For traveling nomads embracing the zero waste lifestyle like myself, sustainably doing your laundry can sometimes be challenging.

Many scenerios on the road can leave you without a washing machine, and even many more without a dryer. 

Sometimes an Airbnb may not have a washer, or it might be broken, or worse - a dirty machine shared with an entire, even dirtier, building. 

Oftentimes hotels don't have washers, or if they offer laundry service, it's expensive, definitely not sustainable, you can't be sure you'll get all your stuff back - and do you really want a total stranger touching your delicates?

And finally, when housesitting, you may not have a washer, it may not work, or a freak thunderstorm might knock it right out of service when you need it. 

Depending on how rural your location is, sometimes it's not easy to visit a local laundromat to wash and dry your clothes, often it's rare, difficult, unsafe, and leads to unnecessary funds spent and a higher environmental impact.

So embrace these zero-waste laundry tips and other sustainable traveling tactics to reduce your carbon footprint while saving money.

For example, ditch the monthly smartphone bill and try and a global SIM with your tablet to tap into NetBet Sport, book eco-friendly accomodations, and connect with friends and family from wherever you are!

Evaluate your current wardrobe.

Can you reduce the number of items and get down to only what you really need?

Do you have versatile pieces that can pair with multiple outfits to reduce how much you own?

Better yet if the pieces can dry quickly and are odor resistant between long periods of not washing them.

This is one important way to save time, money, and resources.

Pieces made from natural fibers like cotton and bamboo fabrics are great and there's also lots of quality travel clothing that's perfect for the nomad lifestyle.

Traditional laundry detergents are bulky, usually full of poison, obviously not travel-friendly, plus they increase your carbon footprint because of their darn plastic packaging.

Instead, opt for more eco-friendly laundry alternatives such as soap berries or nuts that are are 100% natural and even compostable.

Laundry strips from Tru Earth or Kind Laundry are another great eco-friendly alternative because they’re plastic-free and travel-ready.

When specialty products like these aren't readily available, no problem, just get creative. 

Shave some bits off of a bar soap of your choice to create DIY soap flakes or use a bit of a shampoo bar for some easy sudsy bubbles. 

Hand washing involves a tad more work, but there are more benefits.

You won’t be spending the extra money and you'll also be reducing your carbon footprint.

Once you get the hang of it, it's easy to make handwashing a normal routine.

Here's how.

• Fill a sink or a tub with cold water.

• Add your clothes and eco-friendly laundry detergent.

• Manually agitate the clothes for a minimum of 5 minutes.

• Let everything soak for at least half an hour.

• Drain out the soapy water and rinse all the clothes thoroughly.

• Wring out the excess water and hang to dry.

Easy breezy!

For best results, always try to dry clothes outside.

If you don't have a rack or a clothesline, most anything can be rigged into one anyways. 

Plus the fresh air will soak in negative ions that will make you feel better when you wear them.

If you've got lots of darks like I do, then try to hang them in the shade to preserve your clothes’ natural color, as direct sunlight can dilute the colors.

So, even though a tad extra work is involved in doing your own laundry, like handwashing and hanging clothes to dry, it will save you money, ensure your clothes last longer, and reduce your carbon footprint in the long run so it's a win-win-win!