Last year, while getting fitted for a bra at a fancy Toronto store, I stumbled on a Canadian laundry wash called Soak. The fitter recommended it to me because it's made for delicates. I already knew I should be hand-washing certain sweaters and lingerie, but I was pretty lazy about it. It's time-consuming and I never felt like I was getting anything clean anyway. So I bought some Soak and hoped it would change my lazy ways. It ended up being a great purchase.

What I love about Soak is that it you don't have to stand there scrubbing/agitating anything and you don't have to rinse it out. You just pour a bit of the liquid into cold water, toss your garment in, let it soak for 15 minutes, gently wring/squeeze it out and hang it to dry. That's it! It cleans well, is easy to use and easy on your clothes.

It's fantastic for traveling because you can do laundry just about anywhere as long as you have a sink and a place to hang stuff to dry. Knowing I have access to laundry also helps me pack lighter!

They sell smaller 3 oz. bottles ($10 CAD and USD, 18+ washes) and single-use travel sized packets ($50 CAD and USD for 48 packets), so you also don't have to lug a big bottle of detergent around with you and worry about spillage.

Their scents are beautiful. I love Celebration, which is described as: Sweet, delicate and absolutely delicious." I'd say it's a very feminine scent without being overpowering or overly floral. I recently picked up Fig, which they describe as "freshly-picked clean [. . .] ripened with sweet fig and lychee, crowned by dandelions." It's earthier than Celebration but still lovely and delicate. I've smelled all of their current offerings, though, and would say it's hard to go wrong. They're all gentle and fresh.

I have sensitive skin and a sensitive nose, so I was hesitant to get a wash that wasn't supposed to be rinsed out and was scented, but I've never had any kind of reaction. The fragrance doesn't hang around the same way as overpowering machine detergents tend to/like to boast about. Instead, the scent slowly dissipates so everything just smells clean instead of heavily fragranced. But if scent isn't your thing at all, they do offer a scentless version!

Soak also comes in:

Lacey - "spring blossoms with sweet bergamot"
Aquae - "fresh sea air"
And Yuzu - "kiss of tart citrus + crushed eucalyptus"

My only complaint is that they reduced the size of their bottles. My first bottle was 14 oz. and claimed it was good for 80+ washes. I'd say that's pretty accurate. I think I've gotten more than 80 washes out of mine. My new bottle is only 12 oz ($16 CAD and USD) and claims it does 75 washes. It's not a big deal, and it won't deter me from purchasing Soak again, but it was annoying to get home and realize I was getting less product for the same price.

All in all, I love Soak. It's great to use at home and it also makes an exceptional travel wash. It's so easy to use and does such a nice job at getting things clean. It's also gentle on skin and fabrics, helping extend the life of delicates.

Let me know if you have any tips or tricks for laundry on the road. Do you use a special laundry wash? Have any other recommendations?