Let’s set the scene. You open your dresser drawer where you keep your days-of-the-week underwear and you reach in to realize something truly crushing: you’re all out of Wednesdays! (Or, you’re just plain out of underwear.) You need a fresh pair, but you don’t quite have enough dirty clothes to justify a full load of laundry. This is a great time to do a small hand-washing load!
Hand washing is an excellent way to extend time between loads. So whenever you have just a few items you need clean, opt to follow this guide instead of wasting energy or water in a machine!
How To Hand Wash Clothes
1. Make sure your garments are suitable for hand washing. Any clothing that does not have a label saying "dry clean only" is typically safe to hand wash.
2. Give the sink, bucket, or bath a rinse. This is to protect the clothes from any other cleaning products that may be lingering in the basin.
3. Fill the basin with cold or warm water. It's important to have the basin already filled with water before washing. Running high pressured water through clothes (rather than placing them in water) can cause the fibers to stretch.
4. Add a gentle liquid detergent to the water (before adding clothes!). We suggest using Dropps Sensitive Skin Small Loads which is designed for soap to skin contact. Allow detergent pod to dissolve and mix through the water.
5. Soak clothes in the water for a few minutes. Try not to overload the basin! Leave room for the clothes to spread and move.
6. Gently swish the clothes through the water. Never twist or scrub the fabric. If there are stains or clumps of dirt you’re wanting to remove, gently rub them between your fingers to lift them from the fabric.
7. Drain the basin and rinse the clothes in clean water.
8. Dry. The technique you’ll want to use depends on the type of garment!
Underwear or lingerie: Gently squeeze to remove excess water and hang vertically to dry.
Heavier items (like sweaters, jeans, etc): Place on towel and roll it up, remove, then dry horizontally. Place the garment on a flat surface in a well ventilated room. If heavy items are hung up vertically to dry, due to the weight, they may stretch or have marks on the shoulders from the hanger, which we don’t want!
Lighter items (cotton, linen, etc): Hang to air dry, or tumble try with no heat in the dryer if you have enough items to warrant it! For a speedier drying time, throw in some Wool Dryer Balls!
Viola! Easy hand washing and clothes ready to wear! No more waiting until the hamper is full to get your favorite items back in your closet and ready to wear.