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

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

It should not look untidy, so you need to be especially careful about its cleanliness.

Most shirts can only be washed by hand. In order not to harm the fabric or spoil the item, this must be done correctly.

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

Hand washing rules

The fact that the shirt can be washed by hand is indicated by a special icon on its label. It will depict a basin with a hand lowered into it. Before you start washing shirts, the product must be prepared.

This stage includes the following activities:

1. Checking pockets. All foreign objects are removed from them.
2. Inspect the product for integrity. If there are loose seams, loose buttons or loose threads, this problem needs to be corrected.
3. Turning the shirt inside out. This will avoid unnecessary friction on the outer elements of the item and allow it to be washed better.

Universal instructions for hand washing:

1. Pour water into the basin.
2. Dissolve 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 stains, cuffs, armpits, and collar require special attention.
6. If the stains cannot be washed off, they are additionally treated with laundry soap and rubbed again.
7. Rinse the product in cool water.
8. Wring out or shake off the shirt and hang it out to dry.

To get rid of stubborn dirt, you should use a stain remover.

When is soaking necessary?

The shirt is soaked when you need to get rid of difficult stains. Basic recommendations:

• Observe soaking time. To remove ordinary stains, 20-30 minutes are enough. To get rid of stubborn stains, leave the item in water for 2-3 hours. Colored shirts are soaked for 1 hour, no more.
• The cleaning solution should completely cover the shirt.
• If dust gets on the product, then before soaking it should be rinsed under running water.

Optimal water temperature

You can wash shirts in either 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, 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 the shirt at a temperature of about 40 degrees.

Choosing a detergent

For washing a shirt you can use tools such as:

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

How to clean a collar?

The collar gets especially dirty, so During washing it needs to be given special attention:

• moisten and soap 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 soap the collar with it, leave it for half an hour, rub it vigorously with their hands, and then wash the shirt with powder.

Antipyatin soap can be replaced with improvised means, for example, dishwashing liquid, toothpaste, hair shampoo.

Features for items made from different fabrics and colors

Depending on the fabric from which the shirt is made, the features of washing it will differ:

1. Cotton and linen. Natural fabrics can withstand washing temperatures up to 40-60 degrees. To prevent the product from shrinking, do not wring it out after washing.
2. Silk. This is a delicate fabric that does not tolerate high temperatures (up to 30 degrees). Silk shirts should 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). The fabrics are durable, can withstand soaking and washing at a temperature of 40 degrees, but they cannot be wrung out. Shirts should be allowed to 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.

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

   It is better to choose non-aggressive products 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 optimal washing temperature is 40 degrees.

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

3. Black things. They are washed in cool water, without using bleach. It is recommended to use 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 preserve, but also restore washed pigment.

How to bleach fabric and get rid of yellowness?

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

• Lemon juice. It gently removes yellow streaks without damaging fabric fibers. To cope with the problem, the contaminated areas are moistened with lemon juice, left for 10 minutes, and then washed as usual.
• Hydrogen peroxide. It is applied to the collar, armpit area, and cuffs to remove yellowness from them.After 30-60 minutes, the item is washed in a soap solution.
• 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 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.

To avoid harming the tissue, first you need to test the substance on an inconspicuous area.

In addition to improvised means, you can use professional bleaches to make your shirt white, 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. Stain remover ACE Oxi Magic White. The cost of the powder is 157 rubles.

How to dry?

Shirts need to be dried correctly to avoid shrinkage and loss of shape. Basic recommendations:

• do not wring out the item after washing;
• use hangers to drain water and further dry;
• Do not throw the item over the rope so that creases do not appear, because It will be difficult to get rid of them even with an iron.

Shirts made from delicate fabrics are dried flat on a flat surface. To quickly remove moisture, you can lay a terry towel under it. Drying shirts near heat sources provides guaranteed shrinkage. Therefore, they cannot be hung on radiators or near gas burners.

Important Tips

To avoid damaging the shirt during hand washing, The following tips should be taken into account:

1. Before you start washing, you need to read 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. Items of different colors are washed separately.
3. After washing with bleach, the item must be rinsed thoroughly.
4. It’s 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 labeled “automatic”. Its particles are less soluble in water and produce less foam. Because of this, the quality of washing suffers.

If colored stains remain on the fabric, the product will fade when washed.

Video on the topic

Video on how to wash a shirt by hand:

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 service life without losing its external characteristics.