How do you hand wash clothes properly?

How do I properly hand wash clothes?

• Answer:

  First read the washing instructions on the clothes you want to wash. Anything that says "Do not wash", "Dry clean only" etc, you probably shouldn't hand wash as you'll damage the fabric, for example some waterproof jackets won't be waterproof any more if you wash them normally - they often say "Wipe clean with a damp cloth". Suede is another one you shouldn't wash normally, and there are a few other things e.g. anything that says “Do not wring”. Anything that says "30 degrees", "Cold" or "Wash as delicates" you should use only lukewarm water for. Things with "40 degrees" on the label are fine as long as the water is definitely ok to leave your hands in for a while - if the water you're washing in is too hot to comfortably leave your hands in for long then add more cold water for anything that says 40. “60 degrees” and above you can use water that’s as hot as it’ll come out of the tap. Wash whites first, then reuse the water to wash light and then darker colours so the colours don't run in the water and spoil your whites. Check all clothes before you get them wet to see if there are any stains etc that need special attention, e.g. mud may need scrubbing, blood stains need special attention before they are washed, pen marks or whatever will need some scrubbing later. Remember where these stains are. Fill a sink, big bowl or bathtub with water as hot as the fabric will allow, and add detergent. You can buy special hand washing detergent, but I don’t really see what difference it makes – even shampoo is fine, detergent is just to break down the dirt and sweat etc in the clothes and suspend it in the water, and all detergent basically does the same thing. I then always leave clothes to soak for half an hour or so, as lots of stains then soften up and are easier to get out. Then you need to squish the clothes, squeezing the water in and out of them so that it takes the dirt with it. Try not to lift clothes out of the water as you do this, especially anything made of wool, as fabric is much heavier when wet and can be torn/pulled or just pulled out of shape. Scrub any stains with a scrubbing brush/nail brush and some extra soap, being careful not to scrub so hard you damage the fabric. Most woven cotton can be scrubbed quite hard e.g. bedsheets, but knitted things you’ll have to be more careful with e.g. T-shirts or anything stretchy. Empty all the soapy water out, and squeeze water out of all the clothes – best to squash everything against the side of the tub rather than wringing or lifting things up, which can twist clothes out of shape. Refill the tub with clean water – you can use cold water if you prefer from here onwards, and squish all the clothes again to rinse them i.e. push the remaining soapy water out. Empty, refill and squish again until all the water is clear. When you’ve emptied out the last lot of water, you’ll need to get as much water out of the clothes as possible by squeezing everything – being careful not to pull things out of shape, and then dry as normal. Anything woolen, plus probably other knitted things and anything else that looks as though it needs it, should be dried in the shape you want to wear it in. Lay jumpers out flat to dry and gently arrange them so the arms are the right thickness etc – if you dry them with the arms stretched then they’ll stay like that!