To handwash clothes on holiday?

[Galaxygirl93]

Week long break coming up to Butlins.

Would like to do some washing there to minimise packing and workload when I get home, it will be myself, partner and 18 month old.

In the event I cannot find/cannot be bothered to go to an onsite launderette, would it be weird to handwash clothes?

Also

For those who approve- what is the best way of doing it? Ie how long to soak, should I use comfort....

I do. Use travel wash. Most clothes aren't that dirty, just need a brief soak and rub, then rinse until the water runs clear.

I never use comfort etc.

Where would you dry it? Personally I’d just do it at home. I usually wash knickers, pjs etc but anything else can wait till I get back.

I do. Salad spinner is great for a drying off hand washed things! Failing that, a laundry bag and get partner to spin it around above head.

Oh, Matt to add, I use a tube of handwash detergent. But a small bottle of your normal one will be ok if you don't use very much. Forget about extra stuff like fabric conditioner etc.

Gah... meant to add....

Think I need to go to sleep!

The problem with handwashing clothes is that you can't spin them so, even though you can squeeze a fair bit of water out they will still be sopping wet. Plus you won't have an airer or any outside space to dry it.
Handwashing a few bits of underwear that you can hang in the shower is ok but I wouldn't plan on doing t-shirts etc.

Check first if there is launderette onsite.

Dylon do a little tube of travel wash you can usually get for £1 or so. I run a sink full of warm water and add a squirt of detergent, add the clothes and swish for a minute or so, let sit for a couple of minutes, empty the sink and refill with warm water, swish again, then rinse under running water. The wringing out is the hardest bit - doesn’t matter much in the Med as things dry quickly anyway but a bit more important in the UK!

It won’t remove stains really but it gets stuff clean enough to wear again. I do it all the time on holiday as I hate bringing loads of washing home.

I do a few emergency hand washes on holiday when the babes have decided wear their dinner instead of eat it and I suspect it may stain. I use pre wash stain remover, throw it in the sink using detergent and let soak for 20/30 or all night, when I leave asleep half way through the job. Rinse with cold, if there’s any makes ill go over it again with a stain remover otherwise, hang to dry.

A good trick for getting additional water out of handwashed clothes (I learned this as part of learning to be a theatre dresser & it was a life saver when I needed to have clean black clothes for the next day’s show but didn’t have time to traipse down to the uni laundrette!), once you’ve squeezed what you can out with your hands, lay a clean towel on the floor & lay wet clothes on top. Second clean towel over the top, shoes & socks off, & trample all over the towels.

(Personally I’d just leave it to wash things when you’re home but this is a good trick in a bind. If not many clothes, you can fold the towel over itself rather than use two).

Great thanks all. General consensus is its not gross and totally ok to do! Will grab some travelwash and think about how to dry it best! Usually theres some clothes horses in accomodation

To dry stuff roll up in a clean towel and jump on it.

Handwash easy. Just wash in sink with any soap. Be sure to slam clothes about, slap them. Rinse. Wring out.
Then put flat on dry towel, roll up in towel squeezing. A Hotel towel good for 3-4 T-shirt’s.
Hang clothes anywhere good air...like open wardrobe with window open.
Towels can dry on rail or balcony.

Ugh don’t jump on towel...that make it dirty!

My DH gets upset when I say I'm going to do this. He says, it's my holiday as well as his, will leaving the washing till I get home mean I'm run ragged, or just slightly busier than normal? The latter is the real answer, so I've learned to chill and just enjoy my holiday without doing anything to mean I'm doing housework.

I hand wash a few bits and and pieces when we are away camping. I take some Bold 2in 1 and use a tiny amount in warm water. Swish isaround and rinse with cold. Wring out and peg up outside on a fence for the whole campsite to enjoy

tbh I would only wash bras, knickers, socks. a tshirt at a push.
other stuff just doesn't get dry unless really warm and airy.
just use a bit of shampoo and stamp on them in the shower. then rinse.

I often wash underwear. There are usually hooks in the bathroom and sometimes a pull out washing line. Not sure about Butlins tho.
Otherwise I wait till I get home.
However, if you wash something and it is very wet, you can remove excess water by wrapping in a towel. What I mean, is that one can use the towel to squeeze out any excess. Then hang them both up.
Of course, this means you then have a damp towel as well, and if in a hotel, then it depends on whether the towel is likely to be changed.

I've just been away with my DS. He's still wetting himself occasionally so it's been handy to wash a few pairs of pants and shorts.

I used a tube of travel wash, just soaked in the sink for 10 mins then rinsed.

Dried on a clothes horse that came with the accom.

Occasionally we wash , always did with swim wear .
Get travel wash in either Semi Chem or Poundland. Have used nice shampoo which works well .
Have great time.

Totally OK to do and not gross at all! I do it all the time when travelling else I'd have to lug several weeks worth of clothes with me (I'm not sure I even own enough clothes to do that!).

I've used the Dr Beckman travel wash before or, if I'm trying to reduce the liquids I'm carrying because I only have hand luggage, some laundry powder.

I do it. Usually just a few bits and pieces. Oh, and swimming stuff so it doesn’t smell. As PP have said, a tube of travel wash is good stuff. I also bought a travel washing line (extendable, no pegs needed, bucks and suction cups for attaching) and string this up somewhere suitable, usually the bathroom and then leave a window open / extractor fan on. Most stuff dries overnight, especially following previous advice re wringing out as much water as possible.

lay wet clothes on towel, roll up towel, gte one person to hold one end and you hold the other and then twist the towel really tightly, gets loads of water out.

Only problem is you then also have a wet towel

It seems like such a waste of time to handwash instead of taking 1 week's worth of clothes and putting them in the washing machine when you get home.

We run on holiday and DH never brings enough pants so we always wash things but we're usually abroad so things dry pretty quickly.

I take a Tupperware tub of our normal washing powder. Whack some in the sink or bath and leave things to steep while we have breakfast then trample the washing or bash it about in the sink.

Give everything a good rinse and wring out as much water as we can DH is way better at wringing out than me.
Lay the things flat on a dry towel and wrap up tight then walk over it and hang out to dry on the balcony/veranda/airer.

To be honest if we were holidaying in the uk I think I'd just take enough stuff to last me and wash it in the comfort of my own home, far easier.