Doing Laundry While Backpacking

To save money, I have been known to wash my clothing in bodies of water or in the shower.  In most places, you will be able to find a place to pay to do your laundry.  Many towns know that backpackers need their clothes washed so they will have places around with signs that say how much to pay to do your laundry.  Some accommodations will offer to do your laundry for a fee too.  I always just do it myself.  Since I’m backpacking, I’m not looking to have the cleanest clothes or to be too picky on how they get cleaned or what soap is used.  To be honest, most of those places that you pay to do your laundry will do it similar to you by hand washing (often in salt water) and hanging it to dry (just like you would do).  I have met people who paid to get their clothes washed and have run into some problems.  Some have had clothes stolen or not returned and some had significant delays on getting their clothing back because it had been raining for a few days which didn’t allow the clothing to air dry in the sun.  Therefore, I’d rather save the money and the worries and do it myself.  Usually I just use some of my body soap, shampoo, or a small bottle of laundry soap (often sold in little packets too) to wash my clothes.  I either clean them in the shower or the sink.  Since sometimes the shower and sink water come directly from the ocean nearby anyways, I’m not picky and I will wash my clothes in the ocean or a river.  I then place them in the sun to dry.  They may be a little salty or stiff when they dry but you’ll get over it.  When you are backpacking you can’t expect too much.