hotel cyclists laundry list?

[AngryScientist]

planning a trip next week where i hope to ride nearly every day for around 2 weeks.

wondering the best method for washing a few kits in the hotel bathroom.

i've been down the road of using hotel shampoo to wash my kit out in the tub - but wondering if there is something else better i should be packing, detergent that rinses out easily, but works?


tips and tricks?

[GOTHBROOKS]

woolite in the sink.

[johnmdesigner]

Use a tiny bit of All Free and clear. It rinses out easily.
Go to a .99 cent store and buy one of those plastic washpans that will fit in the tub. Less water and less soap.
Take some plastic hangers with you and a piece of light rope. You might have to make your own clothesline.
Or just find a local laundry like I usually do. Put your clothes in a delicate washbag. Can beer in paper bag while you wait.

[icepick_trotsky]

I washed all of my clothes in a bathroom sink in Prague for four months on a study abroad program with a bar of Zote. Great stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/Zote-Laundry-Soap-Bar-Pink/dp/B0045DYL8U?th=1

[rain dogs]

Wear ultralight merino (90-100%) - you can wash it much, much less frequently, no, it's not gross, yes I'm serious, and yes, it's a huge advantage and you don't stink.

If you go that route - buy kookaburra wool wash, it's the best. It's concentrated so you can bring very little, and it doesn't need to be rinsed so you don't have to spend extra time with it.

We literally fill the sink, put in a few drops, agitate the water a little, drop the stuff in, freshen up ourselves, coma back and squeeze out the water, hang to dry, go eat.

Couldn't be easier. Depending on your level of "that grosses me out" and sweat, you literally can go a week between washes.

[fiamme red]

I heard that Tide pods are on sale now, since the fad of teens eating them has passed. ;)

Seriously, I put Ivory Snow in a Hammer Gel flask. Just a couple of drops is enough to wash shorts, socks, and jersey in the sink each night. The trick is getting it dry by the morning. That's what Shimano exposed STI cables are for. :)

[eddief]

https://www.target.com/p/dr-bronner-s-pure-castile-soap-peppermint-16-oz/-/A-10770141?sid=2804S&ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Health+Beauty+Shopping_Local&adgroup=SC_Health+Beauty&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9032306&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzIzWBRDnARIsAAkc8hGcunwUFlVIZuGjyz6y 7qA0l4UB9GB9GtW5vkK3SacPg-gWZUGhxIQaAj2kEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.amazon.com/FLEXO-LINE-Campers-Boaters-Travelers-Clothesline/dp/B071WKKZ5T

If you get a Flexo line I suggest you add your own long piece of extra line tied to end that way if the loops don't reach where you want to hang it, the extra line will enable you to wrap around shower heads, towels bars, door handles, etc.

[eddief]

wring out everything as best you can in the sink or tub. Then roll the clothes in the biggest towel you can find. Then stand on it hard to squeeze the most water out you can. Got more towels? Do it again.

[AngryScientist]

good tips guys.

i plan on bringing at least three sets of kit, so the drying time should be OK.

[R3awak3n]

When I go down to NYC from upstate I bring 2 kits and detergent. The place I stay at does not have a washing machine so I hand wash the kit and hang it dry. Next day I wear the other one and do the same and the following day the 1st kit is dry. Rapha classic usually. I have wanted to try the rapha brevet kit, apparently dries even faster.

Where are you going? :banana:

[AngryScientist]

Where are you going? :banana:

plan under constant development.

Day one: Joshua Tree Nat Park.

[R3awak3n]

plan under constant development.

Day one: Joshua Tree Nat Park.

:hello:

[ptourkin]

Dr. Bronners.

Check the wind forecast daily if you're headed to Jtree.

[zennmotion]

This is my life 30-40% of the year as I travel internationally for work sometimes with bike clothes, I need to pack light and I've had multiple bad experiences with hotel laundry (expensive jersey NOT left in intended laundry pile- washed then treated with a hot iron???)

Anyway, yeah- woolite/dark (high efficiency/he) carried in a leakproof bottle, because it will ruin clothing if it breaks open in your bag, I keep it inside a freezer ziplock bag just in case the top comes loose. Go to the hardware store and buy a rubber stopper/flat drain plug because many bathroom sinks just don't hold water long- if the stopper doesn't work you can also jam a dirty sock in there to give you a few minutes to soak. Use minimum detergent to keep rinsing easy, I just rub a little with my finger into key dirty zones (chamois areas, jersey arm pits, dirt stripe on lower back areas) rather than mix directly with water, so what's dirty gets treated. I always travel with a spool of cord long enough that I can hang clothes across the room tied to door hinges, curtain rods etc- stuff doesn't dry as quickly in small bathrooms- put the don't disturb sign out if you're concerned about housekeeping getting upset. Hanging the line near the HVAC vents will help with quick drying, just a few hours is usually sufficient, your stuff will dry very quickly even if still a little damp when you put it on the next day. If the weather is consistent from day to day, you should only need 2 sets of kit, 3 max, a quick rinse with a little woolite at the end of each day should be fine- not perfect but clean enough to wear the next day without smell or discomfort. Without woolite, I've just used bar soap on key areas, you can even wear your kit into the shower. Don't use hotel shampoo, it's too sudsy, takes forever to rinse and doesn't work very well.

[zennmotion]

Dr. Bronners.

Check the wind forecast daily if you're headed to Jtree.

Sorry, but no on Bonners- it takes forever to rinse in my experience. Use what you probably already have- Woolite Dark- high efficiency, better living through chemistry.

[makoti]

wring out everything as best you can in the sink or tub. Then roll the clothes in the biggest towel you can find. Then stand on it hard to squeeze the most water out you can. Got more towels? Do it again.

Best trick I ever learned.

[bigbill]

When I'd credit card tour, I'd take two pair of shorts. When I'd arrive at the hotel, I'd wear my kit into the shower, took it off and washed it with Woolite while standing in the shower. I'd use the rolled towel trick to get as much water out as possible, but my shorts were usually still damp the next morning, hence the second pair. I'd wear the same jersey every day. I used a rack bag and would bungee to hold the damp shorts on the outside so they could dry.

[GonaSovereign]

wring out everything as best you can in the sink or tub. Then roll the clothes in the biggest towel you can find. Then stand on it hard to squeeze the most water out you can. Got more towels? Do it again.

Wash in the sink and then this.

[dem]

Unless you're camping, nearly every hotel will have a washing machine if you're willing to splurge on $1 of quarters. That's my preferred route.

As long as you have 2 kits to rotate through. It definitely takes more than overnight to dry a thick chamois completely, even doing the towel-squish-rollup method. :)

I spent over a month on the road with bicycle+motorcycle, rarely staying more than 1 night any where.

[charliedid]

This

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KF4HYPK/ref=psdc_15342931_t3_B001W93UWS

And yes to the towel method.

[ripvanrando]

Two extremes.....

1. Bring quarters, appropriate detergent, and 4 older kits. Washer and dry every 4 days.

or

2. Bring one kit and wear it for straight 15 days

I find the whole sink, squeezing in the towel, and hanging a PITA but....

[Jere]

planning a trip next week where i hope to ride nearly every day for around 2 weeks.

wondering the best method for washing a few kits in the hotel bathroom.

i've been down the road of using hotel shampoo to wash my kit out in the tub - but wondering if there is something else better i should be packing, detergent that rinses out easily, but works?


tips and tricks?


Hi

I rode cross country twice the sink thing gets old and riding in damp clothes every day sucks.
Use the hotel wash machines and buy new kits next year because of the abuse.
Light cycle washer and low heat on the dryer we also used those landery bags to keep everyone’s stuff together.
100 plus miles days , bike clean up , bar time “ washing should be very low on the list “

JB

[lzuk]

A little calgon and a drip of dawn dish soap works good.

[rccardr]

Scrubba wash bag, All Free & Clear, three kits, towel trick, small 120 volt fan to blow on them hanging overnight if you're in a humid place, or hang them on the back of a chair by the AC vent.

If you're in the Joshua Tree area, everything dries overnight. Or faster. Just spent two weeks biking out in that area and my clothes were gritty from salt (perspiration), hence the scrubba to get everything out