As you find yourself folding your 7th basket of towels that has piled up in your spare bedroom & wondering if you can hire someone for the job, I hear you & have some GOOD NEWS for you!! I loathe doing the laundry. But I’m also a minimalist at heart and am not into the solution of just buying more. So what to do? I have pondered this question over the course of my travels living out of a backpack, residing in Asia without a washer/dryer, and our current status living in a school bus. I have accumulated some strategies on how to maximize the # of days you can go without doing laundry with the same set of clothing. Because let’s be real, WHO likes doing laundry?? If you raise your hand to that, I know a new job for you with endless OPPORTUNITY & ultimate job security. You are in the minority.
TIP #1 : The Rule of #swass
If you’re into working out and getting in a good #sweatsesh often like I am (#beastmode), I highly suggest keeping a pile of “worked out in, definitely not clean, but will wear again for workouts”. & by pile, I mean hang them up until they are dry and then put them in a pile, together with other equally dirty clothes…it’s the same concept as letting the sweat in your hair dry when your hair is down before throwing it up in a bun - always works better! Ladies & man-bun men - you hear me! I typically can wear the same outfit for at least 2 REALLY sweaty workouts before I totally give up and throw it into the laundry bag, dried first of course.
Real life ex: I will usually wear the clothes 1-2 times without a workout, demote them for use for a strength circuit, and then really demote them to a sweaty interval cardio sesh (or two). That is ALL the same outfit!!
TIP #2 : Less is More
Wear as little clothes as possible, whenever possible. I’m not suggesting you try to walk into Super 1 without pants on, but if you are in a long sleeve and pants and sweating, start asking yourself some questions. Maybe change into a t (or take your shirt off) or replace the pants with shorts. It’s not rocket science, but it does take more work and can be annoying, but it’s WORTH IT.
Real life ex: we are in the hills of WA right now - when I woke up, it was 54F. 4 hours later and it’s 95F !!! That’s a 40+ degree difference; I have gone through about 4 outfit changes, 1 outfit was for yoga. :)
If you are into working out, get comfortable in a sports bra and shorty shorts (ladies). I can fit a workout outfit (depending on the season) into the palms of my hand. Excuses for not working out are out the window! It also adds incentive to get down and rip out some crunches and pushups. If you’re a guy, shorty shorts are still great, but you probs don’t need the SB. :P
TIP #3 : Wet dog
Never throw something into the laundry bag WET. Always a bad idea, but if you plan to be waiting a couple weeks before doing laundry, adding wet clothes to the bin will make everything 10x grosser. I know from experience. Even if they are sweaty wet and not lake wet, hang them outside or on a hook to dry prior to throwing them in the dirty bin! Musty is not a good smell for a small space.
TIP #4 : Humble Heroes
Shower with clothes if you need to, in order to wash them, not to wear them. Many campgrounds have bathhouses and you, like me, likely have a sink in your bus. You are NOT above hand washing your clothes. Don’t pretend to be. Especially if you are living in a bus, get a little humble, and take all of the years you did not have to do it this way as privilege. This is what I learned living in Thailand - there is nothing wrong with washing with your clothes & using a dry line or bus mirror as a dryer. So plan accordingly with supplies - clothes pin and rope FTW.
TIP #5 :
If you are treating your clothes as clean, simply put them in the clean bin after you wear them. Leaving them on the floor will not make them cleaner. Crazy, right?!?
BONUS TIP I : let the undies be…
Never re-wear underwear. Just don’t do it. They don’t take up much space, so just do yourself a favor and let this be the thing you pack lots of. If you are tight for space, maybe look into getting comfortable with a new type of underwear that takes up less space. Ladies - you know what I’m talking about, 10 underwear can fit in your palm & men - get creative. You won’t regret it.
BONUS TIP II:
Don’t workout or go on hikes in cotton if the weather is hot AF. Jake has learned this the hard way, but dry fit material is BUILT for working out. Cotton…is not. Let the dry fit do it’s magic and you will likely never want to wear cotton clothes again.
Okay, that’s all I have for now. I would argue these aren’t just good things to employ during traveling, but also at home. Let’s all save water and make our planet a little healthier :D
Of course, some of these tips depend on how you packed for whatever journey you are on and how many “extra” outfits you have. Our goal is doing laundry bi-weekly, ~2 times / month. (side note: did you know “bi-weekly” can mean once every 2 weeks or twice/week??) Jake ran out of shorts on day 4…guess he should read up :P He did end up running to the store and buying a couple more pairs, but I do NOT advise to just run to the store when you run out of clothes. That may not be the most financially responsible thing to do! However, having a solid starter inventory (cotton free) is CRITICAL.
Peace, love, and happy stankin’,
yo’ girl Jen
