Hand Washing

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'.

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

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

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.

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.

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 !

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.

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

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 ].

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!

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.

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

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