How should I wash clothes in Iceland?
I'm going backpacking for a month in Iceland and I plan to pack lightly (clothes for a week).
Laundromat are very popular in some countries but almost unheard of in others and, apparently, Iceland is such a place:
LAUNDRY: Self-service laundromats are not common in Iceland, but most hotels (typically 3-star or higher) throughout the country offer some laundry or dry-cleaning services for a moderate fee.
In Reykjavik there's a fancy Laundromat cafe but that's pretty much all.
Some people on the net reported laundry facilities at some crazy expensive fares:
We saw one guesthouse that offered to do laundry - 2300ISk per load to wash and 2300ISK per load to dry. One load washed and dried would have cost well more than a night's accommodation there.
While I'm aware of the fact Iceland is somewhat expensive I'd rather avoid paying that much for laundry (let's say more than 800 ISK / 5+ Euros is that much).
I do not have a strict plan but suppose I'll need to wash my clothes far from Reykjavik, let's say somewhere around Ísafjörður or Akureyri or Höfn and my hostel doesn't provide any laundry facility (or it's super expensive, read above), how do I wash my clothes?
Is washing clothes in a hot spring really viable (as in legal AND environment-aware)?
Best Answer
Most campsites have them. I'm at one right now in the North, 400ISK a wash and 400ISK for a dry, 100ISK for laundry detergent.
Pictures about "How should I wash clothes in Iceland?"
How do Travellers wash their clothes?
Always read the care labels of your clothing before you pack or wash them. Most garments, even silk, wool, and linen, can be handwashed, but they need to be hand washed with a gentle laundry soap. Best to leave delicate, expensive, and \u201cdry clean only\u201d items at home.What is the proper way to wash your clothes?
Turn clothes inside out: Clothing that is prone to fading or odor retention will benefit from being washed inside out. Dark jeans, workout clothes and dark T-shirts should all be washed inside out.Should clothes be washed inside out or outside in?
Strip off your clothes and squirt some water and biodegradable soap on a bandana or camp towel, then go to town. Moist towelettes also work well. (Bonus: you can dehydrate them at home, then rehydrate on the trail to save weight and space.)How Nordic people do the laundry
More answers regarding how should I wash clothes in Iceland?
Answer 2
My wife and I have done many trips where the extent of our washing of clothes has been done in the bathroom sink. If you're in a location for a couple of days it's very easy to do washing the first day and leave them around your room to dry (after wringing them out of course), and it's best (as choster commented) to take clothes that dry quickly.
There are plenty of instructions out there as to the best way to handwash, most of which transfer themselves to this scenario. Just make sure you bring a bit of detergent because, although you can use normal soap (and we have), it's not the best for the clothes.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Meruyert Gonullu, Lukas, cottonbro, Karolina Grabowska