Washing clothes on CP

[coco27]

Hi everyone,
I leave for my Camino in a few short weeks and am trying to figure out what the washing machine situation is. I will be traveling on the CP from Porto and hoping to take the coastal and spiritual routes. Basically, I am curious if machines are pretty abundant in the albergues? Or do i need to plan out my washing days ahead of time? Is liquid or powder detergent preferred?

Thank you

 

[Pilgrim9]

I find laundromats by using search string "laundr" in Google Maps, OsmAnd, etc.

 

[Bill905]

On my Caminos, some of the albergues I stayed in did our laundry for us for a very reasonable price, usually 3 to 5 Euros. It's sort of like quality control ... they know their machines best. Besides, it's nice to receive your laundry washed, dried, and folded! Tip: combine your laundry with other pilgrims to share costs.

 

[Tincatinker]

Tip: combine your laundry with other pilgrims to share costs.

I shared a pleasant evening after a rainy day with a party of ladies from Germany in an Hostal somewhere in the wilds of Eastern Galicia. The proprietor, a lovely lady, insisted we all bring our "ropa" to be dealt with. After we had had a good supper and a few beers we were still sat around the dining table, as you do, when she appeared with all our clean and dry clothing heaped in one of those plastic lattice work tubs. The German ladies pounced. Their was much laughter as they sorted and compared the various socks, shirts and undergarments. Periodically one would turn to me clutching a something-or-other "Deine?" There was one enormous pair of under-pants that I could not in all honesty claim. The room went silent for a moment, and then the laughter got louder than ever.

 

[OZAJ]

I have always washed my clothes by hand.

 

[Roland49]

Hi everyone,
I leave for my Camino in a few short weeks and am trying to figure out what the washing machine situation is. I will be traveling on the CP from Porto and hoping to take the coastal and spiritual routes. Basically, I am curious if machines are pretty abundant in the albergues? Or do i need to plan out my washing days ahead of time? Is liquid or powder detergent preferred?

Thank you

My stays were:
Vila do Conde, Albergue Santa Clara: handwash
Esposende, Albergue Sleep&Go: handwash
Viana do Castelo, Albergue Sao Joao: handwash
Seixas, Albergue Sao Bento: handwash
Tui, Albergue Pallanes: handwash (machine available)
Redondela, Albergue Santiago de Vilavella: machinewash (Laundromat @ Auga & Xabón)
A Cancela, Albergue Portela: handwash
Valga, Albergue de Peregrinos de o Pino: handwash
Milladoiro, Albergue Miladoiro: handwash
SdC, Rooms A Bar Campaña: machinewash @ Lavandaria da Troia

Conclusion: machines are not as common as on the frances. Many private Albergue do offer that service, most that I used last year don't.

 

[trecile]

Plan on hand washing daily, and using machines every few days.

You might be interested in the method that I use to hand wash my clothes:

I use the same washing method whether I'm in an albergue or a room with a private bath.

Here's my method:

I use a ultralight 12 liter Osprey dry bag (weighs 1.2 oz/34 gm) as my portable washing machine.

I put my clothes in it as I'm getting into the shower with water from the shower as it's warming up. Then I add half of a laundry detergent sheet (some brands are Breezeo and Tru Earth)
Then I seal it up and give it a few shakes. I set it aside for everything to soak while I shower and dress.
Then I shake it a bit more to agitate the clothes in the bag before dumping it out in the laundry sink and rinsing. If I'm in a private room with my own bathroom I use the tub or shower. The detergent sheets don't make a lot of suds, but get the clothes clean and it's easy to rinse out.

It's a good idea to rinse out your socks before putting them in the bag as they can be really dirty.

After wringing the clothes out as best I can I wrap them in my towel and twist it to get out more water before hanging them to dry.

Because of the long soaking time method gets my clothes cleaner with less effort than when I used just the laundry sinks or tubs.

 

[TashH]

I walked from Porto this time last year. At the start, I hand washed my clothes every day but to be honest that got a bit tedious. Every 3-4 days, if the albergue had a washing machine, I would use it. Every machine I used had its own washing powder/liquid as part of the cycle and it made my clothes small beautiful. Clothes spun in the washing machine also dry a whole lot faster!

 

[SueFalls]

Bring detergent sheets to use. So much easier and lighter. I found Earth Breeze on Amazon. I hand washed in the sink and found a laundromat every few days.

 

[Isanz]

Hi everyone,
I leave for my Camino in a few short weeks and am trying to figure out what the washing machine situation is. I will be traveling on the CP from Porto and hoping to take the coastal and spiritual routes. Basically, I am curious if machines are pretty abundant in the albergues? Or do i need to plan out my washing days ahead of time? Is liquid or powder detergent preferred?

Thank you

We are currently partway through the Camino Frances. We are just handwashing every day as there have been very few washing machines, but it’s not a problem. We have brought washing sheets which are really thin and paper like, rather than carrying washing detergent. They are amazing for weight and work well. Additionally we have also brought a little Pegless clothesline that’s just a little Elastic coil with a hook on each end, and we have found it very valuable on a number of occasions where there hadn’t been good drying or a close line available

 

[Jarrad]

My stays were:
Vila do Conde, Albergue Santa Clara: handwash
Esposende, Albergue Sleep&Go: handwash
Viana do Castelo, Albergue Sao Joao: handwash
Seixas, Albergue Sao Bento: handwash
Tui, Albergue Pallanes: handwash (machine available)
Redondela, Albergue Santiago de Vilavella: machinewash (Laundromat @ Auga & Xabón)
A Cancela, Albergue Portela: handwash
Valga, Albergue de Peregrinos de o Pino: handwash
Milladoiro, Albergue Miladoiro: handwash
SdC, Rooms A Bar Campaña: machinewash @ Lavandaria da Troia

Conclusion: machines are not as common as on the frances. Many private Albergue do offer that service, most that I used last year don't.

OK, that is some unusual and impressive record keeping.

 

[gml]

In October 2022 on the CP, I had to use laundromats because it rained every day between Porto and Santiago and handwashed clothes often didn't dry overnight. I just asked around, and people were happy to steer me in the right direction. I recommend taking your own detergent if you don't like or are sensitive to VERY over-fragranced detergents.

 

[howardd5]

Hi everyone,
I leave for my Camino in a few short weeks and am trying to figure out what the washing machine situation is. I will be traveling on the CP from Porto and hoping to take the coastal and spiritual routes. Basically, I am curious if machines are pretty abundant in the albergues? Or do i need to plan out my washing days ahead of time? Is liquid or powder detergent preferred?

Thank you

I like liquid in a tightly capped squeeze bottle . It only take a dozen drops to hand wash. 3 to 4 ounces is enough for 3 weeks . You can alway buy more and leave the balance for other pilgrims

 

[JerryStroebele]

I carry a one or two ounce nalgene bottle of powdered Tide. You wouldn't believe how very few sprinkles of soap it takes to wash your shirt, underwear and socks. Now I am going to add Trecile's shower bag system to my daily routine. Buen Camino

 

[Roland49]

OK, that is some unusual and impressive record keeping.

Didn't you write a diary while on a Camino?

I wrote less on my CF in 2019 and wanted to do this error not again, so even the most mundane tasks went into the diary.

 

[Jodean]

I hand-wash almost every day, using my shampoo. There were washers in a few places and I took advantage of them when they were there and not too expensive, like in Tui, O Porrino, Redondela, Ponte Vedra, or in Millardoiro. They always have their own detergent. You do not need to bring this with you. Share a washer if possible.

 

[pjacobi]

Practice at home washing out a shirt in the sink. Find out for yourself which type of soap work best for you. Note the different drying time of clothing items made of different materials. Avoid cotton clothes which take the longest to dry.

Don't wait until Spain to try this out!


-Paul

 

[Jodean]

All of my blouses are cotton and they dry in a jiffy. Blouses are different than t-shirts, which do take a long time to dry.
It does make sense to learn how to wash your clothing though, and see how long it takes to dry. I have seen people attack their clothes as though they had been working in a coal mine and had to get all the filth out, when in reality you are only washing away some sweat, or possibly mud on your pants.

 

[pjacobi]

Please google "cotton kills" for why you should avoid cotton.


-Paul

 

[Jodean]

Well, have walked 6 Caminos and wearing cotton blouses hasn't killed me yet. They work for me. If they don't work for you, don't wear them.

 

[trecile]

It does make sense to learn how to wash your clothing though, and see how long it takes to dry. I have seen people attack their clothes as though they had been working in a coal mine and had to get all the filth out, when in reality you are only washing away some sweat, or possibly mud on your pants.

I have also seen people hanging up clothes that are dripping wet on the clothesline without making much effort to remove as much water as possible first. I always squeeze as much as I can, then I lay the clothes on my quick dry towel, roll it up and give it a few twists. The towel absorbs a lot of the moisture.

 

[OldWisePilgrim]

You can have your own “portable washing machine” by using a very large ziploc bag (order online), filling it with water and detergent powder, and then moving it back and forth quickly to agitate the clothes. Then empty and fill with plain water to rinse. I haven’t patented this idea yet…..and I haven’t invented a “portable” dryer.

 

[trecile]

You can have your own “portable washing machine” by using a very large ziploc bag (order online), filling it with water and detergent powder, and then moving it back and forth quickly to agitate the clothes. Then empty and fill with plain water to rinse. I haven’t patented this idea yet…..and I haven’t invented a “portable” dryer.

Yes, that's how I use my dry bag. There is actually a product called a Scrubba specially made to wash clothes, but it's really a glorified dry bag, and is heavier and ore expensive than my dry bag or zip lock bag.

 

[Loman]

I will be reluctant to use laundry services on my first CF starting in just 2 weeks time. Pretty much everything except the hiking pants is merino wool and needs to be washed on a cool delicate cycle. Otherwise I might suddenly find things are two sizes too small. I’m afraid I don’t trust anybody else to reliably keep to that regime for me so I will wash daily myself.

I am another proponent of laundry detergent in sheet form and I plan to use a dry bag as a washing machine.

One novel wrinkle is that I am thinking of standing under the shower still wearing everything I want to wash and soap up over the wet clothes. Then I will disrobe, putting the soapy wet clothes into an empty ’dry bag’ with a laundry detergent leaf already in there and top up with shower water. After finishing my shower, I will dress from a second dry bag containing clothes washed the previous day and rinse/dry the clothes in the normal way. I am hoping for small savings in time and detergent while getting a more thorough wash. It may be a crazy idea but, if so, I expect to told so very quickly and very directly in this forum. Flame suit on!

 

[LesR]

Hi everyone,
I leave for my Camino in a few short weeks and am trying to figure out what the washing machine situation is. I will be traveling on the CP from Porto and hoping to take the coastal and spiritual routes. Basically, I am curious if machines are pretty abundant in the albergues? Or do i need to plan out my washing days ahead of time? Is liquid or powder detergent preferred?

Thank you

My approach is to do a small handwash each night for the day's clothes, and a machine wash around once a week as the opportunity arises. - saves the angst of trying to find accommodation with laundry faclites.

Yes, my clothes do accummulate some eau de pilgrm between machine washes but life is simpler and I can enjoy the Camino that way...

 

[GaleW]

Hi everyone,
I leave for my Camino in a few short weeks and am trying to figure out what the washing machine situation is. I will be traveling on the CP from Porto and hoping to take the coastal and spiritual routes. Basically, I am curious if machines are pretty abundant in the albergues? Or do i need to plan out my washing days ahead of time? Is liquid or powder detergent preferred?

Thank you

I use EcoBreeze detergent sheets, cut them into small portions for washing in a sink. Keep whole to do a full load. Also, very light weight.

 

[Richard Smith]

I have also seen people hanging up clothes that are dripping wet on the clothesline without making much effort to remove as much water as possible first. I always squeeze as much as I can, then I lay the clothes on my quick dry towel, roll it up and give it a few twists. The towel absorbs a lot of the moisture.

+1 for this

 

[Richard Smith]

One novel wrinkle is that I am thinking of standing under the shower still wearing everything I want to wash and soap up over the wet clothes. Then I will disrobe, putting the soapy wet clothes into an empty ’dry bag’ with a laundry detergent leaf already in there and top up with shower water. After finishing my shower, I will dress from a second dry bag containing clothes washed the previous day and rinse/dry the clothes in the normal way. I am hoping for small savings in time and detergent while getting a more thorough wash. It may be a crazy idea but, if so, I expect to told so very quickly and very directly in this forum. Flame suit on!

This works in hotel rooms, especially since you won't have access to a wash tub, but can be a problem in a hostel with limited amounts of hot water. If the first pilgrims use the hot water for clothes then the rest may get cold showers. (no flames intended)

 

[abien]

OK, that is some unusual and impressive record keeping.

Was thinking the same thing!

 

[JerryStroebele]

I start mine soaking on the shower floor. Try to take Navy showers but I'm not diligent enough in this. I do see a lot more hot water on demand showers, which relieves the problem EXCEPT WHERE WATER CONSERVATION IS AN ISSUE IN SOUTHERN SPAIN. (Not a problem in Galicia.) I'm old and slow, usually the last to the albergue and last to shower. Buen Camino

 

[bks]

Hi everyone,
I leave for my Camino in a few short weeks and am trying to figure out what the washing machine situation is. I will be traveling on the CP from Porto and hoping to take the coastal and spiritual routes. Basically, I am curious if machines are pretty abundant in the albergues? Or do i need to plan out my washing days ahead of time? Is liquid or powder detergent preferred?

Thank you

You don't need a washing machine!! Every evening wash the clothes, by hand, that you wore that day and then you'll never have a need a washing machine. That's what everyone else does!!

 

[trecile]

Sometimes it's more of a hassle to use a washing machine. First, you might have to wait for it to be available, then you need to make sure to wait until the wash is done to free it up for the next person. I do like to do a machine wash about once every week or 10 days, but when I hand wash I can get that out of the way and relax and enjoy my afternoon exploring the town I'm in, taking a nap, etc. without monitoring a washing machine.

 

[dougfitz]

I walked from Lisbon in 2022, taking the central route north of Porto, and from Valenca last year and walked the Variante Espiritual. I stayed in albergues about 1/3 of the time, and all those north of Porto had washing machines or the hospitalero/a provided a laundry service. I only recall hand-washing in a couple of places south of Porto. Where I didn't stay in albergues, sometimes there was a laundry or laundry service. If that was too expensive, I found a local laundromat.

I carry laundry detergent sheets, but in Portugal and Spain, washing detergent was always provided with machines. I did occasionally use the detergent sheets when I hand washed. I am perhaps not as disciplined as @trecile is, but I do use a very similar approach to her. It worked well for me.

 

[Sirage]

Sometimes it's more of a hassle to

I think that suggestion to minimise hassle is a wise approach to all aspects of doing a Camino, and travel, and probably life in general.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

One novel wrinkle is that I am thinking of standing under the shower still wearing everything I want to wash and soap up over the wet clothes. Then I will disrobe, putting the soapy wet clothes into an empty ’dry bag’ with a laundry detergent leaf already in there and top up with shower water. After finishing my shower, I will dress from a second dry bag containing clothes washed the previous day and rinse/dry the clothes in the normal way. I am hoping for small savings in time and detergent while getting a more thorough wash. It may be a crazy idea but, if so, I expect to told so very quickly and very directly in this forum. Flame suit on!

If you're in a hotel room or a practically empty Albergue that's one thing. Otherwise this method is going to take longer, and you may hold up the next Pilgrim.
2/Older Albergues frequently have limited hot water, meaning you could be depriving some poor unfortunate soul of a much needed warm shower.
3/ Plus, you're going to be using additional water - not a wonderful idea in a country suffering from drought.

However, putting your clothes in the dry bag with a couple of leaves of detergent and leaving them to soak whilst you shower is a good idea.

 

[Skinnybiker]

Bicigrinos and Skinnybikers just do it in the shower.

 

[dreaming]

I just handwash with shampoo or handwash. I take a small, plastic bottle to fill and use and take soap for scrubbing. I use washing machines and dryers when its raining.

 

[hikentravel1234]

Plan on hand washing daily, and using machines every few days.

You might be interested in the method that I use to hand wash my clothes:

This is how I also do it, but with a 16 L bag (and a different brand). The only difference is that sometimes I also rinse the clothes in the same bag.

 

[howardd5]

I will be reluctant to use laundry services on my first CF starting in just 2 weeks time. Pretty much everything except the hiking pants is merino wool and needs to be washed on a cool delicate cycle. Otherwise I might suddenly find things are two sizes too small. I’m afraid I don’t trust anybody else to reliably keep to that regime for me so I will wash daily myself.

I am another proponent of laundry detergent in sheet form and I plan to use a dry bag as a washing machine.

One novel wrinkle is that I am thinking of standing under the shower still wearing everything I want to wash and soap up over the wet clothes. Then I will disrobe, putting the soapy wet clothes into an empty ’dry bag’ with a laundry detergent leaf already in there and top up with shower water. After finishing my shower, I will dress from a second dry bag containing clothes washed the previous day and rinse/dry the clothes in the normal way. I am hoping for small savings in time and detergent while getting a more thorough wash. It may be a crazy idea but, if so, I expect to told so very quickly and very directly in this forum. Flame suit on!

That does a poor job , but mostly uses up time and hot water that other Pilgrim are waiting for .

 

[RRat]

Hi everyone,
I leave for my Camino in a few short weeks and am trying to figure out what the washing machine situation is. I will be traveling on the CP from Porto and hoping to take the coastal and spiritual routes. Basically, I am curious if machines are pretty abundant in the albergues? Or do i need to plan out my washing days ahead of time? Is liquid or powder detergent preferred?

Thank you

Washing machines when available and at multiple day intervals. Hand wash mostly everyday as part of ritual. I found the pictured detergent that worked well and found at most stores large and tiny. Please note rubberband to guard against accidental opening in backpack.

 

[pjacobi]

Well, have walked 6 Caminos and wearing cotton blouses hasn't killed me yet. They work for me. If they don't work for you, don't wear them.

I always wear a seat belt even though most times I don't need it. I wear it because when I do need it, I won't have time to put it on. Wearing non-cotton clothes while hiking is just like seat belts! It's small price to pay for something that might save your life someday.


-Paul

 

[C clearly]

Wearing non-cotton clothes while hiking is just like seat belts! It's small price to pay for something that might save your life someday.

Come on! Understanding the reasons and situations where cotton can be a problem will allow the more astute among us to discern when it is appropriate and when it might be a risk to our lives.

Personally, I don't always keep my seatbelt buckled while I am sitting in a parking lot. However, you might need to have an absolute simple rule, in which case you would never sit in a car without it. That's your choice, but I would advocate for applying a little more analysis to the risk assessment.

 

[dougfitz]

I always wear a seat belt even though most times I don't need it. I wear it because when I do need it, I won't have time to put it on. Wearing non-cotton clothes while hiking is just like seat belts! It's small price to pay for something that might save your life someday.

I'm sorry that you have been in accidents where you have been protected by your seat belt. I hope you haven't suffered too many long term effects.

On the subject of cotton, the circumstances where it is dangerous are in cold, wet climates and on multi-day treks. Cotton will absorb a large amount of water (and sweat), but it retains this close to the surface of the fabric. In addition, the cotton thread has a large exposed surface area. This results in a high and sustained level of evaporative cooling as the fabric dries. That isn't good if one is walking in cooler conditions, but perfectly fine otherwise. The risk on multi-day treks is that if cotton clothing doesn't dry out, one is continually subject to the chilling effect of the evaporative cooling as it dries. This might actually be desirable in hot, dry conditions. I think suggesting people don't wear cotton in Spain and Portugal in summer shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how sensible that might be.

 

[TulasiPriya]

All of my blouses are cotton and they dry in a jiffy. Blouses are different than t-shirts, which do take a long time to dry.
It does make sense to learn how to wash your clothing though, and see how long it takes to dry. I have seen people attack their clothes as though they had been working in a coal mine and had to get all the filth out, when in reality you are only washing away some sweat, or possibly mud on your pants.

Knit cotton fabrics (such as the jersey used to make t-shirts) will usually take longer to dry than woven fabric of the same weight.

 

[David Tallan]

I will be reluctant to use laundry services on my first CF starting in just 2 weeks time. Pretty much everything except the hiking pants is merino wool and needs to be washed on a cool delicate cycle. Otherwise I might suddenly find things are two sizes too small. I’m afraid I don’t trust anybody else to reliably keep to that regime for me so I will wash daily myself.

I am another proponent of laundry detergent in sheet form and I plan to use a dry bag as a washing machine.

One novel wrinkle is that I am thinking of standing under the shower still wearing everything I want to wash and soap up over the wet clothes. Then I will disrobe, putting the soapy wet clothes into an empty ’dry bag’ with a laundry detergent leaf already in there and top up with shower water. After finishing my shower, I will dress from a second dry bag containing clothes washed the previous day and rinse/dry the clothes in the normal way. I am hoping for small savings in time and detergent while getting a more thorough wash. It may be a crazy idea but, if so, I expect to told so very quickly and very directly in this forum. Flame suit on!

For what it's worth, on my Camino last year I took merino shirts and occasionally used laundry services and they never shrank. One did develop holes the first time it went into a washing machine, though. I got different merino shirts for this year's Camino which were more durable.

 

[Anamiri]

Well, have walked 6 Caminos and wearing cotton blouses hasn't killed me yet. They work for me. If they don't work for you, don't wear them.

Last 2 Caminos I took a lightweight cotton shirt, I dont usually walk in it, but its a good evening item for later (tends to be hot later in the day and cotton is nice and cool). I walk in a quick dry synthetic Tshirt which does its job, but doesn't feel as nice on the skin.
The cotton shirt is good to wear on the plane, light breathable, and looks OK.
Dries very quickly.
This year one of the people I met wore linen shirts to walk in, and they worked for him.

 

[howardd5]

Speaking of cotton and particularly blue jeans, I walked with a Canadian once who wore a pair of jeans and he finally hand washed them they would not dry on the line. He carried them wet/ damp for three days and through them away. In the end they smelled worse than before he washed them. This was 20 years back and a dryer was rare.

 

[SusieP]

Hi everyone,
I leave for my Camino in a few short weeks and am trying to figure out what the washing machine situation is. I will be traveling on the CP from Porto and hoping to take the coastal and spiritual routes. Basically, I am curious if machines are pretty abundant in the albergues? Or do i need to plan out my washing days ahead of time? Is liquid or powder detergent preferred?

Thank you

Oh, I'm so glad you asked this! We are starting our walk on the 13th...flying out on the 11th.

 

[hecate105]

Ecover (or eco equivalent!) does me, my clothes and washing up....
When I get in the shower all my dirty clothes go in too - I trample them whilst washing myself, rinse self and clothes and out! Get my husband to wring them out (he so strong!) then on the communal line or on my bit of paracord with nappy pins..... if not dry - on the rucksack or panniers next day (note to self - don't take red knickers...

 

[John Cook]

I usually wash my clothes every day by putting them on the shower floor and stomp on them as I shower. Then I rinse them in a sink with cold water.
I dry them as best as I can in a towel afterwards because I have found that about 75% of the albergues I've used on the VdlP, Norte and Portuguese Camino's put their washing lines in the shade for some reason. If I'm in a hotel with no outside space then I drape the washing over a pole to dry.
Luckily, modern synthetic clothes dry quickly if they're still damp when you put them on the next day.
I do use the laundry facilities every few days, if available as it's nice to get that chore done quickly.

 

[Damico Walking]

I have done that route and washing machines are easy to find. And the cost included soap. Several evenings watching the clothes go round and round, quite meditative. We used the Breezeo soap sheets for hand washing when needed.

 

[haikutaxi]

Hi everyone,
I leave for my Camino in a few short weeks and am trying to figure out what the washing machine situation is. I will be traveling on the CP from Porto and hoping to take the coastal and spiritual routes. Basically, I am curious if machines are pretty abundant in the albergues? Or do i need to plan out my washing days ahead of time? Is liquid or powder detergent preferred?

Thank you

Plan to do your wash by hand and be pleasantly surprised if you encounter an available machine. You can get little packets of liquid tide that are easy to carry and good for one load.

 

[KariC]

Hi everyone,
I leave for my Camino in a few short weeks and am trying to figure out what the washing machine situation is. I will be traveling on the CP from Porto and hoping to take the coastal and spiritual routes. Basically, I am curious if machines are pretty abundant in the albergues? Or do i need to plan out my washing days ahead of time? Is liquid or powder detergent preferred?

Thank you

Plan on washing your clothing yourself. Almost everywhere has clotheslines, and for where there's not, you can buy a compact, lightweight braided clothesline where you loop the ends around something handy, and tuck your clothes up into the braided rubbery/elastic line without needing clothespins.

 

[grdemedeiros]

Please check with the folks managing the places you're lodging about *where* to do your hand washing. We stayed at a place on the CP where the guesthouse owner was quite clear you couldn't wash things in your room / bathroom. She had a laundry sink in the yard, clothespins and a long laundry line in a sunny spot.

 

[Scoutbuff]

You can have your own “portable washing machine” by using a very large ziploc bag (order online), filling it with water and detergent powder, and then moving it back and forth quickly to agitate the clothes. Then empty and fill with plain water to rinse. I haven’t patented this idea yet…..and I haven’t invented a “portable” dryer.

Good input... I was going to toss this into the discussion but you beat me to it! This technique is commonly used by backpackers in the U.S. Easy to do and lightweight. I've used a standard gallon bag and just did multiple "cycles" for socks, underwear, shirt, shorts. (fwiw)

 

[Bog526]

Hi everyone,
I leave for my Camino in a few short weeks and am trying to figure out what the washing machine situation is. I will be traveling on the CP from Porto and hoping to take the coastal and spiritual routes. Basically, I am curious if machines are pretty abundant in the albergues? Or do i need to plan out my washing days ahead of time? Is liquid or powder detergent preferred?

Thank you

we started to use a Scrubba, its amazing and its foladable and take just a pinch of soap..Google for pricing

https://www.amazon.ca/Scrubba-Wash-Bag-Portable-Backpacking/dp/B01N68XF0O

 

[trecile]

we started to use a Scrubba, its amazing and its foladable and take just a pinch of soap..Google for pricing

I got the idea for washing in a dry bag from reading about the Scrubba. My dry bag weighs and costs quite a bit less.

 

[Bog526]

I got the idea for washing in a dry bag from reading about the Scrubba. My dry bag weighs and costs quite a bit less.

dry bag works, we did that however found that the little nobbies in the bad make a huge difference for the wash

 

[peterott]

You can have your own “portable washing machine” by using a very large ziploc bag (order online), filling it with water and detergent powder, and then moving it back and forth quickly to agitate the clothes. Then empty and fill with plain water to rinse. I haven’t patented this idea yet…..and I haven’t invented a “portable” dryer.

Looks like your username is absolutely fitting . That's an incredible hint. I usually put my clothes in the water-filled sink or the shower and let some drops of detergent soak in. Though in 50% of the cases after a minute or two all water is gone, as the sink or shower isn't leaktight.

As my clothes are mainly Merino wool, I wring the things out after washing as good as I can - without damaging them - so that most water is gone and hang them up in the air somewhere (I have 4 clothespins/clothespegs as accessory with me and I try to hang them wherever I find space) and try to wring out the stuff every hour again until I go to sleep. My Merino shirts and pants are always dry in the morning, just the socks could be a bit wet if the room was cold. Then I wear my 2nd pair of socks and let the other socks dry tied with clothespins on on the ropes of my front mesh of my backpack.

 

[David Tallan]

we started to use a Scrubba, its amazing and its foladable and take just a pinch of soap..Google for pricing

https://www.amazon.ca/Scrubba-Wash-Bag-Portable-Backpacking/dp/B01N68XF0O

I took one with me on my 2016 Camino. I bought it just for the Camino. We walked for 41 days and I might have used it twice. I never took it again on subsequent Caminos. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[henrythedog]

I will be reluctant to use laundry services on my first CF starting in just 2 weeks time. Pretty much everything except the hiking pants is merino wool and needs to be washed on a cool delicate cycle. Otherwise I might suddenly find things are two sizes too small. I’m afraid I don’t trust anybody else to reliably keep to that regime for me so I will wash daily myself.

I am another proponent of laundry detergent in sheet form and I plan to use a dry bag as a washing machine.

One novel wrinkle is that I am thinking of standing under the shower still wearing everything I want to wash and soap up over the wet clothes. Then I will disrobe, putting the soapy wet clothes into an empty ’dry bag’ with a laundry detergent leaf already in there and top up with shower water. After finishing my shower, I will dress from a second dry bag containing clothes washed the previous day and rinse/dry the clothes in the normal way. I am hoping for small savings in time and detergent while getting a more thorough wash. It may be a crazy idea but, if so, I expect to told so very quickly and very directly in this forum. Flame suit on!

It’s a perfectly reasonable proposition - although I’d have to write the process down or else I’d end day 1 with two bags of wet clothes.

There’s usually a fair amount of pressure on shower facilities, doing your laundry in there may not win you many friends.

 

[Robo]

Yes, that's how I use my dry bag. There is actually a product called a Scrubba specially made to wash clothes, but it's really a glorified dry bag, and is heavier and ore expensive than my dry bag or zip lock bag.

I have a Scrubba. I agree. Too heavy and expensive.
A dry bag works just as well.

 

[dougfitz]

I have a Scrubba. I agree. Too heavy and expensive.
A dry bag works just as well.

I have the small Scrubba that gets used as a stuff sack/dry bag. I cannot remember now how much it cost, but having bought it, I see little point leaving it at home. If you don't have one, that might be a consideration, but I wouldn't leave it behind because it was expensive.

 

[Robo]

I have the small Scrubba that gets used as a stuff sack/dry bag. I cannot remember now how much it cost, but having bought it, I see little point leaving it at home. If you don't have one, that might be a consideration, but I wouldn't leave it behind because it was expensive.

The reason it gets left home, is that it’s too heavy
The being expensive, along with being heavy, is a reason to use a dry bag, for those considering buying a scrubba.

 

[Skinnybiker]

Isn't it about time all this dirty washing was hung out to dry ? Personally I get my wife to do it - only joking I wouldn't trust anyone to wash my cycling kit.

There's one albergue on the Primitivo where the machines are free, the owner couldn't be bothered with coin operated machines.

Buen Lavado

 

[trecile]

There's one albergue on the Primitivo where the machines are free, the owner couldn't be bothered with coin operated machines.

On the Norte the washing machine is free to use at the municipal albergue in Liendo.

 

[David Tallan]

I have the small Scrubba that gets used as a stuff sack/dry bag. I cannot remember now how much it cost, but having bought it, I see little point leaving it at home. If you don't have one, that might be a consideration, but I wouldn't leave it behind because it was expensive.

I don't leave it behind because it is expensive. I leave it behind because it is too rarely used for its weight.