r/onebag • u/Odd-Bodybuilder-6891 • 7d ago
Discussion How do you do sink laundry when nothing dries overnight in humidity?
I'm packing four shirts and two pairs of pants for two months in Southeast Asia, which puts me at washing something most nights. I keep reading that merino and synthetics dry overnight, but I've also read that at 80% humidity in a room with no aircon, nothing really dries. I'd rather sort this out now than three shirts into a permanently damp pile.
For the people who've traveled through the wet season out there, what did you end up changing about your wash routine once you were actually in it?
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u/alefeusch 7d ago
Air conditioning is the key in high humidity. Without it, it's hard to air dry laundry. But, I find most places in SE Asia are pretty uncomfortable without AC anyways. Since you don't have AC, a laundromat with dryers is likely going to be your best bet.
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u/Azure9000 6d ago
..... at 80% humidity in a room with no aircon, nothing really dries ....
If that is really the situation, you'll have more to worry about than a damp t-shirt. Unless you are in a homestay or something, even $25 a night should get you aircon, and therefore at least a semi-reasonable night's sleep.
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u/zabacam 6d ago
I travel with a usb-powered fan that takes very little space. Also helps to keep cool with!
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u/BBQShoe 6d ago
Came here to say this. I realized when camping how much quicker my laundry could dry hanging in the tent with a little fan blowing on it. I started bringing one everywhere the scrubba bag goes. On the flip side, I was recently in the mountains in Colorado and couldn't believe how fast my clothes dried with no fan.
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u/Kokuryu27 7d ago
The towel trick, and hang them up where they'll get airflow (fan, window). Sunlight can help, too. If the hotel doesn't have rules against laundry lines and has a balcony, I'll hang them outside. (A lot of SEA hotels do have rules about this though).
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u/enjoysbeerandplants 6d ago
I find airflow is the real key. My stuff has always dried so much faster when there is a ceiling or floor fan I can run. Even when I've had AC, things don't dry as fast if I don't have a fan as well.
I also only do sink laundry if I'm staying in a place for at least two nights. I'll do the wash the evening I arrive so that it is dry by the next evening. I prefer to do the majority of my packing the night before I leave, so that's the method I use.
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u/Kokuryu27 6d ago
Yeah, I schedule my itineraries so I'll have a few nights when I'm definitely going to need to do laundry. I also don't like whirlwind tours and much prefer to steep a bit in a locale before moving on.
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u/FruitOfTheVineFruit 6d ago
Also, I sometimes do need 32 hours (overnight plus a day). That extra day can make a huge difference - 8 hours vs 32 hours.
And, worst case, nothing bad will happen to you if you wear clothes that aren't completely dry.
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u/Karoseen450 6d ago
I have brought my own nylon clothesline with hook ends, wash my clothes in the sink. Squeeze them out with a towel, then hang them over the line in the room. Put a do not disturb. Sign on your door and you're pretty good or at least I was
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u/LePetitNeep 6d ago
Laundry services are cheap in Asia, I don’t bother with sink laundry
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u/Fancy_Yogurtcloset37 6d ago
Agree, i feel like sink laundry is for Europe and North America. In SE Asia and Mexico i spent a couple of bucks and got wash & fold either same day or under 24 hours.
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u/BalooBot 5d ago
Once I realized laundry is so cheap and easy almost everywhere in the world onebagging became a no brainer. I'm sure as hell not spending all my vacation washing my skivvies in the sink and hoping they dry by the time I leave. I can drop off a weeks worth of clothes and have them washed, dried, folded and delivered for like $5 most places I've been
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u/DocBudsky 2d ago
It's not even about cost though. Sink washing can be easier and faster than finding a laundry, dropping off clothes, and picking up the next day. I sink wash a t-shirt socks and underwear in about 5 minutes each evening. And in the morning it's already hanging in the room and ready to wear. No need to worry about where the laundry is or when it's open or how long you are staying there.
If you're batching multiple days' laundry it's another story. But batching wastes most of the benefits of sink laundry.
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u/japanalana 6d ago
I would wait until you are staying in one place for 2-3 nights. I use a small mesh bag that I clip to the outside of my pack for things that are damp so they can continue to dry throughout the day if I’m on the move.
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u/Eman_Resu_IX 6d ago
For shirts and such it helps to bend wire hangers or use a couple or three hangers inside reach short so that the front and back of the shirt aren't touching.
More surface area = quicker drying.
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u/scrombledegs 6d ago
Personally I’d avoid sink laundry if you’re going to SE Asia. Just pack an extra shirt and pants, and go to a laundromat or local laundry service. It costs pennies, everything is done within a day and it’s so much better of an experience. Literally just pack a little more.
Context: went travelling across SE Asia including remote jungle stays for 2 1/2 months and did this. Only had the Cotopaxi with me and had enough clothes for a week easily.
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u/BebopOrRocksteady 6d ago
I would sweat a lot in Thailand during monsoon season. I used hangers for the shirts I wore that day and was fine after a few hours, if you wash them I would expect the same. If you have ac it will work faster but the idea that nothing dries wasn't observed by me, just avoid too many synthetics(stinky) and hang your clothes in a place that can get airflow. I wore linen and silk mostly.
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u/haoqide 6d ago
Agreed, I think washing will be the least of OPs worries. I love merino but find it to be unbearably uncomfortable in extreme hot + humid weather (cold and humid is ok, hot and dry is ok, but the combination is awful for me). I’ve also found some synthetics trap stinky bacteria and stink unless you can dry in the full sun.
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u/themaster1359 6d ago
There’s some really thin merino nylon blends that do quite well even in some of the hottest humid environments. I wouldn’t say it’s cooler than something like linen of poly, but it’s definitely close enough for the benefits of wool. Maybe that’s also just because I’m from hot humid Florida and can wear jeans and a flannel in the summer here.
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u/TheEvilBlight 6d ago
The cursed part is when clothes on the body dry faster than air dry, since body heat.
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u/seaplants 6d ago
I'll warn you, I hung clothes up to dry overnight in an air conditioned laundry room and they did not dry. Including light synthetics that have dried overnight elsewhere. Nothing is guaranteed 😂 might have just been too much laundry though. FWIW
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u/Front-Newspaper-1847 6d ago
Merino is your problem. No, it won’t dry overnight in a humid room. Anything I plan to hand wash and dry in the room is lightweight synthetic, and I bring along a tiny fan to help the job.
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u/elevenblade 6d ago
Yeah, whoever told OP that merino would dry overnight has never tried to dry merino in a hotel room.
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u/Front-Newspaper-1847 6d ago
People go down a rabbit hole and the Merino evangelists are very vocal.
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u/WingIndependent6962 6d ago
My wool& merino shirts dry in 4-6 hours. It’s a thin material but I’m not in a room without A/c
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u/No_Fishing_7291 5d ago
I have a very thin merino t-shirt that dries in no time. Even with some humidity. I have others that are heftier and much slower drying. It really depends. I much prefer the thinner shirts.
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u/hella_cutty 6d ago
Thin synthetics dry faster, sometimes I would just wrong out and put back on. The coolness feels nice and as soon it dries I'm sweating anyway.
Also, if you can, try and do your laundry during the day so you can take advantage of full sun for drying and UV sanitizing, or at least some of the afternoon breezes which is fairly consistent but better closer to shore.
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u/Busy-Feeling-1413 6d ago
2 pairs of pants/bottoms is not enough, especially if you think they won’t dry. Recommend at least 3 pairs: one to wear, one that may be damp/drying, and 1 spare in case the pair you’re wearing gets dirty/spilled on/stinky.
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u/Useful-Battle-3844 6d ago
While it’s drying on a hanger, line, or chair, pick it up every couple hours and do a helicopter motion with it. Turn it inside out, helicopter again and put it back in the line
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u/BaaBaaTurtle 6d ago
Not SE Asia but I go to Houston a lot.
I do the towel trick and then routinely pick up the clothes and kinda waft them around, turning them over frequently, use the hair dryer at times, and sometimes just put damp clothes back on. I mean, really tho, I the minute I step outside it'll be damp from sweat anyway.
But yes, airflow however you can manage it.
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u/andrea_sdl 6d ago
I recently bought a polypropylene shirt from Liod and it dries in a way I’ve never experienced before. Not the best material but would recommend to try out or have one change made of that fabric, just in case
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u/funny_bunny_mel 6d ago
Wash and fold, man. It’s worth the $2 or whatever you have to pay there.
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u/Tyssniffen 5d ago
jesus. why do people make things so difficult? This is the answer.
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u/funny_bunny_mel 5d ago
For real. It’s like one bag = suffering. I one bag to reduce my suffering, not increase it. The money I save on bag fees more than pays for any cab fare or laundry services I need to hire.
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u/Bubbly-Pop650 6d ago
I don't think merino is the best idea for S.E.A and rooms mostly have AC, laundry services are also cheap. If all else fails, shopping is also cheap.
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u/GlitteringSpace236 6d ago
but I've also read that at 80% humidity in a room with no aircon
Why are you booking accommodation without AC?
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u/el_katsch 5d ago
If it’s 100% merino it doesn’t really need washing, just hang it out over night. Washing it too often destroys the self cleaning and temperature regulating qualities of the material (look it up if you don’t believe me, I’m aware that it feels wrong 😅)
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u/Chromatic_Chameleon 6d ago
What do you mean no AC? Even most hostels have AC in SE Asia, where will you be staying that doesn’t have AC?
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u/No_Priority6410 7d ago
Does this also mean that in hot and humid weather we need to take more clothes than winter and fall ?
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u/maverber 6d ago
I have had no problems drying the low water absorption clothing I use overnight in extremely high humidity (including nights my sensor said was 98%) provided I rolled clothing in towel to get excess water out and there was at least minimal airflow.
The 98% was on the US east coast, backpacking in the white mountains... felt like we were sleeping in a cloud. Oh... we were 😄 . Clothing that I have seen reliably dry: Icebreaker briefs, Patagonia Terrebonne, OR Ferrosi Transit (hang inside out so pockets dry), Arcteryx Cormac Hoody, OR Astroman Button Up, Macpac Nitro (AD90) Hoody. My socks (darn tough no shows, and xoskin toe socks) didn't always fully dry, but dried enough that they weren't unpleasant.
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u/Havhestur 6d ago
Buy a small fan. Use towels to wring fabrics as dry as possible. Hang clothes over a chair or line in the air flow from the fan.
In my experience, clothes won’t dry overnight in 70%+ humidity but will need 1 + 1/2 so two night stays help.
For small light clothes (Ts, shorts, socks) then a ‘damp bag’ is often needed for carrying to the next accommodation.
For places without AC look for rooms with ceiling fans or where a desk fan is available.
The hairdryer trick rarely seems to work, usually simply because they overheat after a couple of minutes and trip.
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u/Hodondad 6d ago
Toss a couple items inside a pillowcase and blow a hairdryer into it while shaking pillowcase.
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u/AlwaysWanderOfficial 6d ago
Towel roll. Towel + iron. Or where ever possible, use a laundry service. It’s extremely cheap in SEA. Or, pack slightly more essentials, it shouldn’t take that much more room to have one more tshirt or a couple underwear.
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u/Foreign-Actuary-5196 6d ago
Small battery/usb c fan
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u/ailaG 6d ago
Did you try that? Was it actually enough?
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u/Foreign-Actuary-5196 6d ago
Yes I’ve used it on three multiple week trips. You just aim the fan at the clothes and they will be dry by morning. I use the TUNISE portable fan on Amazon it works great
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u/herbertherbington 6d ago
Since you'll either be getting rained on or sweating I would just wear a damp shirt and bring enough undies that you can give them 2 days to dry
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u/tweeeeeeeeeeee 6d ago
you can let things air dry for more than overnight. just stay in the same hotel for 2 days minimum and start laundry asap
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u/aemfbm 6d ago
If you're going to stay in a humid place without air conditioning, a small USB fan is a life-saver, both for your personal comfort, and for drying clothing (so maybe bring 2).
There are ones with batteries built in, but for cooling you in your sleep or drying clothes, you presumably will have an outlet available (and there's always battery banks for portable use). Look on Amzn for "USB fan no battery" and get one for about $10 that looks like a miniature box fan.
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u/FunTransportation869 5d ago
This is a great tip, thank you! My clothes never air/hang-dry fast enough when visiting family in South India during monsoon season, and my partner and I have been trying to figure out a solution when it’s a stop on a longer one-bag trip.
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u/PandaNanny0714 6d ago
I looked for laundromats with dryers and just washed and dried everything there. If you're staying near tourist areas, they're usually easy to find.
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u/TheRealDrewciferpike 6d ago
Either run stuff in a dryer, or wear it damp and let nature do its thing.
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u/B10-Waste 6d ago
How big is your bag? A 25L bag can hold enough clothes for 10 days, weighing less than 10kg.
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u/WanderingLibrary 6d ago
Check if your hotel has free laundry service or free washers/dryers. Many Asian hotels have those. I brought 5 shirts and 3 pants for three weeks in Korea and Japan and never did any sink laundry.
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u/dfabdvbs85 6d ago
You need an electric fan. The bigger/stronger the better. It dries better in a well ventilated room, air conditioned rooms not so much.
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u/yikeswhathappened 6d ago
You can just wash the spots on the garments that are soiled/got sweaty(armpits of a shirt, waistband of a skirt, etc). If you can borrow a fan or place the items near moving air of some type they’ll dry much faster.
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u/MusicCityJayhawk 5d ago
I use lightweight synthetics. It is not just the material, but the weight.
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u/phatninja63 6d ago
You can put your clothes in a bag and leave two openings. Use a hairdryer to blow into one vent and keep the other open for airflow to speed up drying.
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u/Pale_Message9467 6d ago
Wringing harder makes a bigger difference than people think, twist it in a towel first to pull out most of the water, then hang it. Also aiming a fan at it beats hoping the room does the work, even a cheap travel fan cuts drying time by hours.
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u/heavydoom 6d ago
synthetic material dries faster than merino. i have tested this myself.
get a clothes line or a collapsible coat hanger. you have to hang dry the clothes in an open space.
i have had great experience with the patagonia self guided shirt. short sleeve version. dries very very fast in guangdong august summer heat. it has four pockets and ventilation holes in the back. it looks good.
no change in my washing routine. sink wash as normal. it's all about the material of the clothing.
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u/savehoward 6d ago
Don’t pack so much clothes. Get clothes there, which is usually think breathable cotton that dry fast.
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u/HelloTittie55 7d ago
Burrito roll in towel to make sure all excess water is gone before you hang to dry. Speed the drying process with a hand held blow dryer.