Anyone else sick to death of handwashing?

[WeirderandWeirder]

I love natural fabrics and have lived in them for many years. But anything other than the weight of a tshirt really gets old fast when handwashing. Tonight it was time....had to throw a few linen sweaters into the basin and oh my god the weight! I have pretty much put my chest muscles out wringing the buggers. I don't envy women who had to mess with this shit daily in old times gone by.

Like I say, I am fine with lighter weight items, and cashmere isn't much of a problem but I can get really fed up with not just smashing it all into a mixed wash and forgetting it.

Then, it's June. Colder than usual but we don't have the central heating on, so there's this pile of wet crap all over the house, windows open, dripping on to towels, and that's after a severe handwringing.

I wouldn't risk a linen sweater in the wash, no matter who advised it, but maybe I will be more mindful of what I purchase in the future. I used to love Poetry, but JHChrist I have no idea how people wash that shit and still have a life!

Is 'jersey' linen different to woven linen? yes more fragile, sadly

Oh Gawd. This thread is making me feel very guilty at the abuse my knitwear, silk and linen is subjected to.

In our house, it all goes in together on a hand wash, and is bunged over the Aga to dry. I’m not sure what temperature or spin speed that is. It’s fared pretty well so far but I’m sure something lovely will fall victim to my brutal system of natural selection in due course!

On another note, I don’t find natural fabrics more bother than viscose, which is the only engineered fabric I wear- that shrinks like anything, and sometimes goes horribly washed out and bobbly!

A can of dry cleaning spray to spot clean marks and underarms is a useful tool in the not-handwashing kit too

I quite like hand washing the items I have that needs to be. I do spin them in the machine

I detest handwashing, and made sure the washing machine I bought could do handwashing and delicates and wool.

I have washed silk on a hot wash (not planned...) and it's fine, same with linen, though I dohave ant linen Jersey. I've got silk Jersey, though, which has been through on a 40° wash no problem. I wash my cashmere in the machine, too, and it's all good.

I might be shortening the life of things by doing this, but most of it is years old, so I don't think I'm doing badly. I don't think I've shrunk wool since I was a teen.

I hand wash but then machine spin, even my hand knitted things. I read that the fastest spin is the best, as this flings the item against the drum and keeps it there, rather than it knocking about in the slower spins

i even do this when blocking hand knitted cashmere and it is fine

I agree linen jersey is very difficult to care for. It seems to go baggy and out of shape however careful I am.

I have linen pillowcases ( new old stock from Ebay) from the 1950s which get a 90 wash with no bother, but bought some linen sheets from M and S and they were so scratchy after several washings that I gave them away. There are obviously different grades of linen. I know people still like linen sheets, maybe high end ones are better?

The nicest woven linen I have worn was an Eileen Fisher Irish linen lawn summer skirt which washed beautifully and was so cool to wear. It was really soft and lightweight.

Any recommendations for a decent washing machine? My old Zanussi is a danger zone for delicates and doesn't have a handwash setting.

@Arlott I don't knit but I am so sad I block my cashmere socks with those plastic shapes! Otherwise they get smaller every time I wash them. Agree cashmere will withstand a spin, but I do handwash first. Always a needy pile at the bottom of the basket...

I use Dreft and Woolite in the machine for my silks, cashmere and cotton knitwear etc on a wool wash. Then dry flat-ish on top of the rotary washing line.

I wait for a sunny day to do my winter woolies.

Same! I have loads of different delicate fabric types and always use the hand wash cycle- nothing has ever been ruined. I cant be arsed with hand washing anything, life is too short for that.

This!

l don’t have a tumble dryer, it’s washing line on warm dry days, airer on others. But everything but everything, even some silk knickers and underwired bras (in delicates bag) goes in the machine. This includes some things where the label says “dry clean only”.

Things not spun would be damp around the house for ever.

I actually opened the thread thinking someone had MH issues as a hangover from covid and was a bit OCD.

Was a bit of a relief to realise they meant hand-washing clothes. Not hand washing.

But the machine has a hand wash or gentle setting for a reason. And actually I think it's probably better to spin the water out than to wring and twist clothes in your hands

I can't remember the last time I did a hand wash. I have a lot of cashmere, linen and silk items and they all go in the washing machine "hand wash". Never had an issue.

How often are you washing these items?

For pure wool I'd spot clean only and then hand-wash once a year. And it's arguable they would get the same from being aired outside so don't even need the wash.

Same for cashmere. And it all gets a freeze for at least 24 hours to finish off any moths.

Linen I'd expect to be able to treat really badly in a machine.

Same, I don't own any handwriting clothes no way could I want to wash that way

Forgot, if I am hand washing I use Eucalan or similar as the items just soak and no need to rinse.

So did I! I was all set to write a pithy response about how important it is. Ah well.

OP my handwash only items go in the machine on a gentle wash, it hasn’t ruined anything so far and my clothes weren’t originally cheap (Vinted and eBay buys)

I hand wash my bras, when I work as sales assistant selling lingerie the reps said that they last longer, specially if you wear underwire ones, I left that profession over 14 years ago, and still do it today.

Ditto!

I don't buy anything that needs handwashing. Problem solved!

Yes - and not all machines are the same, as I learned to my cost! In my old machine I was able to wash wools etc on the delicate cycle. In my current machine, (Miele) I can only use the wool cycle - ‘delicate’ wash shrinks anything that’s very delicate.

This is the system for you!

Vintage Photos Show the Early Days of Washing Machines, 1880s-1950s - Rare Historical Photos

How often are you washing these items?

Did a wool wash last week, due to a barbecue sauce incident. But that's the first since autumn, I think.

i have a few linen sweaters and honestly they have been fine on a delicates wash. I only wash them when they need it though - I'm not a wear once and wash person

after I wear I hang up by an open window for a bit and if I've been sitting with someone smoking or am I feel it needs a refresh but not a wash I spritz it with vodka

Use a washing bag and put it on a cool/delicate/handwash cycle, with a spin. Life is too short

Me too 😂