I recognize that doing laundry while traveling or on vacation isn’t for everyone, but sometimes it’s necessary. It’s also super handy when you have young kids because, as every parent knows, things happen. I honestly don’t recall when I first put together our travel laundry kit, but it’s something that has become a “must pack” every time we travel. Here’s how to make your own.
Laundry Essentials
To make a Travel Laundry Kit, you will need items to put into it. This list covers what is in ours and why I included it. Adjust as you see fit to meet your needs.
- Collapsible Hamper This is useful whether you do laundry on your trip or not. Pop it up, find a spot to place it, and easily contain your dirty laundry. It’s also great for transporting your laundry to and from the laundry facility wherever you are.
- Clothes Pins They come in handy for hanging items to dry whether just washed or something got a bit wet during your adventures. There are also lots of other great reasons to pack clothes pins when you travel beyond laundry. See why these are a must have no matter where we go HERE.
- Zippered Mesh Bag Great for washing smaller or more delicate items.
- Stain Remover Spills happen and you don’t always want to wait until home to treat. These wipes are individually packaged making them easy to use and keep moist until needed.
- Laundry Detergent Sometimes you can find an option to purchase in a laundry facility. I have sensitive skin and am picky so I pack a small container with pods of my preferred detergent. They don’t take up much space, are easy to use, and are carryon friendly. Another easy travel option is to use detergent sheets like these.
- Wrinkle Release Spray We recently added a travel size bottle of wrinkle releaser to our laundry kit and found it does work pretty well. Follow the instructions on the bottle and hang the items in the closet at your destination until ready to wear.
- Dryer Sheets Similar to laundry detergent, you may find this available for purchase but packing a few takes up very little space and I prefer to have my favorite brand/scent.
- Sink Detergent No laundry room? Just have something small that needs refreshing or maybe it’s hand wash only? These packets are perfect for all of the above.
- Plastic Laundry Bags I’ve collected a couple of these from past hotel stays. They come in handy when packing up dirty items at the end of a trip. Quite often we’ll now have enough to fill a few packing cubes or even fully load one suitcase. Sometimes there is less or we need a way to separate out a few stinkier items. This is when plastic laundry bags come in handy. After we get home, I simply empty, refold, and place back into our Travel Laundry Kit to reuse again later.
- Reusable Laundry Bag I recently updated our Travel Laundry Kit to include a packable laundry sack and found it to be a huge plus on our latest road trip. It holds more than one of the small plastic hotel bags (still find those handy too!). We could easily put in a couple days of clothes and stash entire bag into a suitcase until the next hotel. I also used it to carry our dirty laundry to a hotel laundry room for washing. Then grabbed the clean load from the dryer in our popup hamper. While not a necessity, I was happy we added this additional small item.
- Wet Dry Bag We often travel with one even if it’s not packed in our Laundry Kit. These bags are great for containing wet swimwear and or other small items until you can get to a location to hang up or dry fully.
Find these items and more that we find useful for Family Travel in our Amazon storefront HERE.
Building Your Kit
Once you have the items you want to put into your Travel Laundry Kit, you need something to contain it. I’ve found a packing cube works best for us. It fits all of the items neatly and packs easily.
Next time you travel, be sure to toss your Laundry Kit into your suitcase so you are ready for whatever comes your way.
Another item that always goes with us on trips? Our Kids’ Travel Medicine Kit. From sniffles to boo-boos, be ready wherever you are.
