(b) Learn to use your hands instead of the laundry machine
Hand-washing is a basic skill that everyone must learn. It starts with a simple basin filled with a mixture of lukewarm water and mild detergent. Once the cloth is submerged, you should gently swish from side to side for 5 minutes roughly. Don’t be vigorous with scrubbing, even if you spot a stain. There should also be enough water sluicing around the fabric as the washing goes on.
(c) Treat stains immediately
The moment your expensive garments catch stains, they should be pre-treated immediately. This will prevent the stain from working its way into the deeper fabric of the garment. And when you wash such a cloth, the stain will instantly come out, even with a short, effective wash.
If you’re dealing with organic stains, i.e. stains coming from blood, fat, proteins etc, you should use lukewarm or cold water. But if the stain is inorganic (stains coming from oil or dirt), you should use warm water.
The right way to do this is to dab the water from behind the stain surface, then set the cloth face-down on something like a paper towel. This way, the stain will naturally leech away from the fabric.
(d) Soaking is never harmful when done right
If the garment is dirty and stained at the same time, you can soak it for a few hours under room temperature. Soaking means immersing in water and giving the cloth some time so the stain can grow weaker. Any treatment that will be applied afterwards will make the stain disappear quickly.
(e) Drying in the air
Most delicate clothing, whether hand-washed or machine washed will need natural air to dry rather than being tumbled in a hot air drier. If the cloth is too delicate, lay it flat outside instead of hanging on a cloth line. Also, make sure you turn it over every half an hour to ensure uniform drying.
With those tips, you can comfortably and safely wash your expensive garments. However, if you’re still not sure, it doesn’t always harm to use our NYC laundry pickup and delivery service. We offer the best laundry service around, so don’t hesitate to have your most expensive clothing washed professionally.