Thanks for the helpful suggestions and to the snark ones... I never said we couldn't afford to pay for hotel laundry, but if I can avoid paying 4 euros for ONE underwear I will.

my friend lives in England and works in a laundromat. she says they're everywhere.

Learn what the word for laundry in the languages you will be traveling in. I biked thru Europe after college and we just asked people where their was a laudromat. Mostly I did my own clothes in the laundry, others paid and left their clothes at the laundry and came back at the end of the day.

It was easier on a bike to find a laundry because you could cover several miles with no problem.

In France, Spain, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany - my strategy was to bring or buy travel sized packets of detergent and do laundry in the sink by hand, then hang clothes over the sink, tub, shower pole, even out the window (depends on the place, of course). Also bring one of those shout pens for cleaning up spots on items that don't need to be fully laundered. If you're traveling now int the summer months, do laundry early before you go out, and it should be dry by the next day. Good luck - and enjoy the trip!

Hotel sinks, all the way. How old/ how many kids? Can they do their own?

Pack a clothes line that hangs up in the bathroom, and a couple inflatable hangers (help clothes dry faster than regular hangers.) Rayon is your friend--breathes well, dries fast.

If you are staying in hotels and paying airfare etc
Are you sure you can even afford your vacation if washing clothes will break your budget?

Learn a skill from you grandmother, hand wash your own clothes

Ok, if we do through the hotels what is the best strategy to have my clothes back by the next day at the latest?

I lived in Europe and in the years before I bought a washer did my laundry at public laundromats. I think you really have to make a decision of time vs. money here. IME, doing laundry in public facilities takes a long time, a really long time, especially if you want to dry things completely. You probably want to spend that time doing and seeing things. Unless you are renting apts you will probably have to bite the bullet and pay hotel fees.

Does Google maps work for Europe? Maybe you can google locations around where you will be staying and do a maps search for laundromat.

You budget for the laundry. In every town there will be one. Suck it up and pay.

In many cities (not all) there are laundromats.

In some 3 star hotels, you can negotiate with housekeeping at reasonable rates.

Go to the Muenzwascherei, naturlich! Ganz einfach.l

Or wash some things out in the sink and hang to dry.

I usually take things that are easily washed with travel detergent in the sink ...

I have no idea pp. I have onle been to one city in Europe and for a short stay....

Do they still have public laundromats in the city-areas?

We will be there for four weeks, in multiple cities, hotels, BB and such. I would like to pack clothes for 10 days only for each of us and then do laundry and wear the same clothes again...

Laundry in hotels are VERY expensive and they take forever to bring it back. At least that was my only experience ( at least 2 full days until we got our clothes back).

Anyway, any ideas?