I’ve been thinking about doing this post for a while to combine two ideas in one: how I take care of the majority of my ‘hand wash only’ wardrobe, and to include a Hills Hoist clothes line for all my ex-pat readers.
I’ve ended up with a wardrobe that consists of mainly hand wash only clothes for a couple of reasons. I wear mainly natural fibres like silk, cotton and wool and there is a decent dose of second hand or vintage clothes that simply couldn’t withstand the washing machine.
Of course I use one for everything else but when I do I:
- Only ever wash with cold water
- Use the gentle cycle for everything
- Use the same laundry liquid I would if I was hand washing
- Use a fast/quick/short cycle
To hand wash I’ve been using Martha Gardener County Homestead Wool Mix(affectionately referred to as ‘Martha’ or ‘Martha Gardener’) which Mother Melbourne has been using as long as I can remember. When I first moved to London she even sent me on my way with a bottle. These days there are plenty of alternative natural and gentle detergents and at the moment I’m using these Murchison Hume products from Miles Mason Trading Co.
So some tips for washing vintage:
- If you are unsure then try doing as much research as possible before you wash it yourself. There is loads of info online these days, or you can consult someone like Nicole from Circa Vintage who I’d say is a bit of an expert in this area.
- Always and only ever cold water. Let this be your mantra!
- If you’d like to brighten something or lift a stain you can soak the garment, but you should pay attention to the amount of time you leave it soaking. Check it every couple of hours, particularly if the fabric is delicate.
- Wash the item on its own to prevent colour or dye running.
- Depending on the age and fabric lightly squeeze out the water and drip dry. If you  have a nylon dress for example you can wring it dry, if you have a delicate silk slip you’d be a little more gentle. Common sense prevails here!
I also hand wash most silk and cotton items that say ‘dry clean only’ because the fabric is so delicate. I wouldn’t dream of putting them anywhere near the harsh chemicals used and I know plenty of people with horror stories of sending their dedicates off to the dry cleaner and getting something resembling a shadow of what they delivered back.
15 comments
Just a thought, do you have any tips for keeping clothes soft when you dry inside? As I live in an apartment and can’t dry out in the fresh air my clothes are always stiff as a board….I tried the Murchison Hume softener and although I love that it’s super ‘friendly’ and smells great, everything was still really rock hard….any tips greatly appreciated 🙂
Fab post, love that you put the mother tip in there…..their years of experience is such a quick win sometimes 🙂
Hi Notting Hill Girl.
I was with Lady Melbourne when she picked up her Murchison-Hume items from Miles Mason Trading Company here in Melbourne.
The good news is that they have an online store and post out orders world-wide in ethical packages! Here the link: http://www.mmtcstore.com.au
Hope this helps!
XX
Just love this post LM. xx
Mother Melbourne when will we see your blog on all things domestic?
Great information and pics to boot. I do a lot of washing for the lingerie – almost daily. I have a washer that does not have an agitator so it’s super gentle on the fine lingerie – still there’s some that I am so afraid to touch because they are so delicate. Lol, I have been in the process of trying to convince my boyfriend of putting in a clothesline 🙂 Thanks for the post!
Gorgeous pictures 🙂 I get a strange joy out of hand washing…but I never use pegs..they are the devil, I hate the marks they leave on your clothes.
Such a lovely post Lady M! Another tip for the puppy lovers- some diluted Martha Gardener’s with warm water is the perfect dog shampoo- it makes them super shiny and smell delish 🙂
What a great idea for a post! I hand wash all of my clothes too – a habit I picked up when living overseas without a washing machine. If you have any special recommendations for how to remove stains from silk, I’d love to hear them.
Beautiful post – I miss having access to a hills hoist but know hand washing makes such a difference to the longevity of my clothes. I hadn’t heard of Martha so will go take a look next time I am shopping.
PS – I love that Mother Melbourne comments on your post!
Here’s a tip for Notting Hill girl ! To iron your pure silk shirts, dampen them lightly and then roll them up and put them in a freezer bag and put them in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Iron them on a medium to hot setting with steam and they will look beautiful! If possible test the iron in a spot you won’t see, but I always iron my silk shirts with the iron set on hot.
After your last post about hand washing (and Murchison Hume) I promptly spent an evening washing my dry clean pile which normally costs me £50. The dresses all turned out fine, however my silk shirts ended up a crumpled mess and even after I ironed them on the silk setting, they still didn’t look great.
I would LOVE a clothes line outside (I love hanging my clothes on my dad’s whenever I go home – such a novelty) but as I don’t even have a balcony in my London flat I simply made a makeshft one over my bath to drip dry everything.
You have definitely converted me with most of my items (thank you, it will save me a fortune!). De x
P.S I also tried to get my hands on Murchison Hume but unfortunately their only London stockist, Coco Ribbon, only stocks their other cleaning products.
Oh, how lovely these photos are! And the headscarf looks beautiful on you!
Besides passing on to me so many of her beautiful dresses from the 50s, 60s and 70s, my grandma also taught me all I know about laundering. She still hand washes all of her garments and even her older pieces still look brand new! She is such an inspiration!
x
Ps.: Ruth, if you live in Melbourne, could you please tell me where to find this cardigan drying net you got? If not, does anyone know where to find one here? Thank you 🙂
hand washing is such a burden in the freezing winter weather. I’ve bought one too many cardigans lately and am now having to hand wash them and even had to buy a weird cardigan drying net thing..
Firstly, loving the washer woman head scarf deal! Adorable… That might make me actually get around to hand washing some delicates!
Secondly… LOVING your shellac nails! Such a cute combo.
I hanger absolutely everything and put it out to dry under the house. QLD sun will quickly fad something lovely and bright in no time