Some of your garments might be too delicate for the washing machine but don’t require dry cleaning. You’ll need to handwash those items to prevent fading and damage. First, go over some steps to follow for handwashing garments yourself. Then, find out how to save time and energy by using an NJ laundry service.

Separate Your Garments or Choose a “Laundry Service Pickup and Delivery Near Me”

Most of the time, you probably handwash more than one garment at a time. Sometimes, you can combine garments of the same fabric and color, but other times, you need to wash them in separate sinks or basins.

If you have dark or bright colors, wash them separately, even if you have two bright pink cashmere sweaters or a trio of black wool garments. Otherwise, the dye could bleed onto other pieces of clothing.

You also need to go beyond color when separating your garments. You shouldn’t wash heavy garments with delicates, or you could end up damaging the fabric. Also, don’t handwash garments that require warm water with those that you can wash in hot.

If you aren’t sure how to separate your garments, or you don’t want to take the time to handwash a bunch of clothes, you can outsource the task to a pickup laundry service in New Jersey. Then, professionals will separate and handwash the garments for you. You won’t have to worry about damaging the fabric or spending lots of time on the chore when you go this route.

Pretreat the Stains Before Handwashing Clothing

Anytime you do laundry, it’s wise to pretreat the stains before starting the task. This is true when handwashing garments as well. Apply a laundry stain remover to the stains and let it do its work for at least five minutes before handwashing your clothes.

Prepare the Sink or Use an NJ Laundry Service

Next, you need to prepare the sink or basin where you’ll handwash your clothes. Find a spot that’s large enough for you to submerge your garments in water. Then, use an all-purpose cleaner to remove all the dirt and grime from the sink so that nothing transfers onto your clothes.

If you don’t have a sink that’s large enough to accommodate your garments, you can purchase a freestanding washbasin and use it. Also, you have the option of taking the chore off your to-do list by using a pickup laundry service in New Jersey.

Fill the Sink with Water and Detergent

Once the sink or basin is clean, fill it with the warmest water you can, based on the care label. However, don’t fill the sink all the way, or you won’t have enough room to move the clothes around and dislodge dirt and debris.

Then, you need to add the detergent. You don’t want to use too much laundry detergent, or you’ll have trouble rinsing it out. As a general rule, use one teaspoon of detergent for each pound of clothing. If you’re unsure of how much your clothing weighs, err on the side of caution and use less detergent so you don’t end up with residue that can irritate your skin and harm the garment. Plus, using too much detergent will make it hard to get your clothing clean.

Submerge the Clothing or Contact an NJ Laundry Service

At this point, you might realize that handwashing is more than you signed up for, and you’d rather have someone else do it for you. Fortunately, it’s not too late to contact an NJ laundry service to pick up your clothes. However, if you want to continue, you’ll need to submerge the garments in the sink or basin.

Once the clothes are underwater, you need to move them around. Your hands will act like a washing machine agitator, allowing the laundry detergent to penetrate and lift dirt and grime from the fibers.

After you agitate the clothing, give the garments time to soak in the solution. Garments that aren’t very dirty just need to soak for 15 minutes. However, if your clothes are extremely dirty, they can soak for a full hour.

Rinse the Garments

Once your clothes are done soaking, you need to rinse them. First, drain the basin or tub and remove the suds. Then, refill the basin or tub with lukewarm or cool water to rinse the suds from the clothes.

You’ll use your hands like an agitator once again to work the suds out of the fabric. Also, you’ll need to drain and refill the tub or basin as many times as it takes to remove all the suds. This can be a long process, which is why so many people choose to use a pickup laundry service in New Jersey instead of doing it themselves.

Dry the Garments

After you remove the suds, you’ll need to dry the garments. Start by grabbing one item of clothing and pressing down on it to push out the water. While wringing the clothes would be faster, that can damage your garments, so only press on them. Then, place the first garment in a fresh towel and roll it to absorb additional water. Then, move on to the next article of clothing and keep going until you’re finished.

After you remove as much water as possible, place the items flat so they can air dry. Flip the garments during drying so both sides will dry.

Let an NJ Laundry Service Do the Work

As you can see, handwashing clothes is a ton of work. You can easily spend a good portion of a day handling this task, or you could spend a minute or two scheduling service from a pickup laundry service in New Jersey. If you don’t have the time, energy, or patience to handle this, sign up for service online. You can also download the Android or iPhone app to schedule service from your phone. Then, the valet will pick up your handwashable items and take them to the facility for a professional cleaning. They’ll come back fresh and clean, and you can spend your afternoon doing things you enjoy.

Sources:

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/a32713797/how-to-hand-wash-clothes/

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-hand-wash-clothes/

https://www.marthastewart.com/1541278/how-wash-all-your-clothes-hand

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/16/style/how-to-handwash-your-clothes.html