Accommodation Laundry 101: Hotels, Guest Houses, and Self-Catering Stays

You've booked your December holiday accommodation. Maybe it's a hotel in Cape Town, a guest house in Knysna, or a self-catering cottage in the Drakensberg. You're sorted for where you'll sleep and eat, but have you thought about where you'll wash your clothes?

Probably not. Most people don't until they're three days into their holiday and realise they need clean shirts.

Different types of accommodation offer wildly different laundry options, from full-service luxury to absolutely nothing at all. Knowing what to expect and how to handle it can save you time, money, and frustration during your holiday.

Hotels: Convenience at a Price

Hotels generally offer laundry services, but they're expensive. We're talking R80 for a shirt, R120 for trousers, sometimes more at upscale properties.

🟦When hotel laundry makes sense: You're on a business trip with an expense account. You've spilled something on your only decent outfit. You're only staying a night or two and can't be bothered with alternatives.

🟦When it doesn't: For everyday holiday clothes, especially if you're staying a week or longer. That laundry bill can easily reach R500-R1000, which could pay for a nice dinner or an activity instead.

🟦The laundry bag system. Most hotels provide a laundry bag and price list in your room. You fill out the form, tick what you want washed, and leave it outside your door before a certain time (usually early morning). You'll get your clothes back the next day, clean, pressed, and individually wrapped.

🟦Express service costs extra. Need it back the same day? That's usually double the price. Need it in four hours? Even more. Plan ahead if you can.

🟦Some hotels offer per-bag pricing. Instead of per-item charges, you pay a flat rate for a bag of mixed laundry. This is far better value if you have multiple items. Always ask if this option exists.

Guest Houses and B&Bs: The Middle Ground

Guest houses are more variable. Some offer laundry services, others don't. Some will let you use their washing machine for a small fee, others have no facilities at all.

🟨Ask when you book. If laundry matters to you, clarify upfront what's available. "Do you offer any laundry facilities or services?" is a reasonable question, especially for longer stays.

🟨Expect to pay something. If a guest house offers to do your laundry, it's usually at a much more reasonable rate than hotels. Maybe R150-R250 for a mixed bag. Some charge per load if you're using their machine yourself.

🟨The timing can be tricky. Guest house owners have their own schedules and other guests to manage. Don't expect same-day service unless it's been explicitly offered. Give them a day or two, especially during busy holiday periods.

🟨Loadshedding affects everything. Guest houses often don't have backup power for their washing machines. If they say they'll do your laundry "when the power's back," that's not them being difficult, that's the reality of running accommodation in South Africa right now.

Self-Catering: You're on Your Own (Mostly)

Self-catering accommodation varies enormously. Some places have a washing machine. Others have nothing. Some have a washing line in the garden, others expect you to use a drying rack indoors.

🟥Check the amenities list carefully. If it says "washing machine," you're sorted. If it doesn't mention laundry at all, assume there's nothing.

🟥Bring supplies. Even if there's a machine, there probably won't be detergent. Pack your own washing powder or liquid. Fabric softener too, if you use it.

🟥Understand the machine. Self-catering machines are often older models or different brands than what you use at home. Take a minute to figure out the settings before you start. Front loaders in particular can be confusing if you're used to a top loader.

🟥The washing line situation. Some properties have a lovely washing line setup in a sunny garden. Others have a rickety fold-out rack on a tiny balcony. You won't know until you arrive. If you're particular about where you dry clothes, this matters.

🟥Sharing facilities. Some self-catering complexes have shared laundry rooms with coin-operated machines. This works like a laundromat: bring coins, don't leave your washing unattended, and be considerate about timing.

Coastal vs Inland: Location Matters

Where you're staying affects how easy laundry is, beyond just the accommodation type.

🔆Coastal humidity is your enemy. Washing takes ages to dry in places like Durban or Plett during summer. Even with a good washing line, clothes can stay damp for a full day. Plan for longer drying times.

🔆Inland sun is your friend. The Karoo, Free State, or Lowveld in winter? Things dry fast. Sometimes too fast, actually. Keep an eye on your clothes or they'll be stiff as boards.

🔆Salt air has an effect. If you're staying right on the coast, salt spray can make your clothes feel slightly stiff or sticky even after washing. It's not a big deal, but it's noticeable.

🔆Wind can be helpful or annoying. A good breeze helps clothes dry faster, but too much wind means clothes blowing off the line or getting covered in dust. Coastal wind is generally clean. Karoo wind brings dust and sand.

DIY Laundry in Your Room

Sometimes your accommodation simply doesn't offer laundry facilities, or they're too expensive, or you just need to wash a few small items quickly. That's when you improvise.

💧The sink is your washing machine. Fill it with warm water and a small amount of soap (hand soap works if you don't have detergent). Soak your clothes for 15-20 minutes, give them a scrub, and rinse thoroughly. The towel-roll trick for getting excess water out works brilliantly.

💧Where to dry things. The shower rail, the towel rack, or hangers hung from curtain rods all work. If your room has a balcony, even better. Just don't drape wet clothes over upholstered furniture or wooden surfaces.

💧Don't leave the bathroom floor wet. Wipe up any water you splash. Accommodation owners will absolutely notice if you leave puddles everywhere.

💧Open windows for ventilation. Wet clothes in a closed room create humidity and can make everything smell musty. Crack a window or turn on the air conditioning.

The Cost vs Convenience Decision

This is where you need to be honest with yourself about what matters more: your time or your money.

💰Hotel laundry saves time but costs significantly. If your holiday is short and you're busy doing activities all day, maybe it's worth it. If you're on a relaxed two-week beach holiday, probably not.

💰Self-catering with a machine is cheapest but requires effort. You have to buy detergent, do the washing yourself, hang it out, and time everything around weather and load shedding. But it costs almost nothing beyond the supplies.

💰Guest house laundry is the middle option. More expensive than doing it yourself, cheaper than hotels. You hand over a bag and get it back clean. For many people, this is the sweet spot.

What the Accommodation Doesn't Tell You

👉Not all washing machines are created equal. Some accommodation has industrial machines that handle anything. Others have old domestic machines that struggle with heavy loads or take forever to complete a cycle.

👉Washing lines might be communal. If you're in a complex or guest house with multiple units, you might be sharing line space. Don't hog the entire line for your family's washing.

👉Checkout time includes laundry time. Don't put a load of washing on the morning you're checking out. You won't have time to dry it, and wet clothes packed in a suitcase are nobody's friend.

👉Insurance doesn't usually cover laundry disasters. If the accommodation's machine ruins your favourite shirt, you're probably out of luck. Don't wash anything irreplaceable or expensive in questionable machines.

👉Backup power for guests doesn't always include the laundry. A guest house might have power for lights and fridges during load shedding, but not for the washing machine. Always ask about timing.

Tips for Longer Stays

If you're staying two weeks or more, laundry stops being a minor inconvenience and becomes part of your routine.

📌Establish a laundry day. Pick a day midweek to do washing. This spreads it out and means you're not scrambling at the last minute.

📌Pack enough to get through the first week. This gives you flexibility to do laundry when it suits you, not when you're desperate.

📌Keep dirty and clean separate. Use your suitcase for clean clothes and a separate bag for dirty items. Mixing them up in a small space makes everything smell off.

📌Bring pegs if you're self-catering. Not all places provide them, and the cheap ones properties supply often break immediately. Good pegs make your life easier.

Coming Home to Your Own Setup

After a week or two of working around accommodation laundry limitations, coming home feels particularly good.

No more trying to figure out someone else's washing machine settings. No more checking if the washing line is free or if other guests have claimed all the space. No more timing your washing around load shedding schedules that aren't yours. No more hand washing in bathroom sinks because the alternatives are too expensive or complicated.

You just walk in, throw your holiday washing in your own machine, hang it on your own washing line, and everything works exactly how you expect it to. It's one of those small domestic pleasures that you only really appreciate after spending time working around less-than-ideal situations.

And if your washing line has seen better days, if your pegs are mostly broken, or if your whole setup has been something you've been meaning to deal with for ages, coming home from holiday is the perfect prompt to finally sort it out.

Because having a proper laundry setup at home isn't just about convenience. It's about having one less thing to think about, one less hassle to deal with, one aspect of domestic life that simply works. And after navigating accommodation laundry on holiday, that's worth a lot.

Make coming home from holiday even better with a washing line setup that actually works. SA Washline supplies and installs high quality T-pole, rotary, wall-mounted foldaway, and retractable washing lines. We also repair old lines and supply durable no-rust pegs. Get your laundry sorted before your next trip.

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