VeronicaQWest on How to Hand-Wash Clothes

Sometimes the kids leave toothpaste in the sink, and some whitening toothpastes can leave white spots on clothes. After I clean and dry the sink, I put in the sink stopper.

The directions advise filling the sink up with hot water. I always read the label first. Most bras and bathing suits can handle hot water. Other more delicate items required cold water washing. It's important to read the label first. The shirt I needed to wash required cold water only. I filled the sink with cold water.

I also added a generous amount of salt to keep the shirt's red dye from running. This was the first washing of any kind for this new shirt, and I knew that washing it in salty water would help set the color.

I added the detergent as the faucet was running, using my hand to make some bubbles. I like to use detergent that is made for hand-washing clothes. I have also used baby clothing detergent, which is incredibly mild and kind to clothes.

I did not need to add bleach since the top was red. I also would not recommend hand washing clothes with bleach unless you are going to wear gloves. Bleach can also break down clothing material faster than detergent. If you have whites which need to be hand-washed try scrubbing baking soda into any stain instead.

Next I added the shirt, making sure it was submerged into the water. I worked in the soapy water in with my hands, as instructed. The shirt was not overly dirty, but I let it soak for about five minutes for good measure. It was the only piece of clothing I needed to hand wash so I was not in a rush to get it out of the sink.

I kneaded the shirt with my hands and then drained the water. Per the instructions, I ran the cold water over the shirt to rinse off the soap suds. I turned the shirt inside out to rinse out the inner material as well. I turned the shirt around to rinse the front and back. I pulled the shirt up towards the top of the sink to let the soapy water drain, and continued rinsing. Once the water ran clear, I knew the soap had been rinsed.

My point of departure with these instructions is the step involving wringing out the clothes. Wringing out delicate clothes after hand washing seems to defeat the purpose of hand washing. I pressed the excess water out by pushing down on the shirt, while it was in the sink. I turned the shirt over and repeated it.

Then I placed a large towel on the ground. I placed the wet shirt on the towel, flat. I rolled up the shirt in the towel, squeezing out the excess water as I went. I repeated the process starting on the other end of the towel. To dry the shirt, I placed it flat on a clean, dry towel. Had I been washing a bathing suit, I would have hung it on the line to dry, out of the sun.

These were good basic instructions for hand washing, as long as the water temperature matches the label instructions. Wringing out the clothes is never a good idea, and rolling out the excess water with a towel is better.