Hand Washing

The only items I hand wash are my bras which are a bit pricey from Bravissimo. When I get new ones the shop assistant always says 'you should hand wash them'. So I do - until I have had them a while and the novelty wears off and I shove them in the washing machine

I have special holders for wired bras. I got them from Lakeland along with bags I use for delicates and tights

My cashmeres have washed well on the hand-wash cycle. The disaster happened when I put a cardigan in the tumble drier on the 'cool' programmed. It fits my slimmer DiL very nicely now.

Indesit do a nice neat little cheap one.

www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/laundry-dishwashers/tumble-dryers/indesit-isdg428-spin-dryer-white-17799674-pdt.html?gclid=CJPS6r2Vob0CFXMPtAodLxYAgQ&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~~~Exact&mctag=gg_goog_7904&s_kwcid=AL!3391!3!30417843204!!!g!64556567844!&ef_id=UyrMVQAAAH-16RL4:20140320125942:s

Yes, I too have a teddy-bear sized jumper, the first navy blue cashmere one I ever purchased from my own earnings. I have been meaning to turn it into something useful for almost 40 years!

Funny you should mention that Nonu because I've recently been toying with the idea of buying another spin dryer. For a start they get things much drier than even a good washing machine and, if your washing machine breaks down, there isn't the panic about getting it repaired/buying a new one. A cashmere sweater of my daughters once ended up with the rest of the washing and came out teddy bear size [this was before cashmere started to get a lot cheaper and it was quite an expensive purchase ].

I even put a lot of 'dry clean only' in the machine and they are fine.

That's interesting, Nonu.

Yes, I do sometimes wish that I hadn't bought a size larger, but I layer up in the winter so the bigger ones go on top. 'Pure' is the worst brand I have come across for shrinkage, but I can no longer afford them anyway.

When I do my hand washing , I have an old spin dryer , [had it donkeys years] which I use , as I rmember my mother telling me years ago that don"t do too much hand wringing as it can make the veins on the back of your hands worse !

I do that as well, janerowena (except for buying everything a size larger!). Jumpers etc. don't need a long wash (in fact, what does these days?) and the light spin gets more water out without stretching the garment than I ever could by hand-wringing.

As a self-confessed addict of natural fabrics and fine woollens, I have a vast amount of what would normally be considered hand-washing to do. I just buy everything a size larger. It goes in the washing-machine at 40C (30 is recommended but I prefer 40) - but on a cycle that only takes 20 mins in all, with a light spin. Most of the jumpers don't shrink at all, not even the cashmeres. Also they keep their shape better than when I used to spend hours washing and wringing them out by hand. Afterwards I hang them on a radiator or on a clothes hanger in a doorway. They don't even need stretching into shape.

harri that has never happened to me and I have worn wired bras for years.

I don't bag bras to preserve them I do it to prevent wires coming out and damaging the washing machine. Bra = £40 Washing machine = £800 wrath of DH off the scale

It sounds all housewifey to say you handwash clothes, I know.

However, I only handwash jumpers and teeshirts.

What I like is the quick turn-around compared with leaving an item in the laundry basket and then putting it through the washing machine.

I noticed this morning that yesterday's newly on jumper had picked up smells from the curried fish I cooked last night. I didn't feel like wearing it today although it wasn't dirty so I just handwashed it and now it's smelling lovely and on a hanger drying, ready for tomorrow.

Oh God! What do I sound like. I wonder if I have been 'Stepforded'.

What's all this with bags, tights etc? Just shove it in and it will be OK. Another thread is about not doing the ironing but the washing seems to be complicated on this one. I haven't had knitwear go out of shape nor had a problem with wired bras. What do they get up to if not bagged? (all sorts going on in my mind!!) Mine are only M & S so probably don't have the added activity which yours have.

I don't hand wash, wired bras go in net bags.

I use my old tights for woollen jumpers and avoid wired bras. my daughters wired bras are washed in my frequent half loads to help keep them from getting squashed.

with the exception of a few items my husband has bought, unless I can chuck it in the WM I don't buy it.

I shove everything in together on 30*, whites and darks separately of course. 'Delicates' go in a net bag so they don't get hooked up with 'indelicates'. Everything has always come out unscathed and I've been doing it for nigh on 40 years. I only hand-wash stuff which will run and do it in cold water. I can remember having to hand-wash terry nappies when on holiday 35 years ago - never again TG

I'm with you, Nonnie!

I put more delicate items in net bags in the washing machine on a gentle cycle as I don't like handwashing (my washing machine doesn't have a 'spin only' cycle either). I always seem to soak myself when handwashing.
Even so, some of my jumpers have shrunk.

If you hand wash, you need to wring out the garments before you rinse or you won't get all the washing powder/liquid out. My hands have never been quite up to wringing, so I am grateful for the hand-wash and spin programmes.

What's hand washing?

First of all, I'm sorry the heading of this thread wasn't clearer and was only about laundry instead of OCD. I would start an OCD thread to make up but I don't suffer from it except in a mild way.

Heartened to see I am not the only one who hand washes and rinses until the water is clear(ish). Apart from convenience, thrift and quickness, another benefit of hand washing is that it is gentler on the clothes.

I read somewhere that a garment is past it's best after about 35 washes and I think hand-washing is far less wearing to clothes than a machine cycle.

My mother did the same. She would rinse until the water was absolutlely clear. I have to admit when I hand wash the water wouldn't be to my late mum's standard, well neither would much else really.

My mother drummed into me that the rinsing was most important part of the wash cycle - she always rinsed three times and sometimes more if she wasn't satisfied that all the soap powder was out.

I seldom ever hand wash except for bras because of the wires in them. When I do, I try to rinse until water goes clear but end up giving up on that & thinking that's near enough.