How to Do Laundry in Your Hotel Room Sink: Step by Step (+ bonus tips)

When you’re packing light and traveling with carry-on only, doing a bit of laundry on the road is essential.

Instead of overstuffing your bag with extra outfits, you can wash clothes right in your hotel room sink and have fresh pieces ready for the next day.

It’s easier than you think, and it works for everything from everyday travel clothes to delicate fabrics like merino wool.

This is exactly how I manage to travel carry-on only without ever running out of clean clothes.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through exactly how to wash clothes in a hotel room sink step by step, plus the best ways to dry them quickly so they’re ready to wear.

I’ll also share a few bonus travel laundry tips, including how to use a Scrubba wash bag as an alternative to the sink.

Whether you’re traveling for a week or several months, this simple system will keep your clothes clean, your luggage light, and your trip stress-free.

This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click through and make a purchase I may make a small commission. I only share information about things I know, love and trust!

What You Need:

Laundry detergent sheets.

I like them better than liquid because if you’re traveling carry-on only, you have limited liquid space.

These are the laundry sheets we use; I find they make whites nice and bright and are gentle enough for delicate fabrics.

But these Earth Breeze sheets are highly rated from 94,000 reviews! (there are also lots of helpful reviews from travelers who have used these on long trips, cruises, etc.)

How to Do Laundry in Your Hotel Room: Method 1

1. Clean Your Sink

Start fresh by giving your sink a quick wash with soap and water.

You don’t want yesterday’s toothpaste mixing with your clothes!

2. Fill With Water

Plug the drain and fill the sink with lukewarm water—not too hot, not too cold.

3. Add Detergent

Drop in a laundry detergent sheet (they’re lightweight and mess-free).

Swish it around until it dissolves and the water turns sudsy.

4. Wash Your Clothes

Add your clothes to the sink and give them a quick swish to soak.

Let them sit for 5 to 15 minutes (use whatever time you’ve got).

5. Agitate

After soaking, use your hands to gently agitate and move the clothes around. This helps release dirt and sweat.

6. Drain & Rinse

Squeeze out the soapy water, then drain the sink. Refill with clean water, swish your clothes again, and drain.

Repeat if needed until the soap is gone.

7. Remove Excess Water

Instead of wringing (which stretches fabric and creates wrinkles), fold clothes into a compact “brick” and press gently to release water.

8. The Towel Burrito Drying Method

Lay a clean towel on the floor, place your clothing flat on top, then roll it up like a burrito.

Step on the towel a few times to squeeze out extra moisture.

👉Tip: Rolling clothes in a microfiber towel works even better than hotel towels since they absorb more water and dry quickly themselves. If you travel often, it’s worth the small bit of space it takes up.

9. Hang to Dry

Drape clothes over hangers, the shower rod, or even the back of a chair.

Turn on the fan or open a window if possible to speed up drying.

👉 tip: if you have delicate fabrics & to avoid wrinkles, lay flat or drape over furniture to dry

Method 2: The Scrubba Wash Bag

If you want to take things up a notch, pack a Scrubba Wash Bag.

It’s basically a portable washing machine in a bag.

Just add water, detergent, and clothes, seal it up, and use the built-in washboard to scrub.

It’s more efficient than a sink wash and great if you’re traveling somewhere without reliable sinks (think camping, road trips, or hostels).

👀 Watch my hotel laundry video here for the full demonstration on how to use the Scrubba Wash Bag!

Extra Tips for Washing Clothes While Traveling

Here are a few extra tips to help you with managing laundry on your travels.

Build it into Your Schedule

Try to schedule laundry on nights when you’re staying at least two nights in one spot.

That way, if something isn’t dry by morning, you’ll have another full day and night for it to finish.

If I’m planning out my trip, I might even try to look for a hotel room that has a laundry machine after about 4-5 days of travel.

We did this in Portugal and it worked out great. Halfway through our 10 day trip we booked a hotel room in Lisbon that had a washing machine.

When it comes to laundry loads, smaller and more frequent is better.

It’s better to do a couple of items every 2-3 days than waiting until you have to do it all at once.

Check the Bathrooms in Advance

It’s also worth checking hotel bathroom photos before you book your hotel so you can see the type of sink you’ll have.

A larger or double sink makes the whole process much easier! You can easily find photos of the bathrooms on the booking page or on the reviews.

If you’re not sure about the sink situation, pack a sink stopper just in case.

Use the Shower

If you run out of detergent or don’t have any, hotel shampoo works fine (as it’s meant to remove body oils).

I’ve washed my bras in the shower many times in my travels.

Pack Quick Dry Clothes

I love traveling with clothing that dries quickly.

My merino wool t-shirts dry in about 5-6 hours.

For merino wool t-shirts, I’ve found crystal deodorant to be the best option because it doesn’t leave residue or buildup on the fabric and washes much easier.

Drying Tips

Rolling clothes in a microfiber towel works even better than hotel towels since they absorb more water and dry quickly themselves.

If you travel often, a microfiber towel is worth the small bit of space it takes up.

Socks in particular seem to take the longest, often a full day and night, so if you’re out and need a pair quickly, a hair dryer can work in a pinch.

If your hotel room has strong air conditioning or a heater, place your drying rack or hangers nearby to speed things up.

Even pointing the room’s fan at your clothes can make a big difference.

A travel clothesline or a length of paracord is also useful if you need extra drying space.

If Your Clothes Are Still Damp…

If you need to pack up and leave before your clothes are completely dry, the Scrubba bag comes in handy again.

Since it doubles as a dry bag, you can transport damp items without worrying about them getting the rest of your luggage wet.

What About Tropical Climates?

And if you’re in a tropical or humid destination where drying clothes indoors feels impossible, consider using a local laundromat or laundry service. They’re often inexpensive.

In Mexico and Bali we’ve dropped off laundry for just a few dollars.

In Prague, we even came across a laundromat that doubled as a wine bar (so look for these when traveling in Europe).