Does Anyone Still Do Handwashing

 .....? Or am I the oddity.

As I have been entertained for the past few days in starting to sort out the bedroom, I have been immersed in lots of washing for the past few days.  I had been unable (for quite some time to reach my closet (which used to be the Airing Cupboard) and bring out all my clothes from said closet.  They were a bit dusty.  I was sneezing profusely and so I took the decision to wash the lot. There are a lot of clothes concerned, and this is only one part of my clothing.  I used to have two wardrobes, one for working and one for wearing personally, and a lot of the clothes I have had for many years. Working in a professional practice we always had to look neat and smart at all times. If you look after your clothes you can achieve keeping them for a long time. 

I have also scrubbed the closet out within an inch of its life and I am starting to organise it somewhat so that it is like a mini dressing room for me (not that there is much space to turn) but a useful little space in any event. 

I am to add in a small lamp to give lighting, and a double rack of drawers which I am going to store things like scarves, shawls, belts, make-up, nail varnish, curling tongs, hairdryer, straighteners etc. so that everything is organised and I can easily find things.  I am also popping in a dress mirror on the wall.

I am now in the pros of getting everything back into the closet, after being washed, dried and aired (a most important element in any washing regime).  Some of the items have been tumble dried others have been put on hangers and air dried and then finished off in the tumbler.  Some of the items have come out of the tumbler crease free, others will need an iron.  Needless to say my ironing basket is also overflowing at the moment.

As a result of such a clear-out I have been left with an extremely large pile of handwashing. I have plans to deal with this tomorrow, and if the day is fine the washing will go out on the line. Fingers crossed it is going to be like today. If it is not it will where it can be popped into the tumbler.   

Why do I hand-wash.  I have found over the years that especially with more modern expensive yarns like mohair and wool that they can quickly felt up and be ruined if bunged into the washing machine.  There is nothing more annoying than spending a fortune on said tops or jumpers and have them ruined when you have only had a couple of "wearing sessions" out of them. I have therefore taken to hand-washing all of my jumpers, and a few specialist tops which have sequins on them or beadwork as well.  I have found from personal experience that this with a little care and attention does indeed extend the life of what I term more delicate and volatile items.

I was taught to hand-wash by my Mum, who always knitted for us and consequently for the same reasons also used to hand-wash all of the knitted items.  This was then followed up at school with learning how to launder any item, linen tray cloths and embroidered work as well as being taught how to iron.  They do not seem to do that these days.  Would not be a bad skill for  young people to learn. I predominantly hand wash delicates like underwear and also knitwear.

I enclose a link here on how to hand-wash.  I apologise to those who already know how to hand wash, but a lot of people do not and for that reason I enclose the following link.

 

Hand Washing

The main point is to be gentle when you are washing said items and to take your time with them.  It is not a quick process, and you have to wash, rinse a couple of times and squeeze out gently, then add fabric conditioner, and I then bung them onto a spin cycle in the washing machine, before either re-shaping the garment and hanging up on a coat-hanger, and allowing to dry naturally. I do not use towels as they do in the video. This is especially so with any pure wool items.  Sequin and beaded items can also loose the beads or the sequins can discolour which spoils the effect of the garment and therefore, be as gentle as  you can.

Some of the clothes I have I have had over 16 years as a result of looking after them and caring for them properly.  A lot of other clothes have been thinned out over that period too.

Have you ever hand washed clothing, do you still hand wash, or do you just bung everything into the washing machine no matter what.  Those more experienced in the technical art of hand washing, do you have any little tips that you can pass on to everyone else.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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