To hand wash clothes, fill a clean sink or basin with cool or lukewarm water and dissolve a little detergent in it. Push the clothes under, swish them gently for a few minutes and let them soak for 10 to 30 minutes. Drain, rinse in clean water until no suds are left, press the water out without wringing and dry flat.
Hand washing protects delicate fabrics that a washing machine could damage. You can work on one stain at a time, and you decide the water temperature and how hard the clothes get moved around, so they last longer. It can save water and energy too.
What you need
- A clean sink, basin or bucket
- A gentle detergent, such as one HeySunday laundry detergent sheet for a full sink or basin. It dissolves in cool water, so there's no powder to melt. They're rated 4.7 from 5,800+ ratings, and a pack of 60 is $15 on a 30-day subscription.
- Cool or lukewarm water
- A soft brush or cloth for stains (optional)
- A clean, dry towel
- A drying rack, or a flat surface you can lay a towel on
How to hand wash clothes in a sink, step by step
- Read the care label. It tells you the highest safe temperature and whether the item can be hand washed at all. A tub with a hand in it means hand wash, and our laundry symbols guide decodes the rest.
- Rinse out the sink, so any toothpaste, soap or food doesn't end up on your clothes.
- Fill the sink with water at the temperature the label allows, add the detergent and swirl until it's dissolved. Dissolving it before the clothes go in means no concentrated detergent sits on one patch of fabric.
- Push the clothes under until they're soaked through. A few items at a time wash better than a packed basin.
- Move the clothes through the water and squeeze the suds through them for 2 or 3 minutes. Work a stain lightly with your fingers or a soft brush, and don't rub delicate fabrics against themselves.
- Leave them to soak for 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the fabric. Very dirty cotton can go longer.
- Drain the soapy water, refill with clean water at the same temperature and swish again. Repeat until the water stays clear and there are no suds.
- Squeeze gently, then lay the item on a towel, roll the towel up and press on it. Wringing or twisting stretches the fibers.
- Lay knits flat on a dry towel or a mesh rack and pull them back into shape. Hang shirts and dresses on a padded hanger. Keep everything out of direct sun and away from radiators.
How to hand wash by fabric
| Fabric | Water | Soak | How to dry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wool and cashmere | Cool or lukewarm, same for the rinse | 10 to 30 minutes | Flat, reshaped |
| Silk | Cold | A few minutes, no more than 5 | Rolled in a towel, then flat or on a padded hanger |
| Lace and lingerie | Cool | 15 to 30 minutes | Hung or flat, bras by the center |
| Activewear | Cold | 15 to 30 minutes | Hung or flat, no heat |
| Cotton and linen | Lukewarm | Up to an hour if very dirty | Hung or flat |
Wool and cashmere
Heat and rubbing both make wool shrink and felt. Keep the water cool or lukewarm and use the same temperature for the rinse. A sudden change from warm to cold water can make the fibers tighten. Use a gentle detergent made for wool, press the water through the sweater without scrubbing, and dry it flat on a towel, pulling it back to its original shape. Our guide to washing a wool sweater without shrinking it goes into more detail.
Silk
Test a hidden seam for color first by dabbing it with a damp white cloth. Wash silk in cold water with a detergent made for silk, keep the soak to a few minutes, and rinse in cold water. Roll it in a towel to take out the water instead of wringing it, then dry it out of the sun. Iron it on the silk setting while it's still slightly damp.
Lace, lingerie and bras
Fasten bra hooks so they don't snag. Lace tears easily, so soak it in cool water and squeeze the suds through gently without rubbing. Reshape the cups while the bra is wet and hang it from the center, not the straps, so the straps don't stretch.
Activewear
Leggings and sports tops are made of stretchy synthetics that hold on to sweat. Rinse them in cold water as soon as you can after a workout, then wash them in cold water, turned inside out. There's more in our guide to washing gym clothes.
Cotton, linen and everyday clothes
Cotton and linen can take lukewarm water and a longer soak, and you can rub stains a little harder. Dark cotton can bleed in the first few washes, so wash it on its own.
How to hand wash a dress or a single garment
For one item, like a dress or a blouse, a bathroom sink is usually enough. Turn it inside out to protect the outside and any embellishments. Check the lining's care label as well as the fabric's. If it's beaded, sequined or has glued trim, wash only the parts that need it by dabbing with a cloth, because soaking can loosen the glue. Dry it on a padded hanger so the shoulders keep their shape, or flat if it's a knit.
Using the hand wash cycle on your washer
Many washers have a hand wash or delicates cycle. It runs cold or cool water, moves the drum gently and spins slowly, so it's a reasonable stand-in for washing by hand on labels that allow it. Put small or fragile items in a mesh laundry bag first.
These cycles are short, so detergent has less time to dissolve. Tearing a detergent sheet into a few pieces and spreading them over the clothes helps, and our guide on how to use laundry detergent sheets covers short cycles in more detail. To keep the spin slow, our guide to spin cycles has speeds by fabric.
Drying hand-washed clothes
Lay the wet item on a thick towel, roll the towel up from one end and press down along the roll, then move the item to a dry towel or a rack. It takes out more water than squeezing alone.
Knits go flat, because hanging a wet sweater stretches it at the shoulders. Woven shirts and dresses can hang. Turn things over once while they dry, and keep them away from heat and strong sun, which fade colors and shrink natural fibers. If you're in a hurry and the label allows it, run the clothes through a spin only cycle in your washer. Our guide to air drying vs machine drying covers the rest.
Once they're dry, a gentle shake puts the shape back. Iron or steam if needed, at the setting the care label gives.
A few more tips
- Before washing anything colored, dab a hidden seam with a damp white cloth and a little detergent. If color comes off, wash the item on its own in cold water.
- Use less detergent than you think. Extra is hard to rinse out by hand and leaves fabric stiff.
- Skip fabric softener. It can leave a residue that changes how some fabrics feel and breathe, and on activewear it stops the fabric wicking sweat.
- Half a cup of white vinegar in the final rinse water helps take out odors and leftover soap. Skip it on silk.
- When you travel, a few detergent sheets in a zip bag can't leak in a suitcase. Our tips for laundry while traveling cover hotel sinks.
Frequently asked questions
How do you hand wash clothes in a sink?
Fill it with cool or lukewarm water, dissolve the detergent, soak and rinse until the water runs clear. A bathroom sink fits one or two pieces at a time. For more than that, use a clean bathtub, and kneel on a folded towel to save your knees.
How long should you soak clothes when hand washing?
10 to 30 minutes for most clothes. Set a timer. A soak forgotten overnight lets dyes run between pieces and can leave the clothes smelling sour.
Can you hand wash dry clean only clothes?
Some, yes. Simple wool, cashmere or silk knits often hand wash well in cool water with a gentle detergent. Tailored jackets, lined dresses, leather, suede, velvet and anything with glued trim should go to a dry cleaner, because water can take them out of shape.
Can you hand wash clothes with dish soap?
In a pinch, with just a few drops in a sink of water. Dish soap is made to cut grease, and too much can strip fabric and leave suds that are hard to rinse out. For regular hand washing, use laundry detergent.
How do you use fabric softener when hand washing?
If you do use it, add it only to the final rinse, never to the soapy wash water. Stir a capful into a sink of clean, cool water, soak the clothes for about 5 minutes, then press the water out. Skip it on towels, where it makes them less absorbent.
