While the thought of doing laundry on the go might seem tedious and off-putting to many, there are several advantages to washing your clothes during a trip. You’ll be able to pack lighter, reuse your favourite outfits, and even mix and match your clothes to create new looks. Best of all, you’ll come home with fewer dirty clothes to wash—a definite plus when all you want to do is put your feet up and rest after your travels.
If you’re travelling to or through Singapore, rest assured that you’ll have a wealth of convenient ways to do your laundry during your stay. Most hotels near Changi airport and in the city proper offer in-house laundry services. Should you be staying in accommodations without such services, the good news is that laundromats are abundant and easy to find in the country.
That said, determining the ideal laundry service to avail yourself of will naturally depend on a number of things. These include the nature of your trip, the kind of clothes you’re bringing, your destination, and your budget, among many other factors.
Below, you’ll find a comprehensive rundown of ways for travellers to get their laundry done as efficiently as possible. We’ve done our best to ensure that our handy guide covers a variety of services, budget ranges, and other possible solutions.
Have the Hotel Do Your Laundry
Most full-service hotels, whether you’re looking into travellers’ hotels near Singapore airport or more high-end hotels, offer laundry and dry-cleaning services. These services typically include washing, drying, pressing, storing, and delivering your clothes to and from your room.
If your hotel offers such a service, you’ll usually find laundry bags and request forms in your room. In most cases, the forms will include the rates the hotel will charge for each service. Simply fill out the form to indicate what you need to have done, place your dirty laundry inside the bags, and leave these for housekeeping to pick up.
Take note that some hotels may require you to call the front desk or leave your bag and form in a particular area. Should this be the case, more detailed instructions for having your laundry picked up will usually be printed on the laundry bag itself. Just to be safe, make sure to go over the forms and check the laundry bags for any additional instructions regarding the hotel’s laundry services.
Availing yourself of hotel laundry services is likely to be one of the easier and more convenient ways to clean your clothes while travelling, as the hotel staff do the heavy lifting for you. The tradeoff is that these services are also likely to be the most expensive laundry option. If you’re on a budget, you may want to consider other alternatives.
Choose Accommodations with Self-Service Laundry
One convenient and relatively inexpensive option is to book accommodations with amenities that allow you to do your own laundry. The use of these self-service laundry facilities may be free or require only a minimal fee.
Serviced apartments and vacation homes may come with washing machines and driers that are free for guests to use. Hostels and other types of shared accommodation, meanwhile, may have a communal laundry room with coin-operated machines.
Regardless of the type of accommodation you’re staying in, it’s always a good idea to ask the management about the availability of materials like dryer sheets and laundry detergent. Depending on where you stay, these might be provided or purchasable on-site. If not, then you’ll have to bring your own.
Visit a Local Laundromat
Laundromats, also known as laundrettes or coin laundries, are fairly common in Singapore. These are public facilities where you can use self-service washing and drying machines to clean your clothes. Most laundromats use professional-grade machines that work faster and hold larger loads than regular machines intended for home use.
Besides self-service laundry, some laundromats may give customers the option of dropping off their laundry for staff members to wash, dry, fold and prepare for pickup. Although a much more convenient option, this service is typically also much more expensive than doing your laundry yourself.
Laundromats are generally inexpensive, which is the main advantage of using them on your travels. They also allow you to get all your laundry done at once. You will, however, have to check the locations and operating hours of local laundromats to find one you can reach easily from where you’re staying. You’ll also have to take time out of your vacation to do your laundry, so be sure to plan your trips to the laundromat around your daily schedule.
Hand-Wash in Your Room
Are you a budget traveller at a guesthouse or a transit passenger staying in a Singapore airport hotel? If so, hand-washing is a quick, affordable way to get a fresh change of clothes on the go. You can hand-wash your dirty clothes in the sink or bathtub at your place of accommodation and then hang them up in your room to dry.
This method works best for small items like underwear, socks, T-shirts, tank tops, and clothes made of quick-drying synthetic fabrics. However, hand-washing is generally less effective for heavily soiled clothing, large items, or clothes made of thick fabrics.
If you decide to go with this method, just be ready with your own laundry soap and any other necessary cleaning products. You should also be a considerate guest and try not to make a mess or waste any water as you hand-wash your laundry. Don’t hang your wet clothes anywhere that the dripping water might cause damage, such as over wooden floors or furniture.
Whether you’re a luxury traveller or a self-sufficient backpacker, you don’t want to spend too much good vacation time or money on doing your laundry. As you plan your next trip to Singapore, consider which laundry method best suits your schedule, travelling style, and other needs. That way, you can be sure you’ll have enough clean and fresh clothes to wear during your stay.