This Travel Detergent Will Help You Keep Your Clothes Clean on Vacation, No Washing Machine Required

Tanya Ghahremani

You’ll never have to search for a laundromat during your travels again.

Doing laundry is annoying at best when you’re in the comfort of your own city. When you’re on vacation, however, it’s at least 10 times worse. Not only are you in a new place with no sense of where the nearest laundromat is (or how much it’ll cost), but you also have to take time out of your travels to sit and wait for a washing machine to finish cleaning your clothes. That’s not exactly the stuff Instagram pics are made of. Even if you’re staying in a hotel with laundry services, these can often be extremely expensive, and not a helpful option if you’re sticking to a budget.

But there are other alternatives, thankfully. For instance, SinkSuds Travel Laundry Detergent, available on Amazon, promises to clean your clothes as any other laundry detergent would…but without a washing machine.

It sounds too good to be true, but it’s a real thing—SinkSuds doesn’t require a washing machine, just your clothes, water, and a sink or a bathtub. You can literally do your laundry from your hotel room if you want to, no frantic searching for a laundromat on Google Maps required.

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They’re made to be used while traveling, so they come in small packets that are carry-on friendly. In the Amazon reviews section, customers rave about how easily totable SinkSuds are, with many saying that the packets take up little space in their bags.

Once you’re at your destination and actually want to use the product, it couldn’t be more simple: Just fill your sink or bathtub with some water, make sure the drain stopper is on, and empty a packet of SinkSuds into the water. Put your clothes into the sink (most customers say that eight items of clothing per packet is a good rule of thumb), and then twist around the clothes in the water a bit. After that, let everything sit for about 10 minutes, then rinse your clothes well. That’s seriously all.

<p><img alt="SinkSuds Travel Laundry Detergent Liquid Soap" src="https://www.realsimple.com/sites/default/files/1577725885/sinksuds-travel-laundry-detergent-liquid-soap.jpg" width="100%" /></p>

To buy: $8 (was $9); amazon.com.

The detergent is gentle, as well, so you can use it on delicate items of clothing as well as your other, tougher items. Although doing laundry is never a particularly exciting thing, it can at least be a little easier while you’re on vacation.