Washing a few items just to get through ‘til you can do a proper load of laundry in a machine, I think is what most people mean by hand-washing. In summer, hanging it near a sunny window in the morning should mean it’s plenty dry that evening.

Most if not all hostels will have a laundry room, usually in the basement. They are normally coin-operated, but ask at reception if you need to buy tokens instead of using coins with the machines. There are often neighborhood options, too, if your hostel happens to not have laundry facilities for guests, or if there’s a queue, machines not working, etc.

Do not bring detergent from home! Not that you would for a 3 month trip, but just if you were entertaining the thought… don’t. Machines in Europe are front-load, and the detergents in North America are mostly for top-load machines; they produce WAY too much suds if used in a front-loader, so much that you’d need to pay for another rinse cycle, and maybe 2 rinse cycles. Just buy a small box of detergent in Europe when you’re getting close to needing to do your first load of laundry. You can pack the remainder in a large ziploc freezer bag.

I wouldn’t muck with fabric softener. Bring some dryer sheets instead. They weigh practically nothing and take almost no space. They have lots of uses. I pack them in a small ziploc bag and squeeze out all of the air. They are hard to find in Europe (if I can generalize something about an entire continent!).

Beware that European machines can take a long time. 1 hour would be a very short cycle, if your machine even has an option that short. 1.5-2 hours is more typical cycle time. Be sure to set the final spin as high as possible; this will save you loads of time in the dryer.

If you have the option of hanging clothes to dry, then try it. Not only is it better for the environment, but if hung out properly, they will dry without wrinkles (and save you a few Euros in dryer cost each time!).

Pretty much true. I follow Don’s advice, although I use the dryer if one’s available. Air dry is a better choice for the environment and personal economy, but the dryer’s faster, easier and maybe more thoughtful of dormmates??? I really don’t like sharing a dorm or bathroom with somebody else’s wet laundry.

Thanks both for your advice!