Step by step guide on how to hand wash a white, black, colored shirt

A shirt is a universal item that every person has in their wardrobe, regardless of gender and age.

It should not look untidy, so you need to be especially careful to keep it clean.

Most shirts can only be washed by hand. In order not to damage the fabric and spoil the thing, you need to do this correctly.

We will tell you how to properly wash a white or colored shirt by hand in the article.

Hand wash rules

The fact that the shirt can be washed by hand is indicated by a special icon on its tag. It will depict a basin with a hand lowered into it. Before proceeding to shirt washing, the product needs to be prepared.

This stage includes the following activities:

1. Checking pockets. All foreign objects are removed from them.
2. Inspection of the product for integrity. If there are loose seams, loose buttons or loose threads, fix this problem.
3. Turning the shirt over to the wrong side. This will avoid unnecessary friction on the outer elements of the garment and will help to wash it better.

Universal hand wash instruction:

1. Pour water into a basin.
2. Dissolve the detergent.
3. Place the shirt in the water.
4. Leave to soak if necessary.
5. Rub the contaminated areas with your hands. In addition to existing spots, cuffs, armpits, and collar require special attention.
6. If the stains are not washed off, they are additionally treated with laundry soap and rubbed again.
7. Rinse the product in cool water.
8. Squeeze or shake off the shirt, hang it up to dry.

Use a stain remover to remove stubborn dirt.

When is soaking necessary?

The shirt is soaked when tough dirt needs to be removed. Basic recommendations:

• Observe the soaking time. It takes 20-30 minutes to remove common stains. To get rid of stubborn dirt, the thing is left in water for 2-3 hours. Colored shirts are soaked for 1 hour, no more.
• The cleaning solution must completely cover the jacket.
• If the product gets dust, then before soaking it must be rinsed under running water.

Optimum water temperature

Shirts can be washed in hot or cool water, it all depends on the type of fabric.

For example, white cotton items can even withstand boiling, while silk items can only be processed in cool water.

To determine the temperature regime, you need to refer to the manufacturer's recommendations, which are indicated on the label... If this is not possible, then you should adhere to a single rule - wash your shirt at a temperature of about 40 degrees.

Choosing a detergent

For washing shirts you can use such means as:

• laundry soap;
• washing powder;
• liquid detergents.

How to clean the collar?

The collar gets very dirty, so during washing, he needs to pay special attention to:

• moisten and lather the collar with laundry soap;
• leave for 15-30 minutes;
• wash by hand.

If the dirt is ingrained, then you can use Antipyatin soap to whiten clothes. They lather the collar with it, leave it for half an hour, rub it intensively with your hands, and then wash your shirt with powder.

Antipyatin soap can be replaced with improvised meanse.g. dishwashing liquid, toothpaste, hair shampoo.

Features for items of different fabrics and colors

Depending on the fabric from which the shirt is sewn, the features of its washing will differ:

1. Cotton and linen... Natural fabrics can withstand washing temperatures up to 40-60 degrees. To prevent the product from shrinking, it is not squeezed out after washing.
2. Silk. This is a delicate fabric that does not tolerate high temperatures (up to 30 degrees). Silk shirts must not be soaked.
3. Wool. Such products are washed at 30 degrees and only with liquid detergents. They are not soaked or squeezed. A wet woolen shirt is laid out on a flat surface with a cloth underneath it. When it absorbs water, it is changed.
4. Viscose and modal (artificial materials). Fabrics are durable, can withstand soaking and washing at a temperature of 40 degrees, but they cannot be wrung out. Shirts should dry naturally to avoid significant shrinkage, which can reach 7%.
5. Nylon, satin, acrylic, fleece (synthetics). These fabrics are unpretentious. They can be wrung out and washed at temperatures up to 40-50 degrees.

When washing, consider the color of the shirt:

1. White products can be soaked in hot water, leaving for several hours. Bleach is used to remove stubborn stains and whiten it.

   It is better to choose non-aggressive agents that do not contain chlorine. Enzymes and active oxygen can act as bleaching components.

2. Colored shirts are soaked, but not for long. The holding time should not exceed 60 minutes. The optimum washing temperature is 40 degrees.

   It is advisable to choose products intended for the care of colored things. They do not wash out the pigment, allowing you to maintain an attractive appearance of the product for a long time.

3. Black things. They are washed in cool water, without the use of bleaches. We recommend using liquid detergents that dissolve well and remove dirt even at low temperatures. Even if the dye is persistent, it will still wash out in hot water.

They help not only to preserve, but also to restore the washed out pigment.

How to whiten fabric and get rid of yellowness?

To get rid of yellowness on the shirt, remove stains and make it snow-white, you can use such improvised means as:

• Lemon juice... It gently removes yellow streaks without damaging the fabric fibers. To cope with the problem, the contaminated areas are moistened in lemon juice, left for 10 minutes, and then washed as usual.
• Hydrogen peroxide... It is applied to the collar, to the armpits, to the cuffs to remove yellowness from them. After 30-60 minutes, the item is washed in soapy water.
• Baby powder or cornstarch... With their help, you can remove greasy stains. To do this, sprinkle the contaminated area with powder, press it with the palm of your hand, and leave it for an hour. Then the starch is brushed off and the stain is washed in warm water.
• Vinegar. It is applied to a cotton pad, which is used to wipe the yellowed collar. After half an hour, the shirt is washed as usual.

In order not to harm the tissue, first you need to test the substance in an inconspicuous area.

In addition to improvised tools, you can use professional bleaches to whiten the shirt, for example:

1. Vanish Oxi Action Gold Crystal White... The cost of 1 liter of gel is about 200 rubles.
2. Antipyatin powder... Price for 120 g - 65 rubles.
3. ACE Oxi Magic White stain remover... The cost of the powder is 157 rubles.

How to dry?

Dry your shirts correctly to avoid shrinkage and loss of shape. Key recommendations:

• do not wring out the thing after washing;
• use a hanger for draining water and further drying;
• do not throw the thing over the rope so that creases do not appear, because getting rid of them even with an iron will be difficult.

Delicate shirts are dried unfolded on a flat surface. To quickly remove moisture, you can lay a terry towel under it. Drying of shirts near heat sources gives guaranteed shrinkage. Therefore, they must not be hung on radiators or near gas burners.

Important recommendations

To avoid ruining the shirt during hand wash, the following tips should be taken into account:

1. Before you start washing, you need to familiarize yourself with the manufacturer's recommendations, which are indicated on the product label.
2. If soaking is to be done, then only plain shirts are placed in the basin. Products of different colors are washed separately.
3. After washing with bleach, rinse the item thoroughly.
4. It is easier to deal with fresh dirt, so you need to start washing as early as possible, without waiting for the dirt to penetrate into the deep structures of the fabric.
5. For hand washing, it is not recommended to use washing powder with the inscription "automatic". Its particles are less soluble in water and produce less foam. Because of this, the quality of the wash suffers.

If colored streaks remain on the fabric, the product will shed during washing.

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Conclusion

When washing a shirt by hand, you need to pay attention to the color and type of fabric. In order not to damage the product, be sure to take into account the manufacturer's recommendations indicated on the label.... This will keep the item clean and extend its life without losing its external characteristics.