DIY laundry suggestions

[Hoyaheel]

Yes, these days there are MANY places that sell bottles of all sorts of sizes. Amazon has pretty much everything. I really love Muji for all sorts of fun stuff, but including bottles & cases. Container Store. Minimus.biz.

 

I love go-toobs but they are so bulky for a ziploc bag - I usually only bring those if I'm checking a bag....

Edited July 16, 2014 by Hoyaheel

[Homosassa]

If you don't mind doing some shopping for your cruise, check out clothing for fishing and camping (Salt Life, Reel Legends," and Columbia are some brands).

The clothing is light weight and is made to hand wash and drip dry. It will dry quickly.

 

The men's collared shirts are nice enough to wear to the dining room and some have the options for the sleeves to be worn long or rolled up and tabbed up for short sleeve wear.

 

The shorts are cargo style and the long pants have a zip off lower leg section to convert to shorts. Again the long pants would be acceptable for wear to the main dining room on all night but formal night.

 

The clothes will roll up and compressed for packing and will release any wrinkles when hung up.

 

Because the clothes wash and dry so easily (wrinkle free), you can bring a lot less if you plan on doing a simple hand wash when needed.

 

There is also a woman's line of the same type of clothing.

 

I recently went on a land based vacation where our luggage space was extremely limited. My husband and I each made it through with two pairs of shorts, a pair of the convertible long pants, and three of the shirts. I bought along an eight oz bottle of liquid laundry detergent and it was more than enough for our nine day trip.

 

I also hand washed my underwear and my husbands socks. I drew the line at his underwear. :eek:

 

To make sure the bottle of detergent didn't leak, I use a double layer of plastic wrap as a seal under the cap (put a square of the wrap over the bottle top and then screw the top down) and placed the bottle in a zip lock baggie.

[Cattie]

I fill a small 2oz bottle from my big bottle of Woolite from home. I hate packing 20 bathing suits, so I pack 2 maybe 3 then rinse them out during the week to 10 day cruise we're on. And it always works well if my husband decides to spill something on his shirt at dinner. I tend to get him the polo shirts that are the quick dry material or moisture quick I think it's called (same material as a soccer jersey) keeps him cooler in warm climates but still looks nice.

 

I will have to pack a few bigger ziplocs this time, never thought of that!

[SchoolNurseMom]

Thanks for the ideas! I want to go with less packing on my next cruise. My suitcase was so heavy last time that I could've pulled my shoulder out of joint by rolling it! I've got to cut some things out this time!

[JanineM]

My sister gave me a box of the detergent sheets that she bought in Canada from the Girl Guides or some other group. She cruises a lot, for many nights & is the cheapest person in the world (she's my sister, so I can say this ;) ). She cuts the sheets into 6 - using one in a sink full of water. I normally carry the Tide sink-sized sachets but will try the sheets on our next cruise. I normally will wash workout gear & other quick drying stuff in the sink.

[t60]

No one mentioned using the hair dryer to speed drying, esp if you´re dealing with spot type washing

 

Sandy in Spain

[dancinman66]

Learning lots I've never known

How do the sheets work please

Have seen them but never used one

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Hoyaheel]

How do the sheets work please

 

They dissolve in the water and poof you have soap!

Edited July 20, 2014 by Hoyaheel

[SadieN]

Learning lots I've never known

How do the sheets work please

Have seen them but never used one

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

There are two types of laundry soap sheets.

 

One type is packaged in a puny container and fully dissolves in water. Just like some mints are/were leaves.

http://www.magellans.com/laundry-soap-sheets

 

The other type (such as the type that was cut into sixths) is a sheet slighlty larger than a regular sized dryer sheet. Purex used to have them in the States.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Purex-Complete-3-In-1-Spring-Oasis-Laundry-Sheets-22ct/16419328

They are very hard to find these days. They had a problem with the sheet getting stuck in the washing machine drainage pipe. The lines I sail on have small machines available for pax. I use half a sheet inside a laundry bag.

I've never used them for hand washing but I don't see a reason why it couldn't be done.

Edited July 20, 2014 by SadieN

[Shak]

Look carefully at the washing instructions on your clothing about the use of fabric softeners. Many of the quick drying or wicking fabrics advise against using them because the chemicals in them can reduce the wicking and breathability of the item.

 

Shak

[Kamloops50]

I always pack 2 plastic hangers and 2 pant clip hangers that I get from Sears for the asking, or my other clothing supply places. They are light, waterproof and ideal for hanging stuff to dry.

 

I use the shampoo supplied in the staterooms. I don't want to waste my liquid allowance on woolite. The shampoo takes most grime, food stains, etc out. Apply to spot, rub a little. Rinse well, done.

 

Squeeze out the last rinse water and roll up and squeeze in a towel. Hang on hanger and let dry.

 

I buy clothes with prints on the tops to hide most minor issues and for my solid tops I rely on scarves as bibs or camoflage if the bib thing failed to intercept the salad dress or soup drips.

 

I rely on a lot of semi synthetic blend knits so wrinkles aren't a problem and they breathe well, are light for packing and dry quicker than natural fibers.

[islandgirlejfan]

I use the laundry soap sheets that another poster posted and she is right with saying you don't need to see suds. I also take a small amount of Dawn for any greasy spots and a tiny bit of Fels Naptha off my bar. I feel your pain with getting stuff on you! I tend to get stuff on myself too....it's rough carrying around a size D tray :p all of the time! Since we pack in a carry on (much easier in so many ways!!), I have my outfits planned out and I'm usually only treating my items for washing once return home, but I do wash out my lingerie. I have been investing in some travel knit clothing as we eventually want to go back to Europe and it will allow me to pack more. Celebrity doesn't have clotheslines on their S-class ships, so I bought these http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000066RUK/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 to solve the issue. I also have pins I took when we camped for the clothesline that I take as long as I know the ship has a clothesline.

[Bowie MeMe]

Ok I admit it I dribble better than almost anybody. I also wear a pendant on a chain that ALWAYS tries out the salad dressing before I taste it!:D

 

Greasy food stains on bright colored shirts are just the pits. I use DAWN dishwashing liquid (blue or Palmolive green) and it works like a wonder. Prespot with liquid and then wash as usual. Clorox bleach pen for whites. For laundry in hotel or ship coin ops I carry 3-1-1 sheets by Purell. Hard to find now but available on-line from Amazon. I add Shout color catcher sheets since usually have to throw all in one washer (or wait for 2 loads not happening!).

 

My best laundry story of oh so many. Had a bathtub on a river cruise and no laundry machines. Put all the clothes in the bathtub and channeled Lucille Ball's wine stomping self and just danced and pranced in the bathtub with my feet to wash changed water then again to rinse and then wrung out and hung to dry! Worked. Laundry machine is better. I also have used the zip lock bag for undies that works too.

[brucelegs]

We brought this on our last 9-day - worked really well - the Scrubba wash bag I joined the kickstarter campaign and got mine, but now it is available from both the website and even amazon. It really was like a portable washing machine - my husband was a bit susceptible, but is now a believer.

 

http://www.thescrubba.com/

[monkeyinhat]

I do about what everyone else does. travelsmith.com has some mens fast dry boxers I bought for hubs and I take some light fabrics and things I can hand wash .

 

my grandmother told me a long time ago to use shampoo to get grease stains out and it definitely works on alfredo sauce. I have tested it many times.

 

I roll up the wet clothes in a town and walk on it a few times and get all the water out I can.

 

I use the cabin's clip hangers to dry with

[pcur]

We were on a 55 day trip this last Spring, and on HAL for 28 days. I got pretty good at the DIY laundry thing.

 

I'm also one that uses shampoo for laundry detergent. It works just as well as anything else, and it doesn't leave as much of a cloying smell, either.

 

The gallon size plastic bags are a good idea, but rinse them and turn them inside out to dry between uses if you are going to use them multiple times.

 

Go to the Dollar Store and buy a bag of 10 - 12 binder clips. These are great for clipping your damp clothes to just about anything to dry.

 

The best places to dry clothes in a non-balcony cabin are a hanger from the air vent on the ceiling, and the bottom rack of the closet nearest the door. These two places that get the most airflow. I put a towel on the floor and hang things that I don't need to wear for a day or two. The ceiling air vent is great for undies.

 

In a balcony cabin, I clip everything to the chairs outside OVERNIGHT. Ship's go a little faster at night, so there's more air flow. Clip them well, so they won't blow off. I hang garments on a hanger, too, put the top of the hanger over the back of the chair, and then clip it to the chair. Get the chairs as close to the railing as you can to catch as much of the air flow as possible.

Edited September 14, 2014 by pcur

[MinotLight]

We brought this on our last 9-day - worked really well - the Scrubba wash bag I joined the kickstarter campaign and got mine, but now it is available from both the website and even amazon. It really was like a portable washing machine - my husband was a bit susceptible, but is now a believer.

 

http://www.thescrubba.com/

 

That's really cool but a bit pricey. Maybe one of those cheap plastic soap saver dishes with the bumps and a zip lock bag would be an inexpensive alternative.

 

I'm considering taking old undies and PJs that I can discard and have more room for souvenirs for the trip home.:D