View Full Version : Doing laundry in town
Something I learned in Front Royal this week... If you stay at a hotel that has guest laundry services, you will definitely pay more than at a regular coin-op. And you will most likely be dissatisfied with the results. I put some really nice Lorpen and Injini socks in the dryer, along with my synthetics, and set the temperature to "delicate". When I returned about 15 minutes later to check on my clothes, they were too hot to touch and I had now several pairs of baby socks. I went to the front desk to complain and was told that "maintenance" would look into the problem in the morning. My guess is that hotels don't really do maintenance on guest laundry machines, and that in my case the dryer vent was full of lint, although I did clean the lint filter before my load went in. I asked to see the owner and was told he was on travel, even though I had seen him talking to a hiker only a few minutes before. Lesson learned: Always take your laundry to an establishment that is in the laundry business. It's no guarantee, but the odds are better.
Thank you very much but I'll wash my own merino wool, down, and polyester gear. The only one who I would trust doing my hiking laundry would be Donna Saufley in Agua Dulce on the PCT!
LoneRidgeRunner
05-14-2011, 22:53
I do my own laundry..I trust no one with my hiking gear but myself...
The lesson learned is not to leave the laundry room, and check the dryer.
Robert Rowe
05-15-2011, 08:12
I, too, trust no-one but myself for laundering while traveling.
I have pretty much abandoned fleece ... and, have 'bit-the-bullet' ($$$). I now have replaced almost all my fleece articles with Merino wool, and other wool blends (cashmere, shetland, alpaca, etc.).
Just cold water and a few drops of Dr. Bronner's Castile soap, followed by even a cursory rinse will do a great deal. DO NOT wring wool articles. SQUEEZE and 'block', or allow to dry clipped or fastened to your pack while you commence your hike.
If you launder synthetic technical-fabric items the same manner, you will keep the 'stinky-poo's' at bay, until you get home. You can wring synthetic articles, however. They will dry faster.
r2
A hostel owner once told me British hikers were usually the ones really paranoid about using "American dryers" and often opted on air drying.
I had the same thing happen in Stratton, ME....
Except instead of baby socks I had a baby shirt.
You have a good point - motels have no real incentive to maintain their laundry equipment since they're in the room rental business.
john gault
05-15-2011, 09:22
Something I learned in Front Royal this week... If you stay at a hotel that has guest laundry services, you will definitely pay more than at a regular coin-op. And you will most likely be dissatisfied with the results. I put some really nice Lorpen and Injini socks in the dryer, along with my synthetics, and set the temperature to "delicate". When I returned about 15 minutes later to check on my clothes, they were too hot to touch and I had now several pairs of baby socks. I went to the front desk to complain and was told that "maintenance" would look into the problem in the morning. My guess is that hotels don't really do maintenance on guest laundry machines, and that in my case the dryer vent was full of lint, although I did clean the lint filter before my load went in. I asked to see the owner and was told he was on travel, even though I had seen him talking to a hiker only a few minutes before. Lesson learned: Always take your laundry to an establishment that is in the laundry business. It's no guarantee, but the odds are better.
I've never done my laundry in a hotel, so I can't really talk about price comparison, but on more than one occasion I've come across a faulty dryer. The last one was somewhere in Maine; it nearly burnt my socks.
If you look at the condition of most laundrymats (sp?) the maintenance seems to be lacking. I wouldn't doubt it if most laundry machines in hotels are in better condition.
Yep, I "pre-washed" my stuff in the tub a few times with Dr. B, stomped all the water out, and rolled it all up in the two towels provided by management. It was late afternoon and I was leaving the next morning, so there was no time to let everything drip-dry, so the dryer seemed to be the answer. I guess I thought "delicate" meant the same thing it means at home. Seems I was wrong, and am now the wiser for it. The experience of others and the Brit aversion to American laundry practice is the new standard. Thanks, folks.
Wash it in the shower at the hotel. I get in fully clothed and soap up rinse and then take off my clothes and wring them and wash tem agaian then wah the rest of meself. roll the clothes up in towels and go out for a cold bevverage of choice. Come back and hang the clothes out around the room and go to bed. Next day they are generaly dry enough to pack or wear. Or just don't worry about it and you will have fewer people problems on the trail, especialy those that are downwind!!
One problem that may happen in hotels is that many of them lease out their laundry rooms. WEB is one such company that leases laundry rooms. They have no incentive to keep the machines in hotels maintained because those are captive customers that are very unlikely to go elsewhere or be a repeat customer regardless of the condition of those machines.