handwashing laundry

[Kat]

I need to handwash my laundry sometimes. I try not to use too much soap since it's so hard to rinse out. I soak the clothes for quite awhile to make up for that, and the stains wash out, but...

Is there something that I can add to the water that will help disinfect dark items? I walk long distances and get really sweaty and smelly which puts a lot of bacteria in my black t-shirts. When I start sweating, the dampness makes the t-shirt start to stink, no matter how clean I am.

Bleaching white t-shirts resolves this problem, but I prefer to wear all black, so that when I can afford a laundry mat, I can stuff everything in one load. They also are less see-through when damp.

[AlchemyAcres]

I also prefer dark clothing.
A few of the things I've used to disinfect, at one time or another, without bleaching, are very hot water, ammonia, Borax, real pine cleaner and white vinegar (for rinsing and softening).

~Martin :)

[Lillie]

Hi, this is my first post on Backwoods Home. Hi to everyone.

I often use washing soda for that problem. I know exactly what you're talking about. You put on a 'clean' shirt and when you start to perspire, it starts to smell bad. Arm & Hammer Super washing soda (not baking soda) made into a paste with water and applied to the underarms of shirts, scrubbed in (I turn the shirts inside out first) and left to sit for a while before soaking in warm water helps a whole lot. Maybe not get rid of the odor entirely, it helps a whole lot. And something else I just discovered helps a lot too, is to use rubbing alcohol in your underarms before you put on deodorant and get dressed. It really makes a difference for me.

[Kat]

Which of these products will lighten my blacks the least? I only own a few outfits and they fade and wear out so quickly.

[MYellowRose]

Kat you don't mention how you dry your clothes so you might be having fading problems with the drying process instead of the washing. I've read that if you turn them inside out and hang them in the shade, if you dry clothes outside, there is less chance of the sun fading them.

[AlchemyAcres]

None of the things I've listed seem to significantly effect color in the short or mid term...no more than regular wear and tear, anyway.....

I dry clothes outdoors overnight or on racks inside.


~Martin :)

[Kat]

Right now, I'm drying my clothes indoors on a rack, either in front of a window, or an airconditioner.

I DESPISE using the airconditioner, but I'm in a 3rd floor corner apartment with windows that barely open, I guess for safety reasons. During heat waves it's cooler standing in the sun, than it is in my apartment, if I don't run the conditioner :-( BAD, BAD architecture!!!

Maybe my clothes fade in the sun when I'm wearing them? I'm out on the city streets a LOT. Not as much now that I got my apartment, but still for hours a day. I have to walk and take public transportation everywhere. I get kinda panic sometimes on the crowded buses and trains, so just get off and walk.

I notice a lot of dye in the wash water, especially if I use warm water. My pants are a cotton/ramie mix and some of my tshirts are 100% cotton. A little synthetic really helps hold the dye. My synthetic mix tshirts are in MUCH better condition than the 100% natural garments.

I'm going to buy a jug of vinegar today. I had to skip it yesterday as I couldn't carry it along with all my food. I have to carry everything home in my pack and then up 4 flights of stairs. My apartment is REALLY on the 4th floor, not the 3rd, because we have a "garden level" under the 1st :-) I love all the city buildings with a mezzanine level between the 1st and second levels. What is that about? Advertising? Second floors can go for more than 3rd and so on?

Thanks for the responses!

[bookwormom]

vinegar is a good idea. also try baking soda. W e did laundry by hand for years and years. In fact my mom says the greatest invention is the washing machine. some clothing fades, just make sure you do not wash those with light colored so you do not get a yucky looking generic grey. soaking is a good idea. then use a toilet plunger as an agitator in a bucket of suds and dirty clothes. I washed many diapers that way and it works well. Are you washing with soap or detergent? of course you know not to wash dark laundry with detergent that contains bleach. I think part of your problem is that you have to dry slow in a narrow space. If you had a clothesline and the wind would whip you r things dry I don't think you would have that problem. I don't and we get just as sweaty and dirty as anybody else. do you have a boxfan that you could use? and are you rinsing enough? thinking about it, we had that problem a couple of times when it was extremely humid and clothing took forever to get halfway dry.

[Kat]

I use detergent especially designed for dark clothes. I own hardly anything that is not black. The very few items that are not black are handwashed seperate from the blacks. Towels, sheets, napkins, socks, panties are ALL black.

I don't worry so much about my lights getting gray, but the light lint getting on my blacks. I don't own ANYTHING white. My lightest items are a few grey tshirts and sweatpants. They are fine if I put the load in a dryer, because dryers remove the lint, but line dried items have a lot of lint on them. I HATE gray lint on my black tshirts.

I've used a plunger, but with big loads in the bathtub, I use my feet.

Yes, if it's humid and clothes take a long time to dry they get musty, especially the towels. Disinfecting clothes prevents that too. But my main concern is body bacteria. It's a totally different smell. The kind of smell you only get from serious exercise. There are many days I've walked and run 15 miles with a heavy pack in the heat.

Life has been hard this past year and my clothes take a beating. I only buy performance type clothing and it's holding up well considering how I abuse it, but just want to take care of it the best I can.

[Penny_Plinker]

There are many days I've walked and run 15 miles with a heavy pack in the heat.

Keep working at it like that and you'll soon be in pretty good condition. ;D ;D

Penny

[annabella1]

My hubby likes mostly black things too. When they start to get lighter looking and faded, I get a box of black RIT dye and just follow the directions. You can't do this at the Laundra-mat (some of the color will go into the next load, and they will be very angry with you) and you don't want to do it in the bathtub. It will make a black ring that wont come out. But put it all in a big pot and make it real hot and let it soak over night and rinse until the water is clear and set it with a vinegar rinse. It will make it all look new.

[nancy1340]

With dark clothing soak them in salt water before you wear them. It helps set the color. Always turn dark clothing inside out before you wash them and dry the same way, inside out , air dry or machine dry.

I agree with the washing soda but you can use baking soda in a pinch. Twenty Mule Team Borax is also good.