Hand Washing Knits and Delicates The Old Fashioned Way
I love all textiles natural, especially organic ones. They have superior drape and softness, spring and bounce, and absorb dyes in a brilliant way, especially natural dyes. All that can be lost or compromised when grown and processed using toxic conventional methods and dyes. Organic methods take more time and care, relying on cycles such as the seasons, pollination, the times of day, etc.
Here is my old fashioned hand washing method for my hand made clothes:
- Fill a sink or wash basin with lukewarm water. While the water is running, squirt some of our Organic Liquid Soap under the running water.
- When your basin is about 1/2 full, put your clothes in, swish them around to circulate the soap. Button sweaters. Scrub each piece, especially around the collars, wrists, sock soles, hems. If there are any stains or especially dirty spots, squirt a list soap directly onto that spot and gently rub the fabric together, creating a lather. When the stain disappears, swish the extra lather throughout the wash. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
Drain out the water and fill up your basin again with fresh lukewarm water. Swish your clothes around and gently rub them to release the soap. Drain out this water and fill the basin again 1/2 way. Add a capful of apple cider vinegar and let soak for another 30 minutes.
Drain and squeeze out the water from each piece of clothing. Then arrange all the clothes on a big towel. Roll the clothes up in the towel and walk on it to get out most of the water. Roll the towel and walk on the other side. If your clothes still have a lot of water in them, get another dry towel and repeat this step.
Lay flat across a drying rack or on a blocking board of some sort, in a partially sunny spot that gets good air flow. If you're washing clothes that are naturally dyed, they do not want to get full sun for very long. It could compromise the dyes. I use a piece of stiff foam insulation as a blocking board. It works amazingly well.
Certain wool garments and definitely cotton garments could be shaped so they dry symmetrically and retain a good shape.
Happy washing!
Click here to see more garments washed with our soap.