Sinking feeling

Here’s a helpful thread from the Rick Steves forum concerning sink laundry techniques. I’m in the market for a microfiber packtowel since hotels are not always willing to supply extra towels and my wife doesn’t like it when I dampen all the towels before she can use them.

Comments

[Till]

Interesting thread. I really don't get the 2.5 gal zip bag to do your wash in. What sense does that make if you have a sink or a tub (for a bigger wash)? Somebody there recommended "Rei in der Tube" a German household staple laundry detergent. They even provided a link of where to find it in the USA:
http://www.germanshop24.com/product_info.php?info=p548_rei-in-der-Tube.html

This stuff is great. Its cleaning effect is stronger than woolite and it is somewhat of a universal detergent. Rei says you can wash your car with it, too. In the same sense there are "Campsuds" which you can find at REI or on the net.

A lot of people there talk about letting stuff soak. Let me tell you, having studied this during my fashion design studies, soaking does not clean your clothes. Three factors are of utmost importance:

1. Movement! You have to knead the clothes vigorously. This enlarges the surface of the fibers and allows the detergent to actually go to where the dirt is and to bind the dirt.

2. A lot of water. Once the the dirt is bound by the detergent (that's how it works, on a molecular level) you need to get it out. Thus a very good rinse is what you need to do.

3. Temperature. You want to wash in water as hot as your hands can stand it. The only exception are things that are heavily or freshly dyed (never washed before). Those things will bleed more with hotter water. The water temperature supports the cleaning function. One added thing: At home on your washing machine 40-60 centigrade are enough for everyday use with modern HE detergents in front loaders. 90 centigrade or higher (boiling) is only needed for sterilizing or getting out blood, vomit or excrement. Most American washing machines, even front loaders, don't even go that high.
For the rinse, use cold water. It rinses better. BUT you can give it a second rinse in warm water. For some reason, this will make the clothes dry faster, I hear. Have never taken a stop watch to it, though.

[Jeff]

Try the REI brand microfiber towels. They're very nice and cheaper than MSR or other name brands. And don't go for the full towel size. A "large" or even "medium" should be plenty big. These towels really soak up water.

[Joelle]

I use a solid shampoo bar by Lush (Canada). I find-their 2 ounce "Karma" bar lathers and rinses very well, lasts a long time, and makes me smell pretty good too. I also use it as a shampoo and as hand/face soap. I carry a large size microfiber towel that I bought for $6 in Walmart's auto parts section--works better than my REI towel and you can apply the savings to your next Tom Bihn bag. I do a lot of hand washing at home so by the time I hit the road I'm confident that I can easily wash and dry what I'm carrying, which is pretty minimal because I know I will be washing frequently. For blood, etc, soak it in cold water asap and bring along a dab or two of White Wizard stain remover.

[Frank@OBOW]

Joelle - thanks for the towel tip - I'm on my way! For stains, I've found the little Tide pens to work pretty well.

[MaxD]

Maybe some people use the Zip Loc bag because there's no way to know what all has been in the hotel basin? I am not sure either, but that is my guess.

I also have some micro fiber towels I bought at Target in the car care section. They work okay but I really like the ones from Sierra Trading Post. I don't know the brand, but they are quite good. It's been about 1 year since I bought them, so they might not be around any more.

I like the Tide pens but I have become gun shy with them. Once I got a couple of small stains on my favorite suit, and I used the Clorox pen on it. I didn't realize that the Clorox was bleach, whereas the Tide is some other cleaner. Unsuspecting me, I supposed they were all the same. Of course, now I am wiser and sadder, having to get rid of my poor, bleached, spotty suit.

[Buzz]

I use the zip loc bag method and find it easier than the old way of "kneading" clothes in the sink. I found the mini-sized Tide pen now as a "single" rather than it's normally being sold as a pair, in the travel size section at Target.

I use Rick Steves liquid soap to wash clothes and find it to do the best job.

I have both Eagle Creek and Rick Steves microfiber towels. The Rick Steves towels does a better job and dries quicker.

If you follow what "Franklin" describes in his clothes washing routine with the ziploc bag, I think you'll find it works very well. I know him and he taught me his method. He oriiginally asked the question and used responses to come up with a method that works for him.

Don't forget to pack a clothesline. I also recommend the new Rick Steves one as it has velcro straps on either end. They can connect to anything.

[Paula S]

I only use the ziploc bag for socks and pants, don't fill it too full, put a pair of socks or couple of pants in , shake it about, agitating the way a washing machine does. My 2 microfibre towels come from The Body Shop and Magellans (1 medium, 1 large). I roll my handwashed, wrung out items in them, works a treat and they dry a lot more quickly.
I've used a hairdryer on my towels just to dry them off before packing, it didn't take much to dry them.

I've only just discovered the Tide pens and became an immediate convert (they work wonders on carpet stains). The soap I use is from clearwatersoapworks.com (Canada), non-chemical, lathers up a storm and cleans everything from hair and skin to clothes.

[Fun Travel]

In the U.S, many family oriented hotels have laundry rooms.
I don't understand why I should have to go back to the 19th century and spend any time "knead my clothes vigorously"?

In most European towns, there are also laundromats, especially in college towns.