This is a post in an ongoing feature on Her Packing List called “The One Little Thing“. Each week or two, I’ll be interviewing a traveling lady to find out the one little thing she just can’t travel without. This one comes to you from Julia Sweeney.
What’s the one little thing you can’t travel without?
I can’t travel without all-in-one laundry sheets. These are small, thin sheets that get tossed into the washing machine with your clothes, and then gets transferred with the clothes into the dryer. The sheet acts as a detergent, softener and anti-static.
Why has this one item been so important to you?
When I travel, I try to completely minimize the amount of liquid I have to carry. This makes life easier when I just want to take a carryon bag, and it helps to avoid accidents such as a bottle of something exploding all over your stuff (we’ve all been there!)
How packable is it? Does it take up much room? Is it heavy?
Regardless of how many sheets you need to bring with you, they still take up minimal space. I recently packed for a year long trip, and an entire package of these took up no more room than a single t-shirt. They are extremely light and easy to carry.
Would you recommend this to your travel friends?
Of course! Anyone who travels frequently is always looking for recommendations of products to make life more efficient, and this is absolutely one of those items.
Can you name one incident or situation when you were so happy to have this item with you?
After a long flight, one of my friends opened her backpack to find her laundry detergent had been crushed to the point where it exploded. It was all over her clothes, toiletries, and even her electronics. I was so thankful that I had my laundry sheets, and didn’t have to carry around a bulky bottle of laundry detergent where it could possibly ruin my things.
How did you hear about this item?
I first saw an advertisement for it in an American magazine. While the brand I bought was called Purex, I know that in multiple different countries you can find these laundry sheets in various pharmacies and grocery stores.
Or you can buy the Purex sheets online on Amazon!
What sort of traveler is this item perfect for?
This item is perfect for travelers who travel frequently, travel lightly, and those who don’t want to check baggage. It eliminates the process of having to measure out laundry detergent into a travel size container, and it eliminates the need to carry more than one laundry essential around. If you’re lugging around detergent, softener, and anti-static; your bag can get crowded fast. These are the perfect alternative because you will always have clean, fresh clothes, but you won’t have to give up an inch of that valuable bag space to laundry products.
>> If you hand-wash clothes on your travels, you might be interested in Sea to Summit washing products.
About the Author: Julia is a native New Yorker and recent university graduate who has been abroad for almost a year now. She likes to travel slowly and in depth, really getting to know the different cultures, cuisines, and people that make a country so special. She recently founded Jetlagged Julia to share stories and tips about her adventures. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
My grandmother introduced me to these – she uses them for her whites laundry, now I always have a few in my suitcase on the off chance I need to wash something 🙂
These look great! I hope I can find some in China-you’re right, carrying multiple liquids around is an accident waiting to happen!
According to Purex, these have been discontinued.
Hmm, that stinks. I still see them for sale on various sites, so maybe stock up while you can! 😉 I found a similar product here: http://washeze.com/
These sound like a good alternative if I were doing laundry with a washing machine. Normally I travel with a solid laundry detergent bar which I can shave into the sink for hand washing or into the machine. They only cost like $3 and last quite awhile. They’re also perfect to spot treat! I get mine at local health food stores.
I have not been able to find these for a while. I have replaced them with laundry pods and a couple dryer sheets. Good single serving packs, I also love having dryer sheets in my luggage. Good for a bit of freshening up clothes and the bag. I lightly brush it along pants that are getting a bit ripe but I need one more wear from.