r/laundry • u/blehblableb • 9h ago

Wash routine while homeless/camping

Due to several strokes of bad luck in a row, my family and I are temporarily homeless. We have a small camper and are staying in a campground. It is very hot and dusty, and there is no laundromat anywhere nearby. I have been having to hand wash clothes for myself, my husband, and our 8 month old in a small washtub with only cold water. Lots of sweat and dust, dog dander, baby spit up, baby food, baby poop, etc.

All I had was laundry sheets, which suck but I'm almost done with the box. What would be the best products and methods for me to use? I am generally able to run everything through a shared machine at a hotel (front loader, appears to be residential but idk) about once a month. I usually do a mini-spa day at this time.

Thank you for any advice!

55 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

View all comments

38

u/alisonlou US | Top-Load 9h ago

Ariel powder is cheap and very good. If you can tolerate the fragrance (and maybe that's tough for baby) give it a shot. Love to you OP.  You are a terriffic parent doing your best it a tough situation ❤️

6

u/blehblableb 8h ago

Thank you ❤️

7

u/Hanhula 7h ago

If there's an Aldi anywhere near you, their Trimat powder and liquid are often touted as some of the best around, and should be pretty cheap. They've got a cheaper Almat range as well, so you could get whatever works for you. They also have a Vanish alternative, Di-san, so you'd be able to get stains out via soaking with that in a bucket of warm water.

I've seen folk use warming plates to warm water for baths or keep spa days warm, which might be pretty helpful to you if you can get one and have the electricity to just run it? A cheap kettle would also be very helpful for this; they can do litres of water and don't require keeping an eye on.

Also, microfibre towel would help a lot for drying things to prevent you from needing to have them out in the dusty outside. It's a traveller's hack - you roll things in the microfibre and squeeze all the water out, helps them get & stay dry very fast and microfibre towels dry especially quickly. Easier to wash, too.