Q&A for How to Wash Clothes by Hand

Scrubbing your clothes can actually stretch or damage the fibers. Just swish your clothes around and let them soak instead.

It is not a good idea to use regular laundry detergent for hand washing on a regular basis. If it’s an emergency, you can use it, preferably on clothes that would normally be machine washable. Wool, silk, cashmere, and any other item that normally needs hand washing should normally be washed in a gentle soap mix or hand washing mix because the enzymes in normal detergent are too strong for such materials. Also consider the effect the machine detergent might have on your hands, as it can be quite drying. In most cases, you’d be better off choosing a mild dish-washing liquid over machine detergent when hand washing clothes.

White clothes fare best when washed together, away from dark clothes, to avoid transfer of colors. So, if you have clothes to hand wash of different colors, separate the whites. Use water as hot as you can stand to put your hands in, as it’s usual to wash cotton in hot water but don’t make it so hot you scald yourself! Add hand washing detergent and if there are any stains, focus on treating and scrubbing those as well as washing the shirt. For more help with washing white clothes specifically, see How to Wash White Clothes .

It is possible to use body wash for hand washing clothes and can be especially handy when you’re traveling or you’ve run out of hand-washing detergent. Be careful to avoid any body wash that might transfer dark colors (test a small unseen part first if you’re unsure) and avoid any with additives like glitter, as these will stick to your clothes. Treat body wash as an emergency alternative rather than regular hand-washing detergent though, as it lacks the brighteners in detergent and isn’t made specifically for clothes washing. Finally, never put body wash in a washing machine, as the suds it will create will damage the machine.

You can wash silk with a bar of hand-washing soap, provided you use a mild soap. It may prove to be more expensive than using laundry soap or hand-washing detergent but if you’re not likely to be washing that many items, it’s okay. Follow the usual rules for washing silk, like not using hot water or wringing it dry, and you should find it works just fine. For help with washing silk, see How to Wash Silk Garments .

It is possible to wash clothes by hand, provided you use a mild detergent that won’t transfer any coloring to the clothes. However, never use dish soap in the washing machine because it will produce too many suds, which can damage the machine.

For emergencies, you can use shampoo to hand wash clothes. Choose a mild one though, preferably baby shampoo. Avoid any shampoos that might transfer color to your clothes (such as tinting shampoos), if you’re unsure, then check an inconspicuous spot on a light item first. Combination shampoo-conditioner and conditioner are not suitable to hand wash clothes. And never put shampoo into a washing machine; the high level of suds that will form might damage the washing machine.

This depends on how delicate the bras are. Bras have become a lot more resilient in recent years, with many made from spandex, Lycra and other synthetics, as well as stronger stitching and less frills on everyday bras, which means they can handle machine washing much better. However, delicate bras with lots of lace, etc., and any bras that have a label stating "hand wash only," should be washed by hand only. For help with either hand washing or machine washing bras, see How to Wash a Bra .

Yes. It makes no difference how they were washed, you can dry them just the same. It's just suggested to lay items flat if you were hand-washing because the garment's cleaning instructions recommended it.

No, the hand washing cycle on a washing machine is not appropriate for most hand wash only items of clothing. Try washing delicate clothing by hand, rather than risk using the hand wash setting on your machine.

Probably, but it depends on what material they are made from, check the tags, there should be instructions for care.

Of course, it has been done that way for many years.

No! Dishwashing liquid contains chemicals that may damage or shrink your clothes, so this is not a suitable substitute.

It depends on what you prefer. If you have many clothes to wash and not much time, you should use a washing machine. If you have enough time to hand wash your clothes, then go for it! Both will get the clothes clean as long as you use the correct techniques.

Yes that's what I do. Or I use a new toothbrush with stain remover and the stains come out every time. If they don't come out the first time, do the same thing again.

Yes, but if the clothes overlap, it may take longer to dry or leave some spots still wet, so try not to have them overlap too much.

Before hand-washing in the manner described in the article, rub the stain with a bar of bath soap (I use Ivory).

You should wear rubber gloves while washing and rinsing, if you are hand-washing your clothes.

Items made with a loose knit or fabric that retains a lot of water should be laid flat, because their weight when wet can pull them out of shape. These items will usually have a tag saying "lay flat to dry" or similar. If your dress says to line dry, it probably doesn't fall into this category, so you don't need to worry.

If it’s just for the day, there might be a slight musty smell upon opening, which shouldn’t stay and should not persist after the clothing is properly dried. However, leaving clothing wet in there over like-several days to a week will mean that you’re looking at some serious mildew and the clothes will need to be treated. Also, if you live in a humid/tropical climate, even a day can lead to stinky clothing, so set an alarm to remind you to remove clothing at the end of the wash.

There's really no fast way. But if your washing machine has broken but your dryer still works, then you can hand wash it but use the dryer. That'll speed up the process.

You can just us the steps here. Just add mild detergent, soap or anything that would be good for your towels, then lay them out without any folding.