How to wash clothes in the sink of your hotel
Need to do laundry but don’t want to pay? Look no further than your handy sink.
1. Be organised
As with most travel tricks, this one starts with being organised well before you’re even washing. Bring a laundry bag (or an old pillowcase) to keep your dirty clothes separated from your clean ones. It’s also a good idea to stick to similar colours for basics like underwear and socks so you don’t have to worry about dye running when you wash them.
2. Get the right soap
A bar of hotel soap will do in a pinch, but it’s better to have the right stuff for the job. Stock up on a bottle, bar or small sachets of special travel laundry soap that will do a much better job. We like laundry powder sheets, which look like squares of tissue paper and dissolve in water to give you plenty of suds. It can also be a good idea to bring a stain remover pen to use on any spills.
3. Clean the sink
It’s best to start with a clean work surface, so give the sink a good scrub down with soap and hot water before you start. You don’t want to end up with dirt, makeup or hair in your DIY washing machine.
4. Get washing
Fill the sink with warm water (too hot and the colours can run), add in your soap and get started. Don’t overcrowd the sink with too many clothes as you’ll end up with water everywhere. Imitate the motions of a washing machine by swirling your clothes around in a circular motion. If they are very dirty, leave them to soak for a few minutes.
5. Rinse
Drain the water from the sink and rinse your clothes to remove the soap. Skip this step and your clothes will end up stiff and sticky. Keep rinsing until there are no more bubbles in the water.
6. Dry
Without a spin cycle, it can be tough to get clothes dry enough to hang up. The best hotel hack here is to use a bath towel. Ring the clothes out, lay the towel out on the floor, then lay your clothes flat along it. Roll the towel up, squeezing as you go to remove excess water. The towel will suck out most of the water, leaving the clothes reasonably dry.
7. Hang
Set up your travel clothesline or use the towel rack, shower rail and coathangers. Give everything a good shake before you hang it up to remove creases. A quick blast with the hairdryer will speed things up.
Have you ever tried this? What tips would you suggest?