how to wash garments on the road

Washing While You Wander

how to wash garments while you wander[trip style = any]

Ziploc bags have a ton of uses for travel, namely holding 3floz liquids in our carry-ons. But, there's one more use and it's going to blow your mind: the Ziploc as an on-the-go washing machine. Genius, right? Read on for the step-by-step video tutorial.

Whether you pack the entire kitchen sink, or as light as a feather, chances are that you'll have to do a smidgen of laundry while away. Some hotels even anticipate this, like the Ritz Carlton Kapalua. They include little packets of Woolite in each room for guests to do tiny batches of laundry during their stay.

Up until recently, I've been a faithful user of my bathroom sink to wash small garments during longer trips, or when I need to clean a spill. My tried-and-tested experience: the sink and my washing skills are only so effective {read: I'm not good at hand-washing}. Being the travel nerd that I am, I've devised a way to wash most of my clothes---jeans are another story---while satisfying my wanderlust. It involves a gallon-sized Ziploc freezer bag---the kind with a double-lock---water and detergent.

Trip Styler Tip: Bring individually-sized packets of detergent for DIY travel cleaning. If you forget to pop one into your bag, shower gel works in a pinch.

Here's a 15-second video of the whole thing and the not-so-dirty details: 1/ fill the freezer bag a quarter full of water & add a dash of detergent 2/ toss in your garment & lock the bag 3/ shake it like you mean it for 30 seconds 4/ rinse garment {& Ziploc} out 5/ hang garment to dry {& flip the Zip inside-out to dry for the next DIY wash} ---> Voila, clean clothes without prune hands!

Another Trip Styler Tip :: The trusty Ziploc does double-duty if you travel home with a wet bathing suit!

More Trip Styler Tips A Travel Sleep-Saver {The best travel investment you'll ever make} Travel Tech :: Selfies Made Simple Trip Styler Tutorial :: Jet Lag

[photo and video by @tripstyler]