STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

esquiress · Marc Jacobs

how do you all hand wash stuff??

mikacat · Coach

i use woolite in the sink and let it soak a bit and rub it around with my hands.

then i wring it out and roll it in a towel to get the water out and then lie it to dry.

Drew · Gucci

Insert clothes in washing machine. Set to delicate/handwash. Add detergent labeled for delicate clothing (Woolite). Turn machine on.

Just kidding, but that's what I do for hand washing, otherwise I just take it to the drycleaner. I figure for a couple bucks it's worth it so I don't have to do it.

Sorry, no help here.

valenciana · Dooney & Bourke

i use woolite, i think. or is it delicare? anyway, it's specifically for delicates, in a slim white bottle. i follow the directions on there for handwashing. you just kind of soak the clothes in soapy water, then sort of, use your hands to push the water through the fabric and dunk them in the water a few times. does that make sense? then empty the sink and run water through the clothes till they're rinsed fully. if it's not clean after that, i don't know what you would do otherwise.

Lilykind · Hermes

I hate handwashing, but I hate losing my favorite clothes even more.

I use Woolite to wash everything. I basically use my bathroom sink as a basin, scrub anything that looks like a stain, soak the items for 5 minutes, and then rinse out (I usually need to do this 4-5 times)...it really does get clean.

Elle · Hermes

The only thing I've ever physically handwashed was a bathing suit while I was on vacation. Other than that, I just put anything 'delicate' in one of those mesh bags and wash it on the gentle cycle with cold water.

bex · Chanel

quote:
Originally posted by: mikacat
"i use woolite in the sink and let it soak a bit and rub it around with my hands. then i wring it out and roll it in a towel to get the water out and then lie it to dry."

i do the exact same thing. all of my cashmere is hand washed and this is how i do it!

esquiress · Marc Jacobs

lol, thanks guys, i think i'll go get some woolite tonight and give it a go.

Andrea Julia · Coach

First, I look to see if it CAN be dry cleaned. Sometimes they say handwash or dry clean. If it gives the option to dry clean, I always dry clean.

Then, if it can't be dry cleaned, I determine how delicate I think it is. If it seems like it will be fine, I will put it in the washing machine, but not the dryer. When I take it out, I lay it flat on a towel on the floor to dry.

If I determine that it does indeed need to be hand washed, I throw it in a bag behind my hamper where it sits for AT LEAST a month. When I finally hand wash it, I treat the stains first and scrub them or whatever because once the article of clothing is totally wet it is hard to find the stains. I then put some detergent in the sink and kind of swish it around, then let it soak, and then rinse really well. My friend told me she uses something called liquid fabric softener, too, and I keep meaning to buy it.

blink · Coach

clothing manufacturers automatically put Dry Clean Only if they don't want to provide detailed instructions. Cashmere is better handwashed than dry cleaned.

Woolite is gentle enough, and I don't bother with fabric softeners, why add more chemicals to my delicate fabrics?

Remember when you are handwashing your sweaters to stretch it back to original size while you are laying it flat to dry....after you have rolled it gently in a towel. I think Martha Stewart used to recommend to actually take a tape measure and measure the sleeves beforehand to match up to after the wash.