How to Hand Wash Clothes in a Double Sink

Well, no doubt, if you’re human, you’ll have to hand wash your clothes at some time in your life.

When you do, remember these tips for an easy way to hand wash your clothes in a sink.

1. Pre-Soak: You will want to pre-soak your clothes in one side of the sink in cold water for darks and colors and warm for whites. This will get your clothes wet and releasing a good deal of dirt, if there is any.

* Tip: If you’re washing a variety of colors, be sure to start with all of your white, then pastels, then brights, then darks. If you get out of synch with this order, you’ll end up with pink whites, and dingy colors.

2. Wash: In the other side of the sink from where you’re pre-soaking, you’ll mix your water and washing detergent. A few items at a time, transfer the clothes from the pre-soaking side to the washing side after wringing water out of them.

You will swish the clothes around in the water, scrubbing any problem areas and being sure to squish the soapy water through them.

* Tip: You will be “balling up” each item and “kneading” it against the side of the sink - as you would a ball of bread dough. Allowing the ball the fill up with water again in between kneads, so you can really get a good wash through the clothing.

When you feel comfortable that they are adequately washed, item by item, wring out as much water as you can and set the clothes aside until you’re finished washing - whites with whites, colors with colors, darks with darks - and do not let them touch or you could have bleeding of the dyes in the clothing onto lighter colored pieces.

* Tip: If water in either side gets too dingy and dirty or you no longer feel soap on your hands when washing, empty the sink completely and start over with fresh water, or fresh water and soap, for the next batch of clothing.

3. Rinse: Starting with the whites, then pastels, then colors, then darks, a few items at a time, put into a fresh sink of water (where you were previously pre-soaking, so you don’t get confused). Again swish the water through the items and rinse as best you can until you can’t feel any more soap on your hands from the clothes you’re rinsing.

* Tip: If water gets too soapy from rinsing, hold the clothes in the sink out of the way and drain the water out. Refill with fresh water and continue.

Wring as much water out as possible and put into the next sink…

4. Rinse with Fabric Softener: Now that you’ve gotten the dirt and soap out of your clothing, you’re going to fill the sink where you were washing with fresh cool water - after rinsing and cleaning it out quickly so there’s no soapy film in it - and with 1 capful of fabric softener - or whatever you’ve estimated is correct.

Again, a few items at a time from the Rinse sink, you’ll rinse again in the water with fabric softener, so your clothing isn’t all crispy when it dries and it will smell nice too.

Now, wring as much water as you possibly can out of the clothing after it’s soaked for a while in the water with fabric softener and you’ve swished the water through them.

5. Hang Dry: You will now hand your wet clothing on hangers outside on a clothes line, use clothes pins on a clothes line, or you can hang your hangers on your shower pole in the bathroom - just be sure not to hang so many it pulls the pole down.

* Tip: Don’t drape clothes over sharp edges of coutnertops or furniture, as your clothes will dry with those points in them - it will stretch your fabric.

* Tip: Be sure not to drape clothes over furniture that’s wooden, as you can ruin the finish, or other surfaces that are dirty or will bleed color onto your clothing, especially whites and lighter clothes.

Also, your clothes are going to be more wet than they usually are when you get them out of a washing machine. Be aware of this, so that where the water drips off your clothes, it won’t ruin your carpeting, other flooring or furnishings.

Now, you’ve gone green, washed your own clothes by hand and saved a bundle on water, electricity and detergent. Good job!

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I hope you enjoyed this information on Cleaning Tip on Home and Gardening Today! Until next time…

Go Green & Hand Wash Your Clothes,

Kimberly Edwards