What do you do to save Hotel laundry charges?

[Foreigner]

On my recent trip to Jakarta, the 5* hotel didn't have iron in room. It did have a ironing board, which is useless on it's own. When it came to ironing my shirts, I called HK and request an iron to which they responded "out of stock" or similar. A 20000 rupiah tip saw me getting five shirts ironed and returned to my room later in the day. No charges.

 

[robd]

At the second last hotel we stayed at on our last trip, we discovered a Guest Laundry. I think we spent about 3 hours or so washing and using the dryer. Prior to that, we were in New York and the hotel dry cleaning costs we're so expensive. I think it was something like $5 per pair of undies!

I'm not adverse to doing some hand washing in the bathroom basin and hanging it over the shower rail.

 

[katiebell]

Stayed in Lisbon recently & wanted to iron some clean, but crumpled shirts. No iron or ironing board in room. I called reception/HK and asked from iron and ironing board. I was told that the hotle did not supply these "against hotel policy" and I would have to pay (exorbitant amounts and wait 24 hours for things I wanted to wear in 2 hours time) to get them pressed. I cannot understand why a hotel will not supply iron & ironng board, especially as this hotel had smoking rooms (a much bigger risk for both fire and damage to the room). I am seriously thinking of buying a dinky little travel iron

 

[markis10]

On my recent trip to Jakarta, the 5* hotel didn't have iron in room. It did have a ironing board, which is useless on it's own. When it came to ironing my shirts, I called HK and request an iron to which they responded "out of stock" or similar. A 20000 rupiah tip saw me getting five shirts ironed and returned to my room later in the day. No charges.

Thats a nice little racket they have going, not unusual in a country where a note in the passport prevents your domestic flight being cancelled.

 

[dajop]

There's always the old trick of hanging up clothes in the bathroom and turning on the hot water in the shower - steaming them in lieu of ironing. Good for trousers, OK for pre-ironed shirts you just want to get the folds out of. Works best in Japanese (prefabricated?) bathrooms which are small and easily sealed to keep in the steam.

 

[yohy?!]

something like this?

 

[anat0l]

I'd normally do my washing in the sink. If I'm feeling a bit lazier I'll wander out to find a laundrette, though my use of it will depend on price.

As for ironing, I'd normally rely on having an iron and iron board in the room. If there isn't one and no decent pressing service around, then no choice - do without.

 

[codash1099]

It will depend on where I am, how much time I have and the urgency. "Smalls" I wash in the bathroom sink - I have quick-dry sox and underwear. If I'm tight for time, I'll use the Hotel and pay the charges but for the minimum number of items. Otherwise, I'll try and find a local laundry/dry cleaner. I'm certainly not going to waste good time in a laundrette doing it all myself.

 

[Princess Fiona]

I wash my undies, swimmers in the bathroom sink, place between two bathtowels on the floor and jump up and down on top of them before hanging up to dry. I send all other items to the hotel laundry. I don't iron EVER so lack of an iron is not an issue for me. I will sometimes employ the hot steam trick as per dajop above if I feel that something could do with a bit less creases

 

[medhead]

Besides washing smalls, I also have a collection of smalls on the way out. I can suitably use them and then simply dispose. The changi landfill probably has a few pairs now.

The benefit of an iron when travelling for work is not being bothered about packing neatly.


Sent from the Throne

 

[sweens]

Firstly I buy most of my clothes in the US and I tend to buy the wrinkle free type...specially shirts, they tend to dry fairly well without the need to iron, that's in my view, SWMBO would not agree...so the old shower steam after a basin wash works OK.

I travel a lot in South Africa where hotel laundry prices typically cost $$$ but they have a lot of full service wash laundries in shopping malls who charge by the KG to wash and iron...great service ,on a recent trip I gave them a 5kg bag of washing , which I picked up later the same day with all shirts neatly ironed on hangers for around $6 AUD.

This is great value...seems a lot of the locals do not bother with doing Landry themselves as at this price why bother!

 

[boylero]

frontways, backways, insideout front ways, insideout backways

 

[dodgeyhack]

I really don't get the $5 per undie, 25$ per shirt prices in hotels.
Surely they'd only get the bare minimum of customers?
I can charge laundry to work, but I'm not going to at those prices.
Cut the prices by 5 or 10 and they'd probably get a ton of business.

Preferably I'll go find a laundry where I can get a bag done cheap - Greece had tons of these but I don't find them in many other places.
But usually I end up heading out to find a laundrette. It's a good place to meet colourful locals!

I tend not to iron either =)

 

[Deewhy]

frontways, backways, insideout front ways, insideout backways

Haha, you forgot one more, "sans".

 

[Neeraj]

Yep..agree with the steamy bathroom trick too!

 

[cmon0005]

I have never understood the high cost of laundry in hotels...

In my travels in India, staying at 5* hotels they charge AU$3 for 1 pair of socks, AU$4.50 for underwear, and so on. In a country where labour is very cheap, why does a pair of socks cost AU$3 !!! I could almost buy a new pair of Bonds socks for that.
I must admit though I love getting the clothes back nicely pressed, better then I could ever do!

One time staying at a Serviced apartment I opted to go for the cheaper option and get an outside professional laundry company to do my laundry, not only did it take 2 days but some of my clothes came back very faded...

 

[Foreigner]

There's always the old trick of hanging up clothes in the bathroom and turning on the hot water in the shower - steaming them in lieu of ironing. Good for trousers, OK for pre-ironed shirts you just want to get the folds out of. Works best in Japanese (prefabricated?) bathrooms which are small and easily sealed to keep in the steam.

I'll try this. One thing I've learnt is to hang all the shirts and pants upon unpacking. Over the next several days, some of the wrinkles disappear on their own. Gravity, maybe.

 

[Peter D]

Last year I looked at portable steamers as I found a travel iron to small and fiddly and of course it needs flat surface too operate. Steamers are like an electric jug but instead of spout they have a wide slot at the top that lets out steam. They work with the clothes hanging or held up.
The only problem was you don't see them in the shops.
Though an internet search I found an electtical discount shop in London (off Oxford Street) that stocked them at half the typical Ausralian price. That was fine as it was only a month before I was about to go there. So I bought one on my second day.
Not as crisp as a full size iron but easy to use and it gets the wrinkles out. I found it useful as I like cotton shirts.
Inevitably most of the places we stayed for the next five weeks had irons !!

 

[tuapekastar]

I wash my undies, swimmers in the bathroom sink, place between two bathtowels on the floor and jump up and down on top of them before hanging up to dry. I send all other items to the hotel laundry. I don't iron EVER so lack of an iron is not an issue for me. I will sometimes employ the hot steam trick as per dajop above if I feel that something could do with a bit less creases

I'm getting these pictures.

I'll wash smalls and shirts in the sink if I have to, but prefer planning a stay where either the hotel has a guest laundry, or there is a commercial laundrette somewhere nearby. No way would I pay the ludicrous hotel laundering rates.

 

[Ikara]

I wash my undies, swimmers in the bathroom sink, place between two bathtowels on the floor and jump up and down on top of them before hanging up to dry. I send all other items to the hotel laundry. I don't iron EVER so lack of an iron is not an issue for me. I will sometimes employ the hot steam trick as per dajop above if I feel that something could do with a bit less creases

Old Navy trick. Don't jump up and down on the towel. Roll them up in the towel (like a long sausage) put your foot on one end and twist the other end like buggery!!! Wrings them out loverly!

JB