Bringing household items into Guatemala

Paty - You are just going to have to trust me about the things I chose to buy here in the US, that it was - in each case - the best decision for our use. We hired a local carpenter to make the majority of the furniture (plus windows and doors) and purchased the appliances, fixtures, bed and couch, and most of the larger kitchen and bath items on the lake or (mainly) in Xela.

Our house in the US has hundreds of Guatemala textile items, too, many dating back to our 1st visits in the 80s. Now that we're visiting 2-3 times/year and have a place of our own there, I'm striking the balance that is right for us between quality, cost, practicality, aesthetics, and honoring the local traditions and economy.

I looked in many stores in Guatemala for towels, for example, and did not see towels with even 50% cotton for less than $15-20 per towel. Sheets with any cotton content at all (and I really dislike the staticky, cheap sort with no cotton because they feel icky and pill quickly) were $50+/set. In the US I can get beautiful cotton sheets for $15-20/set at places like Ross and TJ Maxx and nice 100% cotton towels are easy to find for $5 or less. I am not very picky about most things but we are planning to live part time in Guatemala and don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on cheap stuff (no matter where it's made) when I can have items that will last for decades at a fraction of the cost.

There are beautiful bedspreads and textiles for tablecloths, curtains, etc., around the lake and except for the bedding, that's what we prefer. You can ask any woman who uses a lavadero or the lake for her laundry, though, and you'll find that it's just not that easy to wash huge things out by hand and dry them on a regular basis.

You've probably already tried this, but I just washed 2 wool bags a few weeks ago - soaked in cold water with Woolite, swished and swished and rinsed well in cold water, and blocked on towels. They look new!

It's a wonderful position to be in - lovely homes full of Guatemalan textiles and folk art in 2 countries. Feeling blessed. :-)

agreed - it's very unlikely you'll get stung for any of that stuff, but as a precaution I'd remove the packaging anyway, as suggested. customs are only really interested in commercial quantities of repeat items. if you were packing 50 clock radios it might be a different story but one? nah.

I feel your pain on the cheap n nasty vs. quality for four times the price question. sounds like you know what you're doing, though. good luck with the move.

Megapaca by Minerva Terminal in Xela is great, as is the Walmart nearby.
Who knows maybe what the OP is looking for can be found in Guatemala. I have found, though, that if you are very picky about a certain thing, sometimes it may be better to bring it with you...especially if you can fit it within your baggage limits. That might save the OP from travelling all over the country to track down a couple bed sheets. In my experience, even if people tell you something is not available in Guatemala, it is available...however it may not always be worth the effort required to track it down. In some cases, it may even be more expensive, like the OP mentioned.

I stayed at a hotel where the staff washed everything in their private pila. I wondered how they got hot water for washing sheets. It was pretty simple. They just built a fire (outside the hotel) and put a large pot of water on top of the fire.

You bought a place at the lake?

Of course, there's always the option of heading to the upscale malls like Oakland and MIraflores for certain items... though yeah, the price is sometimes double what you'd pay in a US store. Still could be worth it for one or two forgotten essentials...

Double the department store prices in some cases which are double or more the outlet costs.

Greg - Yes! We have had a nice apartment with a large rooftop terrace built for us on top of the home of dear friends in San Pedro La Laguna; when we're not there they'll rent it out. I was in San Pedro most of the summer and enjoyed picking out the tiles and paint, shopping for appliances and other household goods, ordering furniture, and watching the progress; the doors and windows are being installed this week - almost finished! :-) Looking forward to settling in and especially to having a base for Beca Project workshops, parent meetings, tutoring sessions, guest speakers, and social gatherings.

That sounds nice and someone will be there to watch it. One of these days I will get to San Pedro La Laguna and finally get it off my bucket list. I am sure it is very beautiful. I am sure that you know how to be safe as it seems Guatemala has not much of a security infrastructure to speak of.
My friend Marc built a place for his in laws in Kathmandu and I remember one time he brought a pretty heavy duffle bag filled with door knobs for the house!