Drying Laundry

[Portia1]

I've noticed that opening times for a number of alberques on the Portugese are 5pm. How in the world do you get your laundry dry? I am assuming that you'd do your grocery shopping, etc. before checking into the alberque.

 

[Anniesantiago]

The trick is to take "quick drying" clothes, not cotton.

Also, the weather in summer is plenty hot for clothes to dry.
In winter, they set up racks indoors.

They also often have these nice little spinners that spin your clothes "almost" dry.

No problem!

 

[Portia1]

I do take quick drying fabrics but it still takes some time. Sounds like they have centrifuges like several along the Frances. I will be walking in mid-Septembr so hopefully will still be pretty warm later in the day even though the days will be getting shorter.

 

[lynnejohn]

Don't forget to take safety pins to attach your partially-dried laundry to your pack. As you walk along, and the sun and wind do their work, your laundry will be dry in no time!

lynne

 

[Anniesantiago]

Oh yes! The safety pins are an awesome idea. I learned that on this forum and used it daily.

Also.. I walked in September and it was mostly warm both years I walked, 2006 and 2009.
No problem with clothes drying overnight at all.

 

[muppet]

Hi there,

I just finished the Portugese walk a few days ago

Every two or three days I washed my socks, t shirts and underwear the moment I got into the hostels (usually around 1 or 2) using the washbasin or specific basins made for the job. I then hung them up to dry on the available rack, washline, wall, rails etc or anything else I could find so that they would have as much sun as possible. If they were still wet the next day and the weather was sunny i pinned them to the back of my rucksack and that did just fine.

Tips:

1) Get it done as soon as you get to a hostel especially if its a sunny day...the quicker you are the more chance of having space to hang it up on the line or racks.....its like going to the loo........when you get the chance ....make use of it! :lol: that goes for the washing and the drying....

2) I also made the mistake of taking a few cotton t-shirts....dont....they get soaked in sweat and hard to dry then and after washing.

3) take some safety pins and clasps to hang them onto the back of your pack....you dont want to arrive minus a sock!

4) Often the plug is missing in the washing basin so I take a small round cut out piece of kitchen floor lino. It plugs the gap with vacuum and is light and flexible to carry.

 

[Davroos]

I also made the mistake of taking a few cotton t-shirts....dont....they get soaked in sweat and hard to dry then and after washing.

Take lightweight technical shirts. They wick away the sweat and dry fast.

 

[pat.holland]

Really like the idea of the piece of lino, much lighter than a standard sink plug

If you can get your travel towell with a drawstring net bag so it can dry on your back also

only disadvantage of the drying out the back of hte rucksack is that you tend to forget and walk into shops etc with your bits an pieces swinging and possibly slapping people in the face !

 

[mmonomm]

i just came back from the camino, where almost every day we had rain!!!!
so drying laundry was a success only in Pontevedra were they had washing machines and dryers, otherwise no hope to dry!!!
do not take cotton t-shirts, on rainy days it takes 3 days to dry...