Laundry or not??

[momfor4]

I am wondering do people do laundry while on vacation here or not?? We will be there 8 nights with 4 kids ages 4-8. Do i just plan on doing laundry mid week, or is it a pain and waste of time that I should just pack more clothes for the kids?? We are driving, so i'd have room. I figure my kids will need a clean shirt each day b/c it will be hot and sweaty?!? Then all the other stuff.

Any suggestions on what you have done would be great!!

 

[LubsPoohBear]

we had to do wash mid week but thats only becouse i forgot my pants .. i had enuff shirts and pjs but only the pants i had on driving down .... ( i did get some new pants out of it ) my DH says i will do anything to go shopping

 

[momsgoofy]

Kinda the same reason I do laundry on vacation...run out of clothes. LOL I've actually done laundry on 2 of the last 3 trips...the third one I ended up just buying something to wear. I've never done laundry on a trip before we became DVC members...it's free now, so why not if I need to do laundry and if we're in a 1 bedroom or larger it's right there in the room...too easy. Otherwise it's near the pool, so while we hang out at the pool, I can do a load.

If you decide...or even think you might do laundry on the trip, save a little money and pack laundry needs. I pre-measure dry detergent into snack size ziploc bags (1 scoop fits perfectly), the dryer sheets stay nicely in a sandwich size bag, and then I put both into a quart size freezer bag (thicker, sturdier). I also add a few clothespins in case I need to hang bathing suits or unmentionables...better than hanging on those weak lines in the bathroom and a one of the stain remover pens. I think I can usually get enough for 4 loads into 1 quart size bag.

Hope this helps!

 

[dsnymomof4]

We usually do laundry mid-week, but only because we run out of clothes (2 outfits per day when it's 90 degrees). But, if you have the room and enough clothes to pack, I would do that rather than do laundry on vacation!

 

[englishteacha]

We packed enough clothes for our whole trip in June, but our condo had a washer and dryer, so we ended up doing laundry anyway. Next time, I'll just bring my 3-4 favorite outfits and wash them mid week. We're usually scrounging for a full 7-8 days worth of clothes, so there's usually a couple outfits we really don't like much that we have to wear if we don't do wash.

 

[dianemb]

I would not plan on doing laundry. I always bring enough clothes and extra sock and underware. Pants/shorts can always be worn more than 1 day. We also plan on buying a couple t-shirts while there so that helps too. If you have the room I'd bring the extra clothes so you won't waste time or MONEY washing.

 

[julsmom]

Good point. It is kind of a waste of money to use the laundry room. It is so expensive. On the other hand, I always end up doing laundry.

 

[hncg57c]

We usually do laundry on vacation just so we won't have to pack so much. If we are staying a hotel, we usually do it midweek. Otherwise, we just do more if we are staying at our timeshare unit b/c the washing machine and dryer is right in the room. Since you are driving, you could always bring more clothes if you don't feel like washing laundry.

 

[Lucy2005]

I don't do laundry on vacation. I don't even want to think about laundry on vacation.

 

[First timer]

I swore up and down that I was not doing any laundry on vacation. It used to work before the kids! Now with two girls my husband and myself it just was not possible. We did not run out of clothes - just room for all the dirty laundry. As the other posters said 2 outfits a day in 90+ weather. After the 4th day I did not know where to stuff it so I figured a trip to the laundry facilities was in order. Only I did it at 12AM to avoid the crowds!

 

[c4alymom]

I didn't plan on doing laundry on our trip, but I took detergent and fabric softener just in case. It was SO hot and humid, though, that I couldn't fatham taking those sweaty clothes home like that. I did end up doing laundry twice during our seven day trip and came home with ALL clean clothes. It sure made the unpacking nice!

 

[Amyg]

We were there for 8 days in July and did laundry on day 5 since we were taking an afternoon break anyway. Brought 3 pre-measured bags of detergent and dryer sheets. It didn't think it was a big deal, I just sat and read since the laundry was next to the pool anyway.

 

[ZoZo]

I'm a habitual over-packer. Last year, I brought waaaaay too many clothes. I could easily have brought half of the amount of clothes I packed - I could have used a much smaller suitcase! I was there for eight days and did laundry mid-week. For me, it provided a little break from the parks.

It was very easy - we stayed at Shades of Green, and the laundry room was just down the hall from our room. I got two loads of clothes done in about an hour and a half. Their laundry facilities were very clean, and the washers and dryers worked great. I brought my own laundry soap and dryer sheets from home. Worked great!

 

[TENIA66]

I say no laundry on vacation!!!

 

[Hoopfamily]

We always do our laundry on our down day,usually sometime midtrip. Makes packing easier.

 

[candykisses]

We are a family of 4 and go during the summer for 15 days. We change twice a day.

I usually do laundry 3 times. I bring my own laundry supplies and do it either while it's raining or while we're at the pool.

 

[isla bonita]

Can not imagine not doing laundry. The idea of us being there 17 days and bringing that many cloths and having stinky cloths to bring home yuc!l

 

[thunderbird1]

We always do laundry--especially with 2 kids and 10 day trips, we can bring half the amount of clothing, and half the number of suitcases. I also don't worry if someone needs a mid-day change, because I know I can always throw a load in the washer. And I can wash souvenier t-shirts that we purchased so we can wear them on the trip. I can't even imagine how many suitcases you'd need to bring for 4 kids (plus adults) for 8 days.

When do we do laundry? Usually a little past mid-trip, and either during afternoon break (last year) or one evening when we came home "early" (9:00 or so). My dh took dd for a nighttime swim (no sunscreen needed!), and I took my ds to the lobby to watch cartoons while the clothes were in the washer and dryer (had planned on going to the playground, but it closed at dusk).

Hints: Bring your own detergent in small ziploc bags. It's much cheaper, and you get to use your own brands, so clothes will smell the same and you won't have any allergic reactions to different detergent. I also bring a roll of quarters, since the change machine often runs out, and I hate running around trying to scrounge up change. And I find that most hotel dryers take much longer to dry clothes than mine at home, so I try to pack things that dry quicker--thinner fabrics and no denim, if possible.

 

[HerNibs]

Momfor4,
I am also a mom of four, ages 4-10. I absolutely plan on doing laundry mid-week. I am not a laundry-doing-lover, but I hate clutter in a hotel room, the thought of figuring out 48 different outfits (6 family members X 8 days), and the thought of washing those 48 outfits when I get home. Actually, 48 outfits is conservative because I would assume there will be a few days when we will want to change for dinner etc...

Also, I am not forgetting that I am on vacation and I will be bringing a good book and purchasing a yummy drink to enjoy while I do laundry. I actually think it will be a good excuse for a little alone time. Besides, with more than one washer and dryer, it won't take so long!

 

[Delilah Bleu]

I did our laundry two days before we came home. It was nice to come home with almost all clean clothes. And I could wear my favorite Mickey shirt one more time.