Washing by hand...really necessary? - YouLookFab Forum

Category

General

Washing by hand...really necessary?

Cilleena

Veteran

I have a few sweaters that say wash by hand and dry flat. One of them is the Halogen boyfriend cardi. I don't mind the wash by hand too much, but they are soo wet afterwards that it takes forever for them to dry. Is it really necessary to wash them by hand or will a gentle wash cycle and spin in washer be ok? I wouldn't put them in the dryer, but I hate for them to be so dripping wet.

General

24 replies

Latest reply was from Velma

tarzy

Veteran

After I handwash something, I lay it flat on a towel and then roll the towel up. It's amazing how much water the towel absorbs! (Just roll - don't wring or twist.)

Queen Mum

Veteran

I plan to was mine on the hand wash setting of my front load washer and lay to dry. I don't know that I'd put it in a machine that has an agitator though.
If you do end up washing by hand, lay it out on a bath towel, roll the towel up with the sweater in it and squeeze... that gets alot of the water out without having to wring it.

Queen Mum

Veteran

haha- tarzy and I have the same method

TylerAnne

After I hand wash my sweaters, I gently squeeze out the water, then leave them sitting in the sink to drain a little. THEN I lay out a full size towel, put the sweater on top, and roll them up, and leave the roll sitting for a while. This removes a lot of the excess water before laying flat/hanging up to day. I'm not sure about machine washing them. Good luck!

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I don't handwash anything; I put my delicates in a mesh bag and run it on the delicate setting. Then I dry on a rack. But then, I intentionally don't buy super-delicate items.

The main thing with sweaters isn't damage; it's that they can shrink, wool especially. (I don't buy wool either, but that's mainly because it makes me itch.)

Cilleena

Veteran

Ok. My washer has an agitator. I guess I should avoid that. I didn't think about laying them on a towel and rolling it up. I'll try that. I used to hate wool, Laura. But, now that I live where it's very,very cold, I love it.

marianna

Veteran

I don't hand wash anything. My Halogen cardigan goes in the delicates cycle with delicate detergent. Then I hang dry. No problems.

For what it's worth, my machine *does* have an agitator and it's fine.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

What Marianna said. I do exactly the same thing. Or take my stuff to the cleaners.

MsMary

Veteran

Team Marianna and Angie. In the front-loader on the "hand wash" cycle with Woolite, then hang to dry.

Aida

Veteran

I detest hand washing, the only thing I really hand wash are swimsuits. I'm in with Marianna, Angie, and Mary: I use the hand wash cycle on my front loading machine, and hang to dry.

Diana

Veteran

I have a LOT of handwash only items, as I knit and have a lot of handknit sweaters that I would never ever put in the washer. I do what Tarzy and QM do - after hand washing, roll the sweater up in a dry clean towel. Another trick I've learned from other knitters is to then take the rolled up sweater-in-towel and WALK on it (with clean feet of course!) This really squeezes all the excess water out without wringing. I then lay the sweater out flat on another clean, dry towel, and reshape it if necessary. I NEVER hang dry my knits - even sweaters that would be OK hanging when dry will get weirdly stretched out when hung wet, especially in the shoulder area where the hanger sits.

Maya

Veteran

It never occurred to me to take "hand wash" literally. Do people in industrialized countries even do that anymore?

If you wash that Halogen cardi in the regular cycle, it will shrink to at least a size smaller and significantly shorter. Merino wool shouldn't be agitated too much.

Mine shrunk even in the hand wash cycle. I had a turquoise one I washed that shrunk, but I thought maybe I had made a mistake somehow. I bought a coral one to replace it, and that one shrunk too. I give up. Both are going back to Nordies.

taylor

Veteran

I am team~ dry cleaner~ to keep your favorite items pristine:)

I occasionally hand wash an item and then do the towel roll:)

Queen Mum

Veteran

Maya- really? it shrunk in cold water?

Maya

Veteran

The hand wash cycle always uses cold water on my washing machine (and I always wash everything in cold water anyway). I use a gentle detergent too. Not sure why it's happening. I don't have a problem with any of my other sweaters or hand-wash-only items. I even wash a lot of DCO items in the hand wash cycle and they come out fine.

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

For hand wash items, I soak them in my washing machine in gentle detergent (wools get eucalan) and then spin cycle (no agitation!). I then lay them flat. The spin cycle gets 90% of the water out.

Dusty

(website)

I very rarely actually hand wash anything. (in fact, I don't think I have anything currently that I actually hand wash). I put it in a mesh bag and wash it on gentle cycle and then lay flat to dry. I've got a top loader with an agitator and everything does fine. Oh, and I never use Woolite, it's actually not that gentle. If I need really gentle, I use baby shampoo.

TylerAnne

Wool shrinks in the washing machine even with cold water because the agitation causes the fibers to bind together more closely (It's called "felting", crafters do it on purpose). That's why it says "hand wash", not "put in your washing machine on the delicate cycle". Although I'm sure Angie is right about sending it to the cleaners.

Sharon

Veteran

Life is too short to hand wash. Mine go in a wash bag on the delicate cycle.

Megan

I don't mind handwashing. I find it takes me less than 20 mins each time I do laundry.

This stuff is truly awesome. http://www.amazon.com/Forever-.....pd_sbs_a_1

You can even just leave the items to soak for a few minutes, do a few 'squeeze soapy water through the garment' then rinse and the garment is perfectly clean.

I also do the roll up in a towel thing.

Lynne

Veteran

Cilleena, I would be really careful with an agitator - it's quite a different washing action to a front loader. I wash everything delicate, including bras, in laundry bags on a gentle cycle in my front loader, and then dry it flat across the clothes airer. But I wouldn't do this with an upright machine...Megan, do you use the Forever New for delicates only? Is it available in the stores?

Megan

They have stockists worldwide- here's the locator page http://www.forevernew.com/locator.php

I even managed to get it in Australia. I use it for delicates (silks and woolens) and anything that is elasticised- like bathing suits or workout gear.

I also use it on anything that gets stained badly- it gets things out really well.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I'm with Sharon -- I put delicates in mesh bags and run them in the washer in the delicate cycle. Dry-clean-only items go to the cleaners, or I do the Dryel routine. I've not had any problems with my clothes (even lacy things, bras, and tights go in the washer in laundry bags).

Velma

Veteran

I am a knitter. I use several methods for washing handknits and purchased sweaters, but I think the most gentle technique (recommended by Elizabeth Zimmerman, one of the grand old expert knitters) is NOT the towel technique. If I want to avoid all agitation and rubbing--which as TylerAnne says, can cause felting and shrinkage--I use a handwash soap like Eucalan. This does not even need to be rinsed: you just soak the item in lukewarm water + a capful of the soap for five minutes or so. I do usually put the item through one very gentle rinse, however, draining out the original water and soap, very gently squeezing the item, and swishing it slightly around in a fresh basin of water before draining.

Then I very gently squeeze out some rinse water, dump the whole soaking mess into a towel, and DO NOT squeeze the towel--just use the towel to transfer the sweater into my washing machine (dry the towel separately), and remove the water by setting the washer on spin and supervising it while the sweater spins for a very short time (30 seconds to 90 seconds, say). Check it frequently. When it feels pretty dry, take it out and dry flat. If you like, you can transfer it onto a padded hanger for final drying when it is nearly dry (just damp around the seams).

The idea here (particularly important for woolens) is to remove the water as quickly as possible, with minimal rubbing and handling, so that the sweater does not felt, shrink, or become stiff or mildewy.

And Maya, yes. A lot of people still handwash--especially knitters.