Wash Clothes by Hand

Whether you don't have access to a washing machine, or your clothes are too delicate, there are lots of reasons as to why you might want to wash your clothes by hand. This article will show you a few different ways of doing this.

10 Second Summary

1. Sort your clothes and fill two tubs with water.
2. Pour the detergent into one tub.
3. Add your clothes and let them soak for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Wash your clothes, then dunk them in the second tub.
5. Squeeze or wring the excess water out.
6. Hang your clothes up to dry.

Steps

Washing Complete Loads of Laundry

  1. Sort your clothes. Washing clothes by hand gives you a bit more leeway in organizing your loads, but your laundry should still probably be sorted before you start. Separate out your all-white clothing, your colored clothing, and your darks. Specialty items such as delicate fabrics or particularly dirty articles of clothing should be kept separate and washed individually.
  2. Get your water ready. You will need two tubs of water - one for washing and one for rinsing. You could use a split sink or bathtub if you don’t have washing tubs. Different colored fabrics require different washing temperatures as well; white and light colored clothing require hot water, while colors and darks need cooler water. As you refill your tub with fresh water for each load, you can adjust the temperature accordingly.
  3. Add your detergent. Pour a tablespoon or two (depending on the size of your tub) into the tub of warm water. Liquid detergent works best for hand washing clothes, as it dissolves immediately into the water. Mix the detergent around in the water with you hands to help it disperse and bubble up a bit.[1]
  4. Soak your clothes. Place a load of your dirty clothes into the tub of hot water. Leave them to soak for 10-15 minutes before returning to rinse them out.
  5. Begin washing your clothes. There are two primary methods of washing your clothes at this point: you can choose to use your hands and arms to mix them around, or you can use a pole of some sort to stir them from a distance. Either way, work by moving the clothes around in the water to loosen up dirt and grime.
    • Although they are difficult to come by, if you have an old fashioned washboard you can use that to clean your dirty clothes.
    • There are some clothes washing tools available that are similar in appearance to a toilet plunger, and work in the same fashion to drown out trapped dirt.
  6. Wash the dirtiest sections. Some clothes need a bit more washing care than others. For example, socks, underwear, and dirty work clothes tend to have a bit more dirty buildup that needs cleaning. For these, wash them individually by hand with a dab of extra detergent by rubbing the fabric against itself.
  7. Do the first rinse of your clothes. To get off the soap and dirt that was rinsed into the water, dunk these freshly washed clothes into the second bucket of clean water. Move them around to get as much of the old water off as possible. If there still seems to be a lot of detergent locked into the fibers, rinse them again in a new tub of clean water.
  8. Remove excess water. It is difficult to hang clothes to dry when they are sopping wet, so try to get out a bit of the excess water before hanging them up. Gently squeeze out water without twisting or wringing the fabric. Doing so will remove water without damaging the fibers or stretching the clothing out. If you would rather not remove the water this way, you can wrap the clothing up in a clean, dry towel instead.
  9. Hang up your clothes to dry. To avoid bleaching by the sun (on any clothes other than whites) turn your clothes inside out first. Then, drape them over the clothesline and pin in place with clothespins. Depending on the temperature and humidity levels outside, your clothes will take anywhere from a few hours to 1-2 days to fully dry.[2]

Washing Cashmere and Wool by Hand

  1. Fill a tub with water. Because you are likely only washing a a single or a few items, you can wash the clothing in your sink or a large bowl rather than a whole tub. Fill the tub with lukewarm or cold water; the colder the water, the better.
  2. Add your detergent. Although you can use any liquid detergent to wash these fabrics, using a special delicate fabric detergent is best for avoiding damage to the clothing. Add about 1 tablespoon per {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} of water. The colder your water is, the more detergent you will have to add.
  3. Soak your clothing. Submerge your clothing in the water and move it around so that all the fibers are completely exposed to the moisture. Allow the articles to set in the soapy water for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Wash the clothes. Gently move the clothes around in the water with your hands. Most likely, your cashmere sweater doesn’t have much grime that needs to be washed off. If you do have particularly dirty spots on your delicate fabric, lightly rub the area with a bit of detergent to work the dirt out of the fibers.
  5. Rinse the clothes. Run the clothes under cold water in your sink or bathtub. Keep the water pressure low to avoid damaging the fabric.Continue rinsing until you are sure all the soap has been washed out.
  6. Remove excess water. Cashmere and wool are particularly delicate when wet, and must be dried carefully. Don’t wring or twist the fabric in any way. Instead, gently lift the clothes out of the water and lightly squeeze the liquid out.
  7. Resize your clothing. Wool and cashmere are notorious for shrinking after having been washed. To prevent this from happening, lay your articles of clothing out flat on a clean, dry towel. Gently pull and stretch the fabric into the shape and size it originally came in. Then, roll the towel (with the clothes) up to remove any extra water you might have missed in the first dry-out.
  8. Dry your clothes. These delicate materials cannot be dried in a machine drier because they will shrink, nor can they be hang dried because they will stretch out. Instead, lay them out flat in a warm room in your house on top of a dry towel. They will take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to dry completely, depending on the moisture content and temperature in your home.[3]

Washing Silk and Lace by Hand

  1. Fill a tub with warm water. Get a tub, your sink, or a large bowl filled with warm water. Silk and lace can tolerate a bit more heat than cashmere and wool. An alternative method is to simply bring your clothing into a warm shower with you; their small size and lack of a lot of dirt (normally) makes them quite easy to wash in a regular shower.
  2. Add your detergent. Pour a teaspoon or so of detergent into your warm water, and mix it around with your hands. If you are washing quite a few silk or lace items at once, you may need to add more detergent to your water.
  3. Prepare your clothing. If you are washing any bras or articles that have hooks, hook or clasp them at this point. Wash colored items separately from whites and darks to prevent the colors from bleeding.
  4. Wash your items. Gently swirl your clothing around in the tub, being careful not to tangle them up too much. Lacy underwear that may be a bit dirtier than other delicates can be given an extra scrub separately with a little more detergent.
  5. Rinse out the soap. Run the clothing under warm water to get rid of any soap or dirt that is still left on them. Try not to twist or tangle the fabric at all, and rinse each item separately from the others.
  6. Dry the delicates. Lace and silk don’t run the risk of shrinking or stretching out, so they may be hung up to dry. Fold each item over a clothesline and pin them in place. If you would prefer not to have your intimates flapping around in your yard, drape them over the shower rod in your bathroom or simply place them on a dry towel for a few hours or days to dry.[4]

Tips

  • If you want to bleach your white clothing, do so after your wash and prior to your rinsing.
  • Check your pockets prior to washing clothes to make sure you didn't forget any items that need to be removed.
  • If you feel you need it, buy a washing board.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://life.gaiam.com/article/best-eco-friendly-ways-get-clothes-really-clean
  2. ↑ http://www.bhg.com/homekeeping/laundry-linens/clothes/how-to-wash-clothes-by-hand/
  3. ↑ http://www.marthastewart.com/997076/hand-wash-cashmere-sweater
  4. ↑ http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/laundry/how-to-clean-undergarments-delicates-10000001721821/index.html
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