitcase compartments or separators
This is the best option for travels that love to keep their stuff organized. You can keep your dirty clothing in separate compartments or new separators can be added for this purpose.
Divide your suitcase into compartments: one for clean clothes, one for shoes, and one for the dirty laundry.
Foldable storage boxes are also a good option for this, comments dirty laundry professional Lily Cameron.
Use compression bags
The use of compression bags is a good option if you're facing issues of tight space in your suitcase.
Compression bags work just like a charm to save space. Before using them, squeeze out the air so they lay perfectly flat.
The air tight bag also locks in any smells from spoiled laundry.
Try a household Ziploc
I know what you are thinking, compression bags are too expensive! Don’t fret. We have another suggestion: Ziploc bags.
These are a great option because they behave similar to the compression bags and you most likely already have some in your kitchen. No shopping required.
Similar to the compression bags, Ziploc bags prevent the penetration of any unwanted smells into your clean clothing.
Additionally, there are different sized Ziploc bags available and you can pick the proper size according to your convenience.
Spritz your dirty clothes with Febreze
Some clothes may require just a little bit of refreshing while others may need detailed washing. In such a situation fabric spray is a must!
Febreze keeps your used clothing free from all types of smells and unpleasant odors. A lot of professional travelers recommend that Febreze spray is the perfect thing to carry while traveling. A travel-size bottle should be plenty to get you through a trip.
Bring along a mesh dirty clothes bag
Mesh dirty clothes bags are also pretty handy for containing dirty clothing while traveling.
These are available in different colors which makes it easier for you to differentiate which bag is filled with dirty clothes and which one is for clean clothes.
Laundry bags for delicate clothing
These are very lightweight and picture-perfect for travelers with delicate clothing.
The delicate bags are a must if you are planning to wash delicate clothing such as lingerie or your washable silk sleepwear at a local laundromat or an Airbnb. These bags will prevent your delicate clothing from getting ruined during a normal washing cycle.
Final Thoughts
There is no escaping dirty laundry when you travel!
The best way to manage laundry is to keep it organized. Try bringing spare packing cubes or a portable laundry bag.
If you still hate the thought of lugging around stinky, dirty laundry, you can also leverage local laundromats, hotel washing machines or a professional dry cleaning service. Better yet, you can stay at an Airbnb that has a private washer and dryer.
Let us know your tips and tricks to surviving dirty laundry in the comments below.
