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I'm going backpacking for a month in Iceland and I plan to pack lightly (clothes for a week).

Laundromat are very popular in some countries but almost unheard of in others and, apparently, Iceland is such a place:

LAUNDRY: Self-service laundromats are not common in Iceland, but most hotels (typically 3-star or higher) throughout the country offer some laundry or dry-cleaning services for a moderate fee.

In Reykjavik there's a fancy Laundromat cafe but that's pretty much all.
Some people on the net reported laundry facilities at some crazy expensive fares:

We saw one guesthouse that offered to do laundry - 2300ISk per load to wash and 2300ISK per load to dry. One load washed and dried would have cost well more than a night's accommodation there.

While I'm aware of the fact Iceland is somewhat expensive I'd rather avoid paying that much for laundry (let's say more than 800 ISK / 5+ Euros is that much).

I do not have a strict plan but suppose I'll need to wash my clothes far from Reykjavik, let's say somewhere around Ísafjörður or Akureyri or Höfn and my hostel doesn't provide any laundry facility (or it's super expensive, read above), how do I wash my clothes?
Is washing clothes in a hot spring really viable (as in legal AND environment-aware)?

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    When backpacking, I do my best to bring clothes which can be washed in a bathtub or sink, which are odor-resistant, and which can drip dry or air dry quickly. While synthetic materials factor heavily into the travel wardrobe, I also carry linen and wool— it's really cotton that is the biggest problem, as it may take more than a night to dry indoors.
    – choster
    Apr 16, 2014 at 14:50
  • Put on all your clothes and place yourself beneath Gullfoss for one second :)
    – user937284
    Feb 24, 2015 at 22:00
  • I can see you have not been at Gullfoss, :'(
    – Willeke ♦
    Sep 7, 2016 at 16:53

2 Answers 2

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Most campsites have them. I'm at one right now in the North, 400ISK a wash and 400ISK for a dry, 100ISK for laundry detergent.

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My wife and I have done many trips where the extent of our washing of clothes has been done in the bathroom sink. If you're in a location for a couple of days it's very easy to do washing the first day and leave them around your room to dry (after wringing them out of course), and it's best (as choster commented) to take clothes that dry quickly.

There are plenty of instructions out there as to the best way to handwash, most of which transfer themselves to this scenario. Just make sure you bring a bit of detergent because, although you can use normal soap (and we have), it's not the best for the clothes.

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  • That's an option but I usually sleep in dorms with shared bathroom.
    – Geeo
    Apr 18, 2014 at 6:28

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