What to do about washing clothes on 2 week holiday?

[Acunningruse]

Not sure if this is the right place but what do you do about clothes for a 2 week holiday? It's a sight seeing holiday so 'proper' clothes rather than beachwear, and in August so I can't imagine I'll be able to wear things twice!

Do you take enough clothes for 2 weeks? I'm not sure I have enough summer things! Or do you wash on holiday? We are going self catering so there will be a washing machine but I don't fancy ironing on holiday and whilst the kids stuff might be ok not ironed mine and Dhs won't I would imagine!

First 2 week holiday (other than our honeymoon where not many clothes were required ) and I am keen to avoid washing and ironing on holiday!

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Easy Iron shirts for school and work.

I take everything out the washing machine the second it stops and hang up everything that doesn’t needs dried on the line on hangers. So that’s all sports wear ( we have a lot of this ) ,microfibre underwear ( mine ) , tea towels etc. Towels and bed linen go on the aga. That’s probably half or more of each coloured or dark load.

Then I tumble dry the remainder for about 10-15 mins to heat it up, then hang up very neatly on hangers, shirts with top button fastened, skirts and trousers on their own hangers. Then straight into the wardrobe the next day when dry.

Anyone who wants a pristine finish on their shirt can do it themselves (they are all over 12). I’m assuming your husband is Over 16 so he should be fine too OP. If he doesn’t know how to iron there’s a video on YouTube.

I own a few items that need ironed, maybe one or two a month. I usually CBA to get the ironing board out and do it on the kitchen island.

Are you over-filling your washing machine OP?

If you give things a good shake and hang them out properly, most wont need ironed. But some will..

I always wash clothes on holiday - but only iron a few things.. I take a travel iron, which to be honest isn’t great - and if the hotel has an iron I use it for a few things that look crap of hey aren’t ironed.

Or put something in a hanger in the bathroom when you are having a hot shower, I always do this when I travel with work - most creases will fall out.

I think dh ironed a few shirts on our two week holiday in a villa last year. I did a load of washing every day/every other day so it was wonderful coming home with no dirty laundry. I hung it all out immediately when it finished and it dried within the hour and the vast majority didn’t need ironing at all.

I think you just need to care less re: looking a bit creased. Nobody know you and very few people will care.

I almost never iron at home, holiday, wherever. I don't really care what other people think.

I’m currently in our own property abroad. I regularly wash and hang it all on a clothes horse on the balcony, we don’t have an iron here.
Don’t think we look too bad

Many people go away for 2 week holidays and manage to wear clothes more than once ..I always pack too much and bring unworn clothes home
Unless you are sightseeing in a coal mine you will not need to have clean clothes every day ( except underwear of course )

I dont iron at home so I certainly wouldn’t on holiday !

This!

I find if I don't tumble, then clothes do need ironing more, BUT on holiday I think it's less crucial to be immaculate when you're sightseeing and also body heat (and the steam/shower trick) will help the creases drop out. No one's going to judge you!

You are overfilling the washing machine if things are coming out creased.

Try putting less in and using a lower spin. If you take stuff out straight away and hang it up to dry then you shouldn't need to iron anything.

You are overfilling the washing machine if things are coming out creased
yes to this ^^

I also agree that you might not need to wash as much as you think you will. When we go away for 2 weeks I plan my wardrobe so that I can wear the same 'going out' items twice. I'd often not need to wash them after just one wear as they'd only really be on my body for a matter of hours. I just hang them up to air after the first wear. The things I wash when we're away tend to be things that won't need to be ironed anyway such as underwear, tshirts, sun dresses that sort of thing. Don't over load the machine. A good shake out when taking out of the machine and shape so that they're hanging properly to dry. When dry (and stuff will dry in no time when you're abroad!) just smooth out on a flat surface (table or bed) and fold, there's never any creases to worry about.

Just get on with the washing and a bit of ironing! Unless your case is big enough for an enormous amount of clothing, of course. We always use the washing and drying facilities in US hotels. It's a blessing, we have very little laundry to do when we get home.

I have a fab hand steamer which I take away with me, works wonders especially if you do as PP have said and take the clothes straight out of the machine and hang dry them. So much quicker and easier than ironing.

One year (we were camping and running out of clothes and it was on-off raining so drying was a problem) DH took a big blue ikea bag of washing to the local launderette for a service wash. Was probably 3-4 loads worth. Dropped off in the morning. Picked up in the late afternoon. Cost about £30 for it to be washed, dried, folded.

Bliss.

On self-catering-with-washing-machine I just tend to do small loads every day or so. Dry on the airer. Fold. Re-use. Creases? Meh? Who cares? If people are going to judge me for creases they can FOTHFSOF.

Now, we use this trick for the post-holiday washing mountain (the launderette service wash, not the fucking off to the far side of fuck...)

I hate bringing home large amounts of washing so I always do washing on holiday. I don’t think I’ve ever ironed (or worried about ironing) on holiday either - clothes will get crumpled when worn out and about anyway. I might for a proper swanky dinner or something but if your accommodation comes with a washing machine it’ll probably have an iron.

I wonder if I am overfilling the machine and if the spin is too high. The t shirt in the attached pic came out of the wash today and was hung on the line to dry straight away. There's no way I would wear it without ironing, do I have ridiculously high standards? It just looks creased to me!

Hang or lay flat strategically and take straight out of the machine as soon as it stops. Spin on 1000rpm only.

Take NOTHING linen (unless t-shirts with linen in them as they are the exception to the rule).

You need never iron again.

I haven't ironed since 2003 and always look ok!

You are welcome!

Oh and if DH wants ironing - tell him to help himself!

X post Spinderella- my machine is on a 1200 spin.

DH does all the cooking in our house... I'd much rather iron twice a week than cook 5 or 6 nights a week!

That T-shirt looks fine to me

I never ever iron
Take everything out the washing machine when it's finished. Shake it (like a proper good snap type shake) and I hang a lot of stuff up straight away to dry on hangers

We all travel super light -only ever take a cabin bag (though not always true of the return trip!).
I love washing, find it effortless and rather satisfying (sad I know) also can’t bear lugging dirty clothes around the world
Hang everything correctly and on hangers and clothes look fine.

It would take about 3 minutes max to iron that tee shirt, so I cannot honestly see what your problem is.

😁. Turn the spin down to 1000rpm if it's an option.

I dry t shirts that have a higher tendency to crease flat if possible, pulling them flat with no wrinkles (that will be a crease when dry). Fold the arms in following the seem. Also, before you lay flat give a shake gently and re-shape.