When it comes to delicate clothing, sometimes a machine wash can do far more harm than good, with the long cycles and high heats causing things like shrinkage or tears. Unless you’ve got an appliance like those in the Candy range, with their advanced features for protecting your clothes, you’ll always want to be careful with your delicates.
So if you’ve got some clothing that you really care about, that you can’t take any chances with, it’s always handy to know how you should go about washing your clothes using nothing more than a tub, some soap and your hands.
In this guide, we’re going to take a look at how you can do just that – taking you step by step through how you can wash your clothing by hand.
A step-by-step guide to washing clothes by hand.
- Check the labels of your laundry
Before you even get started on handwashing your clothes, you should always check the label of your garment – and generally, that’s good advice however you choose to do your laundry.
The label will normally have a symbol on it that signifies that you can hand wash the item of clothing. That symbol is a hand dipping into a tub of water. If that’s there, you should be able to hand wash – but you should also keep an eye out for any other instructions for handwashing that should be heeded. - Run water into a tub or a sink
Once you’ve checked the label, you’ll want to fill a receptacle with water according to the specified temperature (generally warm or cold). Make sure the receptacle is large enough for you to be able to drench the garment, and soak and rinse it. Fill it with enough water so you’re not in danger of spilling anything over the side to be cleaned up later. - Add laundry detergent
Generally, you’ll be able to buy specific hand wash detergent that’s great for washing things by hand – especially delicates like wool and silk.
Once you’ve bought some, check the back of the box or bottle. This will tell you how much you should put in with your clothes and water. - Soak your garment
Once the water is filling up and the detergent is added, you’re ready to get your washing done.
Take the garment and place it in the water. After a few minutes, submerge in the water and gently move it through the water, swishing it from side to side slowly so the water and soap get across the entire fabric. Try not to wring or rub any of the fabric too hard – remember these are delicate items so slow and steady is the best way of avoiding any rips, tears or stretches. - Rinse off the soap
After a good soaking, your garment should be cleaner and fresh – but you’ll still need to get the soap off it.
Empty the sink of its soapy, detergent water and refill it with lukewarm water. Use this water to rinse off the soap by dunking the garment in the water and lifting it back out again. This will take off all the soap safely and thoroughly so that you can enjoy fresher laundry. - Hang out to dry
Hopefully by now, you should have clean and suds-free clothes so it’s time to get them out on the line.
The key thing here is to hang them out rather than rely on your tumble dryer. It might make things quicker but you also run a serious risk of damaging your clothes.
Why you should consider a Candy washing machine
If you’re looking for a washing machine that can do both more delicate clothing and your everyday washing, here at Candy, we’ve got appliances for all needs and requirements.
The Candy washing machine is full of reliable, efficient, and family friendly appliances that are just perfect for keeping your family and household well stocked with their clothes whenever they need them. With over 40 programmes, voice functionality and a host of smart tips on the Candy App for cleaning your garments, you’ll have everything you need to make laundry a breeze.
Candy washing machines bring a similar level of robust quality through innovative features that set them apart. Perhaps the most prominent of these is the connectivity features through your mobile phone and the Candy App, designed to give you complete flexibility over your laundry so you can operate it, wherever you are with an internet connection.
Want to find out more about the Candy catalogue of washing machines and what they can bring to your household? Visit our website now.
