Every trip our family takes, I have at least a few items I pack no matter where the destination. Clothespins are one of those. Here are 7 reasons I’ve discovered that make clothespins an essential for our travel and why you might want to pack some as well.
Sealing Snacks
Who doesn’t love to snack when they travel? And, if you have kids, you know you end up with lots of snacks. Sometimes we pack or purchase slightly larger packages of food. When this happens, we need an easy way to seal them and clothespins are a simple solution.
Securing Towels on Pool Chairs
Admittedly, towel clips work a bit better for many pool chairs if you want to clip over the wider frame. You can use clothespins too. Just find a thinner section such as one of the vinyl straps or mesh fabric to clip to. I’ve also clipped my coverup to chairs in the same way. It helps me secure my items from any wind and spot my belongings a bit faster in a group of similar chairs on the pool deck or beach area.
Hanging Wet Items
I originally began packing clothespins to help hang wet swimsuits on bathroom clotheslines during our travel. This is still a frequent use. We’ve also hung up assorted other wet clothing that needed to air dry, maybe didn’t fully dry in the laundry room dryer, or got caught in a rain storm. Regardless the reason, clothespins and plastic hangers (I still stand by this item packed too – here’s why) are perfect for helping hang and dry your wet items.
Creating a Privacy Curtain
During my time traveling with my kids as young babies, I found myself wanting a way to sit in the front seat to nurse and block the sun plus have a little privacy. With the help of clothespins and the vehicle sunshade, I could secure a muslin blanket to create a curtain and accomplish both.
Keeping Curtains Closed
Speaking of curtains, some hotel and cruise rooms have curtains that just won’t quite stay shut. A clothespin is an easy way to help secure them and block out the light so you can sleep more peacefully.
If you don't have any clothespins handy, try using a pants hanger from the room closet. Just turn it sideways and use the clips in the same way you would a clothespin.
Whose Towel is Whose?
Every hotel and cruise ship we’ve been on has white towels. No surprise there. I’ve never seen a reason to have the towels changed daily and, since the pandemic, most hotels only do so every 2-3 days now. That’s great except when there is limited room to hang them to dry and you are quickly mixing up which towel belongs to which family member.
I finally had my “ah-ha!” moment during our trip to California this past spring. I took a pen I had on hand and labeled 4 clothespins with a single initial – one for each of us. We clipped on the clothespin after showering. Then as we shifted the towels to hang dry, we could still tell them apart.
Hanging Items on Cruises
Attach a magnet to the back of a few clothespins and add them to your bags for cruises with Disney. You can stick them to the walls in most staterooms or to the doors. This is great for hanging up notes, plans, artwork your kids’ create, etc.
