Laundry Question

[diana]

I was wondering what do other backpackers use for detergent when they do laundry in Europe. I was hoping to use those Tide tablets but turns out they are discontinued. Do most people just bring pack their own stash of liqud detergent or is there an easier method?

Thanks!

[WillTravel]

Every time I've gone to a European laundromat, they had detergent you could buy for 1 Euro or so from a vending machine.

Alternatively, you can go to a supermarket and buy some detergent.

At a dollar store here at home, I saw some small packets of Tide powder for 79 cents. I'd consider packing a couple of those maybe.

[jennifer]

I bought a laundry kit in a travel store, it had a clothes line, a sink stopper and some detergent packets of Woolite! It has really proven me handy, and I like it a lot now that i live in Freiburg and need the clothesline to hang my undies to dry hehehe

xoxo
Jen

[Jules80]

i brought a couple of packets of said tide with me. as did my friend. when in laundromats we bought soap and used the packets in hostels where there was no soap to buy. for hand washing stuff in the sink i brought 'camp suds' that i bought at MEC. its concentrated anything soap and is also biodegradable. i also used it to wash my colapsable wine glass (gotta say... must have item for europe) and plate and cutlery. it was a small bottle and definately worth bringing.

Jules

[stanncie]

IMHO i wouldn't bother with bringing your own detergent, i washed every 4 days or so in europe and always had detergent available at the laundromat or even the hostel. Many times, it was included in the laundry price as well or as someone said it cost about a euro. One time, some girls gave me some of their detergent as well

[rchua]

i was wondering how you guys managed to do laundry. if the hostel doesn't have a washer/dryer i'm sure there's a laundromat nearby. if not there's always the sink. hehe!!!

[dougj]

A lot of laundromats also have internet cafe's. I usually did my laundry while booking the next city, sending emails, etc. worked out perfectly.

[uberbackpacker]

I would go wash my clothes in the washroom most of the time. I think I splurged and took it to a Laundromat twice the whole time I was there. A lot of hostels will remove their sink plugs to stop backpackers from doing this, but I always bring my own. I brought along packets of detergent, can’t remember the brand name. They worked well, but were heavy and took up a lot of room. A small bottle of liquid detergent would probably be more practical. Use an old shampoo bottle from a hotel or something. I did manage to find a couple of hostels with free laundry service, but this was rare. I think it's rare everywhere actually, because they are the only ones I have ever seen anywhere.