The Travel Chica

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A New Definition of Clean

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How many times do you wear clothes before you wash them?  Do you give your clothes the sniff test?  Do you determine if you need a shower by sniffing your armpits?  I’m not afraid to admit that I do all of these things.

I have found a new definition of clean as I have been traveling.

But I can tell you that while traveling through Central America, I still smelled better and my clothes appeared a lot cleaner than most travelers or locals I encountered.  The goal is just to smell at least as good as the guy next to you.

When you only have two t-shirts, three tank tops, and two pairs of shorts in an extremely hot climate, it suddenly seems completely okay to wear each item at least 3 or 4 times depending on how stinky you got during each wear.  Traveling through Central America, I learned there is a difference between sweat and stink.  I sweated every hour of every day, including while sleeping.  I felt like I was living on the surface of the sun.  But sweating does not necessarily make your clothes stink.  The trick is to shower if you are stinky, use good deodorant, and air out the clothes you wore at the end of each day.

Where am I unwilling to skimp? Underwear.  No exceptions.

I have nine pair, so I will usually do laundry every nine days.  However, I will stretch it out longer by hand washing a few pairs with my portable detergent strips (one of my best trip preparation purchases) in a hostel sink.  Throughout Central America, it was fairly common for hostels to have a sink for hand washing clothes.  However, I have been in situations where I’ve used a bucket and a bathroom sink, or even a Tupperware container and a shower.  Going to the lavanderia isn’t a huge inconvenience, but it is best to go when ALL of your clothes need washed.  So if you need to hand-wash a few items to make it a couple more days before the next trip to the lavanderia, you do it.

My other tricks to stretch it out longer?  I am not ashamed to admit that I have worn my bikini bottoms under my shorts on a few occasions.  And if you see me on laundry day, there is a 25% chance I’m going commando.

Most people in this part of the world do not have washing machines. And nobody owns a dryer.

Everything is hung up on a patio or terrace.  I talked to a few women in different countries who ran laundry services out of their homes, and they told me that the cost of water and electricity is very high for them.  They don’t make much from their services by the time they pay the bills.  It also seems that there is a general acceptance of sweat and a little body odor.  The people understand that you will not smell like a mountain spring every moment of every day, especially in a tropical climate near the equator.

Having a washer and dryer in my home is a convenience I have had my entire life except for my sophomore year of college.  Back in the US, it was no big deal to do a small load of laundry for one outfit I wanted to wear that night.  In many parts of the world, that is not an option.

I have met other travelers who carry scented sprays to spruce up their clothes when they smell a bit ripe or who only buy clothing made out of specific materials that do not pick up odors or wrinkle easily when packed.  I have also been told they make an alcohol spray that will kill bacteria to prevent body odor.

A call to fellow travelers:  Tell us your best tips for staying fresh and clean on the road… or at least how to fake it.

Comments

  2. I can really relate to this article since being with you in Bocas del Toro for 5 days with no air conditioning. I love sunshine & hot weather. But I have never sweated so much in my life! And sweating all nite was definitely not comfortable. Maybe it would be better when your body gets adjusted… But doesn’t sound that way from what you say.
    Mom

  3. Craig and I went to Europe with one piece of carry on luggage each. Walking the roman ruins in 100 degrees was a challenge. I washed many a clothes in our hotel bathtub. We went back to Paris the next year and did the same thing. However, it was cooler in October. Still washed multiple pairs of underwear and socks in the sink!!!

    • I remember when you told me about that, and I was amazed you were able to do it. Now I get it!

      It would be even harder in a fashionable city where you don’t want to look like a backpacker. I’m already feeling that in Buenos Aires. I had to buy two new tank tops because the ones I have are quite gross from being worn so frequently. But buying new clothes 5 months in isn’t so bad!

  4. If it smells okay and has no stains I agree it’s clean. But I’m with you on undies, I carry 10 and would not be one of those people who goes with 2 and washes 1 every night.

  5. I can’t vouch for this as I haven’t tried it yet but I read recently that a vodka/water solution in a spray bottle works as a good fabric deodoriser. It neutralises smells and doesn’t leave a stain apparently.

    I’ll be trying it when I go travelling later this year to fix up clothes in between washes!

  6. My tips for staying fresh while traveling :
    – Shower a lot, sometimes i would shower 4 times a day in countries in Asia.
    – Hanging your clothes on a hanger in the window will keep them fresh longer.
    – Drink lots of water and stay away from garlic,paprika and onions if you’re in hot temperatures. You do yourself and others a favor by doing this.
    – An roller for armpits does wonders on long bus rides.
    – When i took a 80 hour train ride on the Trans-Siberian railway i used wet perfumed tissues to “shower” myself in the toilet.
    Neil Skywalker recently posted..Kazakhstan – Astana

    • You can tell you’ve been on the road for two years :-)

      I cannot give up garlic and onions. They are part of my staple travel meals. The people around me will just have to suffer.

  7. One of the common problem when traveling is how to wash the dirty clothes specially when we are heading to a place where there is no laundry shop. I usually pack with me a laundry soap for me to manually wash my clothes like what you did.
    Julie Hayes recently posted..דיאטה

  8. Tips… do laundry after dinner, let it dry while you sleep.

    1. Rinse clothing first!
    2. Dissolve soap in water
    3. Add clothes next
    4. Scrunch with hands and sing!
    5. Let out water, scrunch away
    6. Add water, rinse, scrunch away
    7. Let out water, scrunch til dry

    Clothes are now clean and ready to be flattened, “hand ironed” and hung to dry. If you’ve got a string/rope, hanging over you or near you evaporating dry works.

    I sent my friends off with three small packages of Woolite so they wouldn’t have to track down detergent in the beginning. Kind of nice to to ease into travel that way…
    Cynthia Ann Leighton recently posted..Tech Tips- Email and Connecting with People

  15. Febreze makes a travel size that I also use in my hair. Having lived most of my adult life in NYC, where I never had a washer and dryer, and then traveling so much, including a year in Costa Rica where doing laundry was the biggest pain… I cherish my laundry room in Vegas so much!
    Abby recently posted..Low-calorie tricks from Miraval

  16. We girls probably appreciate clean undies. I only take 3 sets of bikini top and bottom which can last me for all my tours, up to 5 weeks of on-the-go. Every single day, I will wear 1 set, 1 clean set for after shower at night and 1 set drying-in-progress. Wash it while showering at night, sometimes using shower gel. And averaging 3 panty liners daily. Used this when I was traveling New Zealand, Australia and Asia, not sure if this is feasible in South America.
    DoRiS recently posted..My Personal Mission, Vision and Purpose in Life

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