View Full Version : sharing a clothes washer
squeezebox
12-02-2014, 11:43
I don't plan on bringing enough clothes to fill a clothes washer. Maybe 1/3 or 1/2 of a load. So I see a strong possibility of sharing a washer with someone else. Since we wear a lot of the same stuff, socks, wool Tshirts, longies etc. So how do you separate out your clothes from the other clothes coming out of the washer. I'm thinking of sewing a piece of cloth ribbon of a certain color, in a certain spot in my clothes. to mark my clothes. Am I being to anal?
I write my trail name along with my real initials on my clothing and all my other gear with a water proof sharpie, i have never shared a washer with any body so this issue has never came up any of my hikes. sewing a piece of colored cloth on your clothes could work too. NO you are not being too Anal but like I said I have never meet any body on any of my thru-hikes that wanted to share a washer.
freightliner
12-02-2014, 12:12
I would say the chances you you having the same cloths as somebody else is pretty slim but maybe your socks. I am too much of a Germ phobic to share a washer with somebody else. My sock seem to get so dirty I have to wash them in the sink before I even put them in the washer. It's the only way they get clean and then I have to turn them inside out too. I guess what I'm saying is there's just too much blood sweat and smell that they'll end up on somebody else's clothes.
steve0423
12-02-2014, 12:16
I shared a washer several times, on occasion with multiple folks. I don't think you're being too anal, but it never was a problem for me. I find when I only have a few clothing items and I have to depend on them, I end up knowing them very well and it's pretty easy for me to keep track of what's mine. If you're worried about it, just mark them like you said. No bigee
Tuckahoe
12-02-2014, 12:47
I suppose it is an archaic practice but has no one ever heard of laundry marks?
saltysack
12-02-2014, 12:57
I suppose it is an archaic practice but has no one ever heard of laundry marks?
Is that like a skid mark?[emoji1]
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I see no advantage in sharing a washer/dryer since this is a very minor expense but I also don't have issues with it in concept. And anyone who ever uses a commercial laundry shouldn't care either.
Sarcasm the elf
12-02-2014, 13:26
I suppose it is an archaic practice but has no one ever heard of laundry marks?
Both my parents grew up in large families, there was a sharpie marker tied to the washer at one of my grandparents' houses so that everyone could mark their clothes. I grew up with just two siblings so we never had much of a problem sorting out which clothes belonged to each of us.
Damn Yankee
12-02-2014, 14:45
I have smelled myself and other hikers and would not want to share a washer. People could have lice or worse and I would not want to catch anything just for the sake of saving a dollar or two.
squeezebox
12-02-2014, 15:42
Sounds like it's still a reasonable idea to mark your clothes.
There are some hostels where self serve laundry is not coin operated and done communally. I recall that Bear's Den encouraged people to share a washer/dryer. Also, there are hostels/trail angels that do laundry for hikers. In those cases, I'm pretty sure that the laundry is combined. Beyond the yuck factor, I'm not really worried about it at all but I'm not going to go out of my way to find another hiker to share a load with to save a few dollars either...
Lice? Not all lice are head lice.
If there is any chance... I would not rely on having "hot soapy water" to kill it, at a laundromat.
i like good soil rekease clothing, that rinses out in a sink and dries overnight.
atraildreamer
12-02-2014, 17:36
Go to the dollar store and buy one of those nylon mesh bags that are used to wash delicate articles. They weigh almost nothing and can be used to separate your stuff.
Every time I shared a room (up to 3 in a room) at a motel we did communal washing. Saves time, saves money. I must have been lucky because the clothing was always different. Time is important in town. Minimise the amount of time on chores maximise the time sleeping and eating. Also you free up the washing machine/ dryer more quickly for others, this is in motel laundries.
Taz
You may be getting anal about it.
Uggh. Creeping me out thinking about it. Once you see and smell a hiker's clothing or gear you'll think otherwise. This includes my own. What ever you do, don't share a washer with those long distance hikers who refuse to carry more than one pr of socks or one shirt or use hiking is an excuse to forgo a decent level of hygiene. This is quite common.
Many long distance hikers are in a rush at town stops too so don't adqeuately clean their clothes and gear. You're literally throwing in with them.
Connie's right. I've been there. Learned the hard itchy bitten way. Unexpectedly experiencing the left over grime, OHDOOR, and whatever else, of some one else's clothing is a joy I can do without.
Lone Wolf
12-02-2014, 17:44
i never share food or washing machines
BTW, there is only one other person I fully trust in washing my backpacking clothing - Donna Saufley God bless her HUGE heart! Hands down, she is the undisputed champ of properly laundering backpacking clothing. She has more experience washing hiking clothing than probably anyone else on the planet. Thanks Donna!
What I find really disgusting are hikers who DRY wet items without first washing them. I witnessed this once and the smell from the dryer was unbelievable.
Coffee, with that post all those unpleasant nose twitching sneezing memories of such smells that I thought I had put behind me came back. That smell gets into your stuff too if you're not careful. This has happened more times than I could recall. It results in having to rewash all your clothing, by itself, again.
squeezebox
12-02-2014, 21:49
I plan on bringing a bag for dirtier clothes. It could be a mesh bag from the grocery store, oranges, grapefruit etc. good for washing clothes in?
kayak karl
12-02-2014, 22:01
I plan on bringing a bag for dirtier clothes. It could be a mesh bag from the grocery store, oranges, grapefruit etc. good for washing clothes in? i don't think dirtier will be an issue. ALL thing will be at supersaturation as far as funk and dirt can go. ;) Also clean will become a relative term.
MuddyWaters
12-02-2014, 22:04
A washer is $1, and dryer is $.50 (couple synthetic items are dry in 10 min). Im willing to splurge.
CarlZ993
12-03-2014, 13:19
When multiple washers weren't available, I shared my washer a few times. Never lost any clothing (although one sock tried to run away from me @ Bear's Den Hostel; I managed to corral it). I shared dryers quite often. Small loads don't seem to dry as well as 'normal' loads.
If there are all sorts of transferable germs on hiker clothing that can survive a communal wash, wouldn't it stand to reason that using the same washer after another hiker could also transfer the germs? A lot of the aversion really seems to be the "yuck" factor. I'm not sure how much safer anyone is by using a washer in a hiker establishment right after another hiker uses it.
fastfoxengineering
12-03-2014, 17:52
Drying dirty wet clothes in a dryer is pretty nasty.
Sharing a wash/dry cycle with someone is personal preference I guess. When I hiked with my brother I had no problem sharing a washer/dryer with him. Then again, our clothes were washed together when we were kids all the time. Doesn't mean its any cleaner than sharing with a random person but I never got the yuck factor from it.
I'd share a washer with someone you've been hiking with or know well, not some random person. For the whole transferring sickness and such, I feel anything that involves soap and high heat is safer than putting your hands near your mouth after two days on the trail.
CarlZ993
12-03-2014, 18:58
W&dyow&d? :)
Sarcasm the elf
12-03-2014, 19:11
W&dyow&d? :)
That took me a minute.
rocketsocks
12-03-2014, 19:15
I'd share, long as you didn't look like a leper, might ask to see your feet...don't want any athletes footy rot...and herpes need not apply.
squeezebox
12-03-2014, 19:37
So wear a condom when you are doing your laundry with someone else!
Rain Man
12-04-2014, 10:42
Aren't you sharing a washer if you use the same washer, no matter if the same load? Or do you run a full cycle with bleach and disinfectant before using it yourself to wash clothes?
Not looking down (or up) on anyone who doesn't want to share, but it does seem they are sharing anyway. Strikes me a tiny bit like hikers fearing bears and snakes but not the drive to and from the trail. A false (?) sense of dangers and avoiding them.
Rain Man
Aren't you sharing a washer if you use the same washer, no matter if the same load? Or do you run a full cycle with bleach and disinfectant before using it yourself to wash clothes?
+1 That's the point I was trying to make earlier. It just isn't clear to me that using a washing machine right after another smelly dirty hiker (or who knows who else) is much different than sharing a load. If the detergent and hot water won't kill what's in the clothing during the wash, maybe there would be remnants left in the washer after the wash when you put your clothes in.
freightliner
12-04-2014, 10:56
Aren't you sharing a washer if you use the same washer, no matter if the same load? Or do you run a full cycle with bleach and disinfectant before using it yourself to wash clothes? Not looking down (or up) on anyone who doesn't want to share, but it does seem they are sharing anyway. Strikes me a tiny bit like hikers fearing bears and snakes but not the drive to and from the trail. A false (?) sense of dangers and avoiding them. Rain Man
To me it's all about the rinse cycle. If you ever washed your clothes in the sink because there's no laundromat you'll be amazed at how many times you have to wash the same shirt over and over until you get clean water. When you start out with a washing machine you start with hot water and soap. Of course I will admit that I'm a little weird.
peakbagger
12-04-2014, 14:14
I used to use the laundry mat in Gorham NH near the post office. Thru hikers (and campers) would occasionally bring in dirty clothes and only use the drier without washing. It was quite obvious when a thru hiker did it as it left a major funk in the dryer that lasted for days. Anyone using the dryer would most likely need to rewash their clothes. Once I figured it out, I would open the dryer before using and take a big sniff, it saved me a couple of times.
SawnieRobertson
12-05-2014, 14:36
I had a major blowout with the owner of a hostel in Vermont whom I saw putting my clothes and my friends' clothing in the same wash. My friends were probably cleaner than I, but that was not the point. Back in the day when I had grade school children, I was still using a laundromat for our washing and drying. My children always seemed to catch anything that was going around. I finally started glaring at the washers, beginning to suspect that they were the culprits rather than the children my children attended school with. I pleaded my case to my husband, and we got our own washer and dryer set. The problem disappeared. That experience sticks in my mind.
I had a major blowout with the owner of a hostel in Vermont whom I saw putting my clothes and my friends' clothing in the same wash. My friends were probably cleaner than I, but that was not the point. Back in the day when I had grade school children, I was still using a laundromat for our washing and drying. My children always seemed to catch anything that was going around. I finally started glaring at the washers, beginning to suspect that they were the culprits rather than the children my children attended school with. I pleaded my case to my husband, and we got our own washer and dryer set. The problem disappeared. That experience sticks in my mind.
The voice of experience shares her knowledge. Thanks SwanieRobertson! Staying healthy and avoiding sickness while on the trail is a huge priority for me!
freightliner
12-05-2014, 16:46
I wonder if that's why the Norovirus outbreak was so bad. Or whatever that outbreak was last year.
Sarcasm the elf
12-05-2014, 16:52
I wonder if that's why the Norovirus outbreak was so bad. Or whatever that outbreak was last year.
I'd bet money that the main cause of that norovirus outbreak among hikers last year boiled down to a serious lack of regular hand washing combined with people sharing shelters, food, and log books.
Edit: That said, I don't doubt that the washer is another possible way to spread it.
Gross: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/washing-machines-loaded-bacteria-dirty-clothes/story?id=10751420
Solution appears to be running an EMPTY load with hot water and bleach before washing your clothes. But who is really going to do that with their limited town time?
SawnieRobertson
12-05-2014, 20:26
Let me clarify something about my post regarding laundromat washers and dryers. That incident was in 2003, and the owner, who was irritated that we were "just section hikers" to quote her a bit, was closing down the hostel for good. Who and where was not the reason for my post, just agreeing that there might be some good in keeping one's wash to one's self. Even when we are "clean," we are messes of germs, some, they say, good.
Our town laundromat has one brand soap, to avoid scum.
One laundromat operator, in another town, said they use Calgon to clean the washer.
I just got a new washer and dryer. The manufacturer provided "affresh" to clean the washer before the first use. The package indicated that product may be used to at intervals. Does "affresh" clean the washer?
My question is: what cleans the washer, or, dryer for that matter?
If vinegar, how much? white vinegar? vinegar and water?
I leave the door open on the washer and on the dryer, to allow air dry inside, after use. I am only trying to avoid the stale odor of some laundromat washers and dryers.
as hikers, are we better off scrubbing the sink and handwashing our own clothing?
as hikers, are we better off scrubbing the sink and handwashing our own clothing?
That's what I'm starting to think after reading this thread and doing some research... I've gone from "you guys are blowing this out of proportion" to maybe a bit paranoid about laundromats ... Hand washing in a motel sink or tub and then line drying either outside or inside might be a better bet. Also cheaper and could save time. Well, it's something to think about at least.
freightliner
12-05-2014, 22:43
That's what I'm starting to think after reading this thread and doing some research... I've gone from "you guys are blowing this out of proportion" to maybe a bit paranoid about laundromats ... Hand washing in a motel sink or tub and then line drying either outside or inside might be a better bet. Also cheaper and could save time. Well, it's something to think about at least.
That's what I do mostly because I'm too lazy and cheap. I wash them up in the sink and let them hang dry. If you stay at a motel I know that hair dryer works great on drying your socks. Just slide them over the end turn it on low a few minutes you're done. Once I was in a hurry I even ironed my clothing on low and they were dry in no time.