It is true that washing clothes in a washing machine is found to be convenient by most people. However, washing clothes repeatedly in the machine will seriously deplete the life of your garments. Also, there are clothes that are meant to be hand washed. It is always a good idea to wash your clothes by hand at times. This increases the life of your clothes and maintains their quality. You should know how to hand wash your clothes even if you cannot make time. You may require hand washing your clothes if the machine fails to work or if you own clothes that need to be handled delicately. Hand washing clothes is not very time-consuming and requires very little effort on your part. Read on to know how you can do the task easily.
Complexity Level: Basic
Time Required: 20-30 minutes
Resources Required:
1. Water
2. Detergent
3. Dirty clothes
4. A large bucket
5. Bleach (optional)
6. Gloves (optional)
Instructions:
1. Getting prepared to wash clothes
To wash clothes by hand, wear some old clothes first. Your clothes may get wet and soap water may damage your clothes if left on for long. It is better to wear clothes which you are not afraid to get dirty. Sort the clothes into different piles basing on the color. Separate the dark colors from the light ones. White clothes need to be washed separately. Do not use very hot water. Use water of room temperature for regular clothes. Fill the bucket with water and add detergent.
2. Washing clothes by hand
Put your clothes in the soap water and allow it to soak for about 10-20 minutes, depending on the amount of clothes that you have. Do not soak the clothes for too long. Use your hands to knead the clothes, using hand actions similar to that used for kneading flour. Concentrate on those clothes that require more cleaning.
3. Rinsing the clothes after washing them
Drain the soap water. Fill the clothes bucket with clean water and knead the clothes again. Drain the water and repeat the action till the soap is washed away. It will take about 2-3 turns of changing the water for the clothes to be completely free of soap.
4. Drying the clean clothes
Wring the clothes gently to drain the water out of the clothes. Hang them on a clothesline to dry. For delicate clothes, don’t wring them but instead hang them directly on the clothesline. Hang it in natural sunlight for the best results.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. When should I use bleach?
Use bleach for your white cloths. Use it for stubborn stains, but don’t use bleach for dark colored clothes as that may cause discoloring. Also, use bleach sparingly or the garments may get damaged.
2. How do I sort clothes before washing them?
Separate the clothes according to color and fabric. Make different piles for regular and delicate clothes. Also, separate clothes according to color. Dark shades may run color. Make a separate pile for dark colored and light colored clothes.
3. What should be the temperature of water to be used?
Do not use cold water unless specified. Lukewarm water is good for regular clothes. Hot water kills much more germs than cold water. However, for delicate clothing, it is safer to use cold water.
4. How to wash a sweater by hand?
To hand wash a sweater, mix detergent with cold water. The detergent will vary in amount from 1/2tbsp to 1tbsp depending on the size of the sweater. Soak the sweater in the soap water for 3 minutes. Rinse the sweater in cold water. Repeat the step till the sweater gets cleaned. Hold the sweater by the shoulders and drain. Never wring the sweater. Place the sweater on a towel to dry.
5. How long should I soak the clothes?
Soak the clothes for a minimum of 10 minutes. It will depend on the amount of clothes you have. Do not soak a large pile of clothes for more than 30 minutes.
Quick Tips:
1. You can use bleach for white clothes that are durable.
2. Use a mild detergent as that causes minimum damage to clothes.
3. Do not wring the clothes too tightly after rinsing.
4. Try to dry the clothes in natural light.
5. In case of a powder detergent, dissolve it in a little water before you use it to wash clothes.
Things To Watch Out For:
1. Do not soak clothes for more than 20 minutes or the clothes may get damaged from the detergent.
2. Do not mix bleach with detergent that contains the alternative of color-safe bleach. This combination may cause your clothes to discolor.
3. Read specifications about washing that the garments carry before you wash them.
4. You may use a washboard instead of a bucket to wash clothes.
5. Be careful about washing towels and sheets as they may take a lot of time and effort.
