One of the most common questions I would get while traveling is “Where do you do your laundry?” This question would always make me laugh. It is such a tiny detail of life and yet so very important. I totally get it. The laundry issue can be all consuming. It was regularly in the back of my mind while traveling: Do I have enough clean clothes? Am I out of clean socks, shirts, and underwear? What do I do with all these dirty clothes? Why do I have to pack these gross dirty clothes back into my suitcase? I just wish I could ditch them right here.

Over the year my laundry situation ran the cleaning gamut.

1.) The hand wash: Hand washing clothing in the hostel sink happened on many, many occasions. This worked quite well especially in warmer climates where clothing consists of light tee shirts and blouses. Of course, it was a different story with heavy socks and long sleeve shirts needed in say Patagonia.

2.) Guesthouse service: In South America many guests’ houses we stayed in had some form of laundry service. Often times it was a single washer with a drying room. Not ideal when time is of the essence, but it does the trick in a pinch.

3.) Cheap laundry drop off: South East Asia definitely took home the laundry prize for simple, quick, and super cheap laundry services. Drop off in the morning; pick up that night all for the bargain deal of $3-5. Just don’t expect items to be given special, individual treatment.

4.) Laundry Mat: I hit up my fair share of run of the mill laundry mats, mostly in Europe. Do it yourself! Now, how does this machine work?

5.) Hotel Service aka worst idea ever: When I met my parents in Rome I was in desperate need to do laundry. Due to time constraints, I decided to drop my laundry at the hotel to have it sent out. A day later I received my laundry and the bill, a whopping 30 euros. I wanted to Google “you are dirty, rotten thieves” in Italian to really get my point across to the front desk but instead I took my belongings and silently swore that I would NEVER do that again. Word to the wise-the hotel laundry service will always rip you off and there is always a cheaper option. Unless you are in complete dire straits and willing to part with an exorbitant amount of money, this option should be avoided at all costs!

6.) Fabreze and air: Sometimes it has to happen. There are no other options other than dousing the clothing in Fabreze and simply stating out loud, “I’m just going to let this baby air out for a bit.”