Your washing machine likely has a hand wash or a wool cycle specifically designed to wash your delicates. So, how do you know when you should hand-wash your clothes instead of using the machine?
It all comes down to the fabric. There are different types of ‘delicate’ materials. Wool blends, silk blends, and machine beaded clothes will probably be okay in your washing machine's delicate or wool cycle.
But fabrics that are hand beaded, hand dyed, 100% wool, silk or cashmere, are just a bit too delicate (and probably too expensive) to risk. So, here’s how to hand wash them to make sure you don’t ruin them.
What You’ll Need
- Kitchen sink and a plug, or a large basin/bucket
- Wool and Delicate Wash
- Dry towel
- Clothes line or drying rack
Step 1: Clean Your Sink or Basin
Whatever you’re using, it needs to be squeaky clean before you wash your clothes in it.
Start by giving your makeshift tub a good rinse with hot water to help loosen the grime and kill any bacteria. Then scrub the interior surface thoroughly before rinsing it clean. Repeat if necessary.
Once it’s pristine, it’s time to get started on the real work…
Step 2: Spot Treat Stains
Before we get into hand washing, check to see if there are any particularly soiled areas or stains on any of your clothes.
To treat these apply a squirt of our Wool and Delicate Detergent to the stain, agitate, leave for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Dosage
It can be tricky to determine how much detergent to use for a single load of hand-washed laundry.
Our tip? 2 pumps of Wool and Delicate Detergent per kilogram of clothing. If you’re washing a few heavy pieces of clothing in one load, adjust the detergent to 1 pump per kilogram.
It’s important to know that more detergent doesn’t equal cleaner clothes. If anything it just makes it harder to wash off the soap. As a result, it leaves residual detergent on your clothes which can make them feel stiffer, and potentially trigger allergies and skin irritations.
Step 4: Add Water
Fill up the washer tub with enough water so that when you add your clothes in they’ll be fully submerged.
We recommend room temperature water as this is best for delicate fibres.
Before you add your clothes add the detergent to the water, then swirl and swish it around to dissolve the detergent and create suds.
Step 5: Wash
And now we’re at the main event. Add your clothes in one at a time and push them gently until they’re completely submerged. Once done, activate your inner tumble wash…
Start by moving the clothes around for a couple of minutes by pushing them downward and stirring the water. Use both hands to squeeze the clothes (remembering to take care) while they’re submerged. Another option is to ‘knead’ the clothes to allow them to further soak in the detergent solution. Do this for at least 5 minutes for a regular clean.
If there are obvious stains, lay the item down on a flat surface and use your fingers to work a little extra detergent into the area before putting it back in the washer tub.
Step 6: Soak
The soaking time ranges from 15 to 45 minutes, depending on how dirty your clothes are. It’s important to move your clothes around every 5-10 minutes to ensure that your cleaning solution gets into your fabrics for a top-notch clean.
Step 7: Rinse
Get a clean empty bucket ready because you’ll be needing it to drain out the soapy water.
Rinse the washer tub thoroughly to remove any detergent residue and suds, then refill the tub and dunk the clothes in the water. Gently agitate the fabrics to remove detergent and gently squeeze. Repeat the entire process – rinse tub, refill and agitate – until there’s no more soapiness leaving the clothes. Be patient, as detergent doesn’t wash off easily unless the clothes are rinsed vigorously.
Step 8: Dry
When it comes to drying your clothes by hand, whatever you do, do not wring them. Why? Soaked clothing is heavy which makes them prone to stretching. To remove excess water from your hand-washed clothes, pull them out, and pop them on a dry towel.
Roll the dry towel and the clothes together, and allow the towel to absorb the water.
Lastly, hang the laundry to dry on a clothesline or rack. It is best to lay the clothes flat across the clothes line by putting them on a towel. Turn your clothes over after 12 hours or so.
You might notice they take a little longer to dry than machine-washed clothes, but hey, the hard work’s all done and the end result is fresh, clean clothes lovingly hand-washed by you!