The easiest way to do laundry while traveling is to wash small things in the sink every night or two and use a washer about once a week for everything else. Pack detergent sheets instead of liquid. They weigh next to nothing, they can't leak, and airport security doesn't count them as a liquid. Allow about 2 sheets per machine load and 1 per sink wash.
With that routine you only pack about a week of clothes, for five days away or five weeks, and you never hit day five with a suitcase full of dirty clothes and no plan.
Why sheets beat liquid detergent for travel
Travel-size bottles of liquid detergent leak in pressurized cabins and count toward the TSA liquids limit in carry-on bags (3.4 ounces, or 100 ml, per container, all in one quart-size bag). Sheets are dry, so the liquids rule doesn't apply to them, and they weigh almost nothing.
A bottle of detergent also takes suitcase space you'd sooner use for another outfit or a souvenir. And single-use plastic bottles often end up in landfills, or in the places we travel to see.
Jessica wrote in her review: "I travel a lot and these are perfect for taking with me! They dont weigh a lot and arent liquid so I dont have to worry about a) TSA guidlines and b) about liquids spilling in my luggage." Lara travels for work: "the sheets are light and tuck into my suitcase easily."
A pack of 60 HeySunday laundry detergent sheets is $15 on a monthly subscription, or 25¢ a sheet, so a week's supply for a trip costs under $2. They work in whatever washer the rental or laundromat has, HE machines included, and in a cold sink. If you travel a lot and wash less at home, deliveries can be set to every 60 or 90 days.
How many detergent sheets to pack
Count the machine loads and sink washes you expect, then add a couple of spares. A medium machine load takes 2 sheets, a small load takes 1 and a large load takes 3, plus 1 extra if it's heavily soiled. A sink of hand washing takes 1.
| Trip length | Typical washing | Sheets to pack |
|---|---|---|
| Weekend | 1 sink wash, just in case | 2 |
| 1 week | 1 medium machine load and 3 sink washes | 6 to 7 |
| 2 weeks | 2 medium machine loads and 5 sink washes | 10 to 12 |
| 1 month | 4 medium machine loads and 8 sink washes | 18 to 20 |
Tear off what you need and tuck them into a small zip bag or the side pocket of your suitcase. Keep them dry. Damp hands or a wet toiletry bag will start to dissolve them.
How to wash clothes in a sink while traveling
Sink washing works best for underwear, socks, t-shirts and quick-dry gear. Save jeans and heavy sweaters for a machine.
- Give the sink a quick rinse and plug it. If the plug doesn't seal, a flat rubber sink stopper fixes that.
- Fill it with warm water and swish 1 sheet around until it dissolves. Tearing it into a few pieces helps in cool hotel water.
- Add the clothes, push them under, then squeeze and swish for 2 or 3 minutes, paying attention to collars, underarms and socks.
- Leave sweaty or grubby items to soak for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Drain, refill with clean water and squeeze the clothes again. Repeat until the water stays clear and no suds come out.
- Gently squeeze the water out. Don't wring, since twisting stretches fabric.
- Lay each item on a dry towel, roll it up tightly and press or stand on the roll. It gets out much more water than squeezing, and the clothes dry overnight.
Our full guide on how to hand wash clothes has more detail for delicates.
Where to find a washer on the road
- If you're booking a vacation rental, filter for a washer, and a dryer if the weather's damp. One rental with a machine in the middle of a long trip resets your whole suitcase.
- Extended-stay and apartment-style hotels often have guest laundry rooms. Regular hotel laundry service works but is usually priced per item.
- In urban areas and tourist destinations, self-service laundromats are often close by. According to Statista, there are over 29,500 laundromats in the United States alone. Bring your own sheets so you don't have to buy single-use boxes of detergent from the machine, and see our guide to doing laundry at a laundromat.
- Many tourist areas have drop-off laundry services where you can leave your clothes in the morning and pick them up clean and folded later that day.
How to dry clothes in a hotel room
Roll every item in a towel as in the steps above, then hang things with space around them. A travel clothesline with suction cups or hooks fits across a shower or between two chairs, and hotel hangers on the curtain rail work too. Hang them near a fan, an air conditioning vent or an open window, not in a closed bathroom.
If you wash in the evening, most thin fabrics are dry by morning. Thick socks and cotton t-shirts may need a second night or an hour on a sunny balcony.
Clothes that make travel laundry easier
Merino wool resists odor, so a merino t-shirt can be worn a few times between washes. Polyester and nylon blends dry fast after a sink wash, and wrinkle-resistant fabrics look fine straight off the line. If you pick a small color palette, everything mixes and matches and you need fewer pieces overall. Our family vacation packing list covers the rest of the suitcase.
Keep clean and dirty clothes apart
Packing cubes keep the suitcase tidy, and one spare cube or a waterproof bag can be the dirty laundry bag. Carry a wet bag too, for swimsuits and anything that isn't quite dry on travel day. On a long trip, pick a laundry day halfway through and plan it near a laundromat or your rental with a washer.
A small travel laundry kit
- Detergent sheets in a zip bag, counted for the trip
- A flat rubber sink stopper
- A travel clothesline and 2 or 3 clips
- A stain pen for spills on the go
- A mesh bag for delicates if you'll use machines
- A wet bag or spare packing cube for dirty clothes
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to wash clothes while traveling?
Little and often: hand wash small items in the sink every night or two, and use a washer about once a week. With no sink, for example when camping, put the clothes, a few liters of water and a torn-up detergent sheet in a dry bag, seal it and knead it for a few minutes. Leave No Trace guidance is to pour wash water out at least 200 feet from lakes and streams.
How do you wash clothes in a sink while traveling?
Dissolve 1 detergent sheet in a sink of warm water, wash the clothes for 2 or 3 minutes and rinse until no suds come out. If the sink is tiny or won't hold water, run a few inches of water in the bathtub. Bulkier things like a hoodie get room to move there.
How many laundry detergent sheets should I pack for a trip?
6 or 7 for a one-week trip. On longer trips, plan on about 5 sheets a week plus a couple of spares: 2 for the weekly machine load and the rest for sink washes.
Can you take laundry detergent sheets on a plane?
Yes, in a carry-on or a checked bag. Most airports outside the US use a similar 100 ml liquids rule, and dry sheets fall outside it there too, so there's no need to repack them for international flights.
How do you dry clothes quickly in a hotel room?
Roll each item in a dry towel first, then hang it near a fan or air conditioning vent. For socks, collars and waistbands that are still damp in the morning, a few minutes with the hotel hair dryer finishes them off.
