When to ignore the ‘hand wash only’ label: expert advice

Have you ever thought that this indication on the label speaks not about the vulnerability of the fabric, but about the desire of the manufacturer to transfer responsibility for the safety of the item to the consumer, that is, to you ? If such suspicions have arisen at least once, then congratulations, because you are the owner of level 80 intuition!

“Using a label like this is much easier than figuring out what the best care code is for a particular product,” says Sean Cormier, associate director of development and marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology, which specializes in quality assurance of textiles for almost 20 years. years.

That’s not the only reason we’re currently trying to figure out when it’s OK to ignore handwashing etiquette. The second is savings: companies strive to use cheaper and therefore less durable dyes, and also produce materials prone to pilling, then try to compensate for the drop in quality with delicate care.

The answer is simple: it’s all about friction and continuous movement. “In front-loading machines, clothes are constantly turned over during the wash, while vertical machines are gentler with them – there they simply swing from side to side,” Cormier says.

The result of this effect is obvious: “shaking” can distort delicate fibers, causing the item to stretch, or cause pilling through friction. “Hand washing is ultimately the easiest way to prevent damage,” says Gwen Whiting, co-founder of a laundry detergent company.

Does this mean that the dangers and consequences of machine washing items labeled “hand wash only” are too great to risk? Nothing like ! Modern household appliances can do a lot of things, including simulating hand washing: for this they have a special delicate mode.

This cycle involves the use of lower water temperatures, gentler swinging, and lower spin speed. Due to this, the list of types of fabrics that can be machine washed, despite the inscription on hand washing, is quite long: you can send almost any item there with a few exceptions.

So how do you determine if an item can be machine washed rather than hand washed? It’s quite simple: you need to remember a list of things in which the label instructions must be strictly followed – according to Gwen, they include:

There are other things to consider when washing items labeled “hand wash only.” For example, as fashion designer and lecturer at QUT design school Dina Brough points out, a very small hole in a knit can turn into a huge hole due to machine washing.

Her colleague Sally Lowe also advises keeping the cost of a garment in mind. “If I buy a really expensive dress and the label says it can only be hand washed or dry cleaned, I probably will,” says Sally.

So, an examination of the inscription “hand wash only” showed that it should not be trusted unconditionally. Suppose you need to put away an item that is not on the list of those that actually only require manual procedures – here is a proven method for washing items intended for hand washing.

Also read: What to add to water to remove stains from clothes: a roadmap for all occasions

Of course, wash by hand! It’s not as difficult and time-consuming as it might seem at first glance – this is the algorithm that Lindsay Boyd, co-founder of a company that produces laundry detergents, recommends using.

Dina Bro reminds us that washing clothes less often means not only saving time and effort, but also protecting the environment. Here’s what she says you can do:

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