Laundry on a road trip in Morocco?

Hi there,

In November-December, we’re planning a 6-week road trip in Morocco, spending two-thirds of the time south of the High Atlas and away from cities. We’ll be staying in gîtes, kasbahs, riads, and the like—no big hotels. Usually, we stay 1–2 nights in the same place.

Six weeks means we’ll need to do laundry at some point, so here’s our question: Can we generally count on finding a washing machine/dryer in these accommodations? Or should we look for a laundromat or *lavandería* (are there any?)?

Worst case, we’ll hand-wash with a tube of detergent, but we’d rather avoid that if possible…

If you’ve got experience with how laundry works in the area, we’d love your tips! Thanks everyone! !

Hi there, In my opinion, outside of big cities, you have two options: either have your laundry done by the staff or owners of your accommodations, or wash it yourself in the wadis. Otherwise, from what I remember, some campsites have washing machines, but I assume you won’t be staying at campsites?

When you spend two nights in the same accommodation, you can take the opportunity to ask to do some laundry. In Morocco, it dries really quickly.

Hi,

You can also take your laundry (all of it) to a dry cleaner. Prices are per item (a sweater for this price, a shirt for that price, pants for another price...). For each piece of clothing, it's just a few dirhams. You get your laundry back clean, dry, and ironed. You probably won’t find a dry cleaner in small villages, but you will in small/medium-sized towns. Ten years ago, I lived for a few months in Taroudannt, then in Essaouira; I always took the "bulky" laundry (sweaters, pants, sheets, etc.) to the neighborhood dry cleaner—I never had any bad surprises.

Murielle

A big thank you to everyone, you’re really reassuring me. It’s mostly about getting through 3-4 weeks in the mountains/countryside between Rabat and Tafraoute, but if we can occasionally use a washing machine, all will be well—we won’t wear out our little fingers. For drying, worst case, a fouta and the sun in the car will do the trick. After that, it’ll be easier; we’ll stop in mid-sized towns (Taroudant, Essaouira...), so we’ll have access to laundromats (thanks for the tip, Murielle). We’re excited to explore and smell nice!

Hi, I don’t know if it’s sold in Switzerland, but in France you can buy Marseille soap. So you can bring a bar just in case. And Marseille soap is relatively eco-friendly.

Great idea, thanks. I always travel with a bag of Marseille soap flakes (you can find them in Switzerland), this time I'll take a bit more.

And Marseille soap is relatively eco-friendly

More practical: Genie without boiling and without scrubbing[;]

We also have this kind of item :)

Hi, I don’t know if it’s sold in Switzerland, but in France you can buy Marseille soap.

Hi Mathews, But why on earth would you bring Marseille soap when you can find that amazing black soap everywhere in Morocco? 😮

And black soap washes whiter! 😂

Hello

I agree with what was said 😉 All hostels offer a laundry service. Some do it themselves, others outsource it to the local dry cleaner and pass on the price with or without a commission. For reference, a bag of laundry costs between 30 and 60 MAD. It's either by the kilo or per item (check beforehand).

hi Kate well yeah why not it’s a substitute after all, black soap.

Hi Kate, well why not, it's a substitute after all—black soap.

Oh yeah, a real substitute! It can remove stains from floors, degrease dishes, wash laundry, and even be used at the hammam for scrubs So practical and budget-friendly!

Thanks Kate!

Be careful not to buy dangerous products like trinitrotoluene, ha ha, just kidding! Make sure you can put it in your luggage if you're taking a plane. Even if you bribe the customs officers, it won't get through.