Difference Between Hand Wash & Washing in Washing Machine
Hand washing and machine washing are the two options for washing your own laundry. A washing machine is motorized to take care of all the stain removal work and rinsing, while hand washing requires you to do all the work. If you read your clothing care labels carefully, you will notice that some delicate items require hand washing in order to maintain their appearance. This is because hand washing and machine washing affect clothing differently.
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Water Supply
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Washing machines are hooked up to hot and cold water through a set of hoses. The machine's tub fills up with water when you start the machine and throughout the washing process. Washing machines also are connected to a water drain so that dirty water can be drained and replaced with fresh water. Whether you hand-wash your clothes in a laundry tub or a laundry sink, you must regulate the temperature and water level when you wash your clothes. If fresh water is needed, you are responsible for draining the dirty water and replenishing the tub.
Agitation
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Dirt and stains are loosened from clothing by agitating the clothes in soapy water. In a washing machine, there is a central agitator that makes three-quarter turns to move the clothes throughout the water. Clothes that are on top will eventually be driven to the bottom of the machine. The agitator has fins that move up and down, beating stains from fabrics. Hand washing also requires clothes to be agitated if you want to remove stains. An oar may be used to stir clothes in a laundry tub, agitating them against other garments. Rippled washboards are a near essential to hand washing clothes. Dirty garments are rubbed against the board to loosen the stains. Alternatively, clothing is rubbed together or beaten against the side of the sink to help loosen dirt. The advantage to hand washing is that stains can be treated individually, where a washing machine tackles each stain equally.
Rinsing
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If detergent soap and fabric softeners aren't properly rinsed from clothing, they can leave a residue on your clothes that may irritate your skin. Washing machines drain the wash water from the tub, spraying clothes to rinse some of the soap while the tub spins and drains. The washtub is then filled with fresh water and the clothes are sloshed around with the agitator to force soap out of the clothes. Most washing machines have an "extra rinse" setting that will repeat this process to ensure all suds are rinsed away. Hand-washed clothes require a lot of work to get all the soap out of fabrics. The sink must first be drained and then you squeeze as much soapy water out of the garments as you can. You can turn on the faucet to rinse excess soap out as you squeeze the clothes. Next, the laundry tub or sink must be refilled and the clothes agitated by hand to get the soap out. If the rinsing step must be repeated, the process could be time-consuming.
Wringing
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Wet clothes are breeding grounds for bacterial growth that can lead to foul-smelling or mildewed apparel. Wringing clothes removes excess water from clothes, reducing the time and energy needed to dry them. Washing machines are comprised of two tubs. An outer tub holds the water, and an inner tub that has has tiny holes to allow water to escape into the outer tub to be drained. The machine spins clothes at high speeds, utilizing centrifugal force to expel water from fabrics and into the outer tub where it can escape. Hand-washed clothes must be wrung out by hand. This is done by twisting clothes or spinning them in the air. Twisting clothes leaves wrinkles, while spinning sprays water through the air. A hand-cranked wringer also may be used. Clothes are fed through a wringer that has two gear-operated rollers to squeeze water from clothes.
Control
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Washing machines let you choose settings to control the level of water based on the size of your laundry load. You also also choose agitation levels, such as for delicate, normal or heavy duty fabrics. These settings don't give you total control over the water and force. With hand washing, you use only the amount of water needed to clean your clothes. You can inspect the clothes for stains and adjust the amount of force you use to scrub clothes based on the toughness of the stain and durability of the fabric.
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