Hacks For Effective Hand Washing Of Clothes (Quick & Easy)
Hand washing can be quite a chore if not done the correct way. With these quick and easy tips, we promise you would be quite a pro in no time!
Read the Instructions
First thing first. Always read the instruction label on the garment. You definitely do not want to ruin your ‘dry wash only’ garment in the hand wash.
Some other types of garments are exclusively written as hand wash only. All machine wash items can anyway be hand-washed.
Why do some clothes need to be hand-washed?
Manufacturers label some garments as hand-wash only, as they are too delicate for a machine wash. the agitation of the machine can cause wear and tear in the fabric. They might also get snagged by other garments in the machine.
One way to avoid this is definitely putting your delicates in a clothes bag. But that also is not the best option for the clothes life.
Hence to continue enjoying your favorite garment for a long, go for hand washing.
Some clothing items like wool silk etc come with separate washing instructions themselves. Wool, for example, always needs to be washed in cold water only.
So it is advisable that you always read the instructions attached to the garments before washing them for the first time. And also check periodically before washing to ensure that you are following them correctly.
There might be times when you would not want to run the machine only for a few clothing items. Or you might be traveling without any access to a laundromat. Your handwashing skills would come to the rescue!
Always plan your laundry in advance. Also, group the clothes that can be washed together.
In the case of hand wash, you have more control over the quantity and grouping. You can really do a few batches of small piles at one go.
Hand Washing Tools You Need
You can practically wash all your clothes with whatever is available at home. That being said, there are a few tools that come in really handy. These tools save time while making the process efficient and less tiring.
Other than the sink, bathtub that you have at home, you can use items like a washboard, drying rack, etc to make your life easier.
Here is a complete list of [link] handwashing tools that are available in the market today. It also explains the use of each one. Choose the ones you need based on your budget and convenience.
Steps to Step Guide to Hand washing Clothes
Choose an appropriate detergent
Choosing an appropriate detergent for washing your garments is important. While some garments do come with instruction of mild detergent only. Many others do not really have any instruction.
As a rule of thumb, it is advisable to use mild detergent wherever possible. Being an advocate of sustainability we always suggest eco-friendly detergents [link]. They are good for the environment, good for clothes, And your skin would just love them.
However, you are free to choose any detergent of your choice. If you are allergic to any kind of cleaning liquid you need to keep that in mind.
Fill Bathtub or Basin with water
Fill your bathtub or washbasin with water. If you are traveling and do not have access to either a bathtub or washbasin, you can use buckets\tubs instead to soak your clothes. You would need two of them to wash and transfer.
What should be the water temperature for presoaking?
We always recommend that you use cold water for soaking and washing your clothes. It is good for the environment. And good for your clothes. The water temperate should be less than 85 degrees.
Contrary to popular belief, cold water washes clothes as effectively. In fact, cold water is what most garment manufacturers recommend to retain the new look of the clothes.
For some garments though you need to use warm water. In that case, set the water temperature accordingly. Just hot enough to wash your clothes.
Pro tip: Hot water washing does not kill germs in most cases. The temperature is usually not hot enough. Disinfect your infected clothes separately with a proper liquid after wash.
Never make the water too hot. You might end up burning your hand. Also, hot water is not good for the long life of the fabric. It can even fade your favorite colored garment or cause shrinkage.
Pro tip: For heavily soiled garments, it is advisable to use warm water.
Pretreat the Stains
Pretreat the stains the way you would in a washing machine cycle. If you are washing newborn or baby clothes, make sure to scrape out any food item or other solid stuff of the clothes.
Some people prefer rubbing little soap water in the heavily soiled part of the shirt like cuff and collar etc.
If you want to go the eco-friendly or natural way, check out this great step-by-step guide for removing stains. [link]
Tips: If your clothe is bleeding color, just soak that piece in salt water ofr 30 minutes before washing.
Presoak
Once the water is filled, pour the correct amount of detergent into the tub or basin. Mix well with the water with a motion of your hand. Now soak your clothes.
Why do you need to presoak your clothes?
Presoaking clothes is crucial for effective laundry. Soaking for a few minutes helps break the bond of dirt from the garment. In case of a stain, pre-soaking helps remove the stain easily during the actual wash.
Most of the garments need around 20 to 30 minutes of soaking into detergent water. In the case of delicates and other fabric like silk, etc the time required is considerably lesser.
Check out the chart below to get an idea about the presoak timing for most of the garments. Do note that in case of stain heavy grease etc you need to soak for a few minutes more.
| Fabric | Presoaking Time (approximate) |
| Cotton | 20-30 Minutes |
| Silk, delicates | 5 Minutes |
| Wool | 10 minutes |
| Bedding | 30 minutes |
Tip: Presoak your color and whites separately to avoid color bleeding. Use the same separation technique you would for a washing machine wash.
Clean the soaked Clothes
Once soaking is complete, wear your pair of gloves, put your hands in soaked clothes, and start the cleaning process.
Use gentle hand movement and swish around the soapy water. For most garments, gentle rubbing action should suffice. The heavily soiled and stained parts might need a little bit more action.
Be careful to not twist or scrub the clothes vigorously as that will end up damaging the fabric.
You can also purchase some of the handwashing tools. But generally, tools are not advisable on delicate, thread word, silk fabric.
Rinse
After a few minutes take the clothes out of the soapy water. Put them in a tub or washbasin filled with clean water. If you are washing in the bathtub, you need to empty the soap water and refill the tub with fresh water.
Rinse the clothes one by one with a gentle swish motion in the clean water. Ensure that the clean water gets into all parts of the garment.
For heavies clothing items, it is advisable to turn them inside out and rinse again.
If the water becomes too dirty, throw it away. Refill with fresh water and rinse the clothes till they are clean and do not feel soapy to your hand. Repeat the step as needed.
Tip: Do not hold the clothes under running water to clean them. Soap solution gets to all parts of the garment and cannot be cleaned easily with running water.
Dry the Washed Clothes
Gently wring the washed clothes. Do not twist it with force. It will lengthen the fabric and damage the shape.
Once excess water is removed, you need to air dry the clothes.
There are a few options available in the market. You can choose a clothesline if you have a backyard. Or go for a drying rack or hanger.
Pro tip: Do not put your woolen and similar clothes in the drying line. It will stretch the fabric.
If you do not have access to any of the above, laying the wet clothes on a flat and clean surface does the trick.
Lay a clean and dry towel on the flat surface. It will absorb the excess water out of the wet cloth. Leave it to air dry.
Keep on turning the clothing item periodically to ensure even the backside also gets dried evenly.
Drying time of the clothes varies greatly depending on the place you are drying at. Also the thickness of the garment matter. In general, it can take anywhere between 2-6 hours.
If you choose to dry in the sun the clothes get dried much faster. Sunrays also kill germs and give an air of freshness to the clothes. Your clothes will smell really nice and fresh.
However, it is advisable not to dry delicate clothes in very strong sunlight for long (e.g – mid-noon). Strong sunlight ends up fading the color faster. So choose an area with indirect sunlight.
Pro tip: If drying coloured items in the sunlight just turn them Inside out. That way the outside will retain its color longer.
Steps To Handwash Your Favorite Pieces
The above steps apply to most of the clothing items. However few items need special cleaning and drying effort check them out below. [link]
Hand washing clothes with Soap bar
If you are traveling and do not want to carry your laundry liquid, there is always bar soap. The soap bars are convenient to carry and have fewer chances of spillage in case of any packing accident.
Small clothing items can easily be washed in the hotel washbasin using a soap bar. First, rub the bar against the wet cloth. Then rub it some more with your hand and slowly swish it around in the water. Rinse and dry.
Can you use hand soaps for washing clothes?
Hand soaps are usually milder and are not as effective in taking the dirt out. That being said, they would wash your regular clothing items just fine, unless heavily greased or soiled. The one advantage is – your hands would thank you for not using harsh chemical soap.
Can I use fabric Softener during Hand washing?
Commercially avaliable traditional fabric softeners are full of harmful toxic chemicals and should be avoided altogether. They are bad for environment, bad for your skin, and is harmful to fabrics.
If you love the soft fluffy feeling of your clothes, go ahead and try these natural fabric softeners. They are environment friendly and usually never cause any skin rashes etc.
Alternatively, you can still use the traditional chemical softeners in hand-washed clothing. Complete the final rinse of your clothes and get rid of all the soaps from your clothes.
Then add a small amount of fabric softener in a tub\basin filled with water. Do the final rinse of the clothes in that water. Dry them as you normally would.