Guy at the hostel in Barcelona argued with me about using a dry bag for laundry

Washed my stuff in a dry bag with some soap and a little water, you know the trick. This Australian guy kept saying it doesn't really get them clean and I'm just wasting my time. But I've done it across like 10 cities now and my clothes smell fine. He kept going on about how he uses a laundromat every 4 days. Has anyone else gotten crap from other travelers for doing this?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.rose17d ago

Try looking at it from a biological angle nobody talks about. Most people don't know that the trillions of microbes living on your clothes actually help keep your natural skin bacteria balanced. A full hot wash kills all of that, and then your skin has to rebuild from scratch. Your dry bag method is basically a cold soak that keeps some of the good bugs alive. I read a study once about how ultramarathon runners who wash less end up with healthier skin because of this.

hugobarnes16d ago

Right, so my clothes are basically a tiny ecosystem now and I'm the villain for wanting to smell like laundry detergent instead of a damp basement. I've been nuking my microbiome for years with hot washes and fabric softener like some kind of skin bacteria serial killer. Maybe I should just stop showering entirely and become a walking petri dish for "good bugs." At least then my armpits would have an excuse for smelling like a biology experiment gone wrong.