Are my clothes thoroughly clean if I handwashed them?

Question

I put in 4 full scoops of Gain powder laundry detergent & handwashed them, scrubbing them together as long & as hard as I could with scalding hot water. I put on 2 pairs of gloves to protect my skin from the heat. I Rinsed them with cold water & wrang them out really well & then put them on hangers to air dry.

***I had to do this because I don't have the money to go to the laundromat. With me having Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, I keep thinking, "I wonder if I missed a spot". & one lady told me that my clothes aren't clean because they have to be put in a machine & go through cycles.

***There were times in my life where I've washed clothes in the machine & odors didn't come out of my clothes, & also when I've handwashed them & they smelled fresh.

Answer 1

Handwashing is an effective way to clean clothes. It's just time consuming. A lot of washing machines get gummed up or store pockets of mildewy water that continually make clothing smell bad. It's a lot of hard work to wash clothing by hand but you should be able to do an effective job, especially if you pretreat bad stains.

Answer 2

Yeah, four scoops sounds like too much. Make sure to read the label. One scoop should be plenty. I usually use the concentrated laundry so all I have to do it put a very little bit.

For handwashing, Woolite is the best. Anyway, handwashing is more time consuming but your clothes will be clean. I still handwash the delicate things that can't be washed at the laundromat.

Answer 3

Fill your sink with hot water, add detergent, put clothes in, let soak overnight. In the morning let out the water rinse well, wring out water, and hang clothes. Make sure you use an enzyme detergent like Tide or Era. The enzymes and surfactants in the detergent will remove all oils and dead skin cells and the ionic compounds will not allow them to resettle on the clothing. A washing machine is still easier. Hand washing uses a lot of detergent.

Answer 4

You don't have to wash clothes in a conventional washing machine to have clean clothes.

One suggestion though:

When I hand wash my clothes, I allow them to soak in the bath tub for a few minutes, and don't overdo the soap, it's not necessary, and your clothes will still fade even if hand washed.

Also,if they are dark colors, don't use hot water, it will shrink and fade them. This method works.

After they soak in the tub for a while, I go back and wash them and I create friction with both hands with the clothes between, then let the water with the soap out, and run clear water to rinse, and I swish them around in the tub and remove the soap. Lastly, I let water run on them to remove any soap left, and ring with a towel to remove some of the water, and hang them around the house.

I know outside is supposed to be better for clothes, so they smell fresher, but I don't want the hot sun to fade my clothes.

Answer 5

Four scoops is probably too much. It's hard to get the soap out. Soap won't hurt you, but it's hard on the fabric. (and could itch you). Concentrate a small amount of soap under the arms where the smell could be. Then wash the rest in a small amount of soap. Too hot of water is also hard on the fabric. Trying singing or humming while you wash your clothes gently...it'll make the time pass and relax you a bit. Good luck, sweetie!

Answer 6

They are much cleaner now than if you washed them in a machine. Handwashing does clean clothes and cleans them well.

Answer 7

well im 13 and i think thatz perfect. better 2 wash ur clothes urself

Answer 8

Tsk, tsk, tsk... You didn't beat em off a rock, honey! I'll give you and "A" for effort, though. just try to do better the next time.....lol