Packing List > Laundry

universal (flat) sink stopper

You'll often encounter sinks without drain stoppers. As washing your clothes is difficult under such circumstances, carry your own. It can also substitute as a jar opener (and conversely, a flat rubber jar opener can be used as a sink stopper). Other drain-plugging possibilities incude duct (or packing) tape (if you dry the flange first), a film-cannister cap, and a squash ball (which can also provide entertainment and exercise when you're not washing clothes). In lieu of anything else, use a rolled sock.

detergent, spot remover

I bow to tradition here: individual foil packets of Woolite® cold water laundry detergent. I carry them in doubled Ziploc bags. There are other options (though I'd avoid those that require carrying bottled liquids), but Woolite has been the traveller's standby for years, and for good reason. Should you take along a conventional detergent of some sort, remember that very little is required to do a sinkful of laundry ... or plan plenty of rinse cycles! If you're in Germany or Austria, or live in a city large enough to support a good German deli, try a tube of Procter & Gamble's Rei in der Tube ("cleanliness in a tube"), a handy toothpaste-consistency detergent. If you prefer to use a favourite powdered detergent, a plastic 35mm film canister (if you can still find one in these days of digital photography) is a good way to keep a reasonable quantity dry.

The extra-fastidious might also want to pack a spot remover of some sort (StainEraser™ — which Magellan's carries — works well).

(surgical rubber braid) clothesline

This is one of those items so perfectly designed for its purpose that you wonder why we're not issued with them at birth. If you've never seen/used a good travel clothesline, you're in for a treat; it may well change your (travel) life. Get the right type, though ("Flexo-line®" is the brand I recommend), one made from three strands of surgical rubber tubing, braided (not twisted) to form a clothesline, with reliable attachments at the ends. It packs small, stretches l-o-n-g (if you need it to), and holds your damp laundry all by itself, with no clothespins required (you tuck corners of the clothing between strands of the braid, and the latex rubber grips them firmly). Plus, every laundry night, you get to exercise your creativity by discovering the two optimal line attachment locations!

Beware: there are many "travel clotheslines" of poor design and/or mediocre quality. Some have suction cups (these don't work on wood and concrete, and are usually not strong enough to hold wet laundry in any case). Some have simple twisted strands, or are not made of surgical rubber (these won't support your clothes properly, or keep them separated effectively). Some are insufficiently long (these won't reach as many attachment points, or hold much laundry). Such products work poorly, if at all. And you will forever wonder why seasoned travellers consider the travel clothesline to be one of their most treasured "secret weapons". So I repeat: get the correct type.

Some people pack these with their medical supplies, as they also make ideal tourniquets.

inflatable hangers

These serve multiple functions: they augment what may be a meagre (or nonexistent) supply of clothes hangers in your room, and they provide an ideal way of hanging shirts for drying (keeping the fronts and backs from touching, thus aiding air circulation). Less obviously, on the version I recommend, you can temporarily remove the metal part (best done at home prior to your trip, as the task will require a pair of pliers to "unbend" the hook a bit), and discover that the remaining piece serves as a fine lumbar pillow to support your back on long flights; the hook slips back on easily once you reach your destination. And when you're not using the hanger, the hook can be used as an additional attachment option for your travel clothesline. These hangers are extremely light, and pack very small, so you needn't feel guilty. I carry two.

Click here to continue with the ...

A one-page checklist version is available here.