Which areas of the shirt get dirty the most?
When sewing, various fabrics are used, the most popular are cotton items. This material is especially suitable for lovers of light natural fabrics. Flax is a little rougher.
Shirts made of cotton and viscose are easy to wash, and ironing them is a pleasure. In addition, they keep their shape longer, so washing does not greatly affect the quality. Silk and satin products attract buyers with lightness and elegance. But all shirts have problem areas: collar, cuffs, armpit area. Due to street dust and car exhaust gases, the collars become dirty. Due to the strong secretion of sweat, marks are formed in the armpit area. These areas are difficult to wash. Friction not only leads to abrasions and stains, but also makes it impossible to remove stains. Therefore, washing shirts requires a special approach.
How to properly soak shirts?
To enhance the effect of washing, do not neglect soaking . Immerse shirts of the same color in a deep basin with washing powder diluted in water. The detergent should be half as much as for a normal wash cycle. It is also possible to dissolve soap in water. In this case, the temperature of the liquid should be about 30 ° C, and the duration of soaking the laundry should be from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
And, of course, don't forget to take a close look at the stains. If there are complex old stains on the shirt, then they need to be treated additionally: rub generously with soap or sprinkle with washing powder. Do not rub the fabric too intensely, and do not use rough brushes - the fibers will be destroyed very quickly under the influence of force. And one more rule - silk and wool products are never soaked.
Preparation process
Before putting the item in the washing machine, you need to carefully prepare it: fasten all the buttons, including those on the cuffs. This preparation is necessary to ensure that clothes do not crumple when washed.
We'll tell you how to wash white shirts: only on the delicate wash program, while setting the minimum speed. You need to wring out the shirt manually and weakly. Machine drying is strictly prohibited if you want to iron your shirt later without problems. Do you have very stubborn stains on your clothes? Use special products that contain bleach (in the case of washing white shirts). The stain remover will be able to remove “fresh” stains, but it will not be able to remove old stains.
Important! If clothing has heavily soiled areas, do not rub them with your hands, as this may weaken the fabrics that secure the cuffs and collar. The shirt will be damaged and unusable!
You should not have any problems using the chemical, as there should be clear instructions for use on the back.
How to wash a shirt by hand
A label that shows a hand in a basin means that the item is made of delicate fabric and cannot be machine washed. It is recommended to pour warm water into a container, add 2 tbsp. l. washing powder and soak the item for 25 minutes, then remove it and carefully treat the dirt with soapy water using a soft brush.
It is better to remove stubborn stains with laundry soap. In this case, you need to leave the shirt for another 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water, paying special attention to problem areas. You should lightly wring out the item and leave it in the bath to drain the water. After 1 hour, straighten and hang on a hanger to dry naturally. To bleach a product, you must use a product intended for this purpose, which contains softening components.
Removing stains at home
We will share the secrets of removing heavy stains from white clothes. You can get rid of problem areas on the collar using laundry soap. But complex stains left by food require more effort.
If your shirt is stained with tea or coffee, then solutions of glycerin and ammonia or peroxide and ammonia will help against such stains.
You can remove grease stains using toothpaste, baking soda with lemon juice, or dish detergent. Before the automatic washing machine starts washing the shirt, you should first rub the stain with the solution.
After staining clothes with ink, rub the stain with alcohol.
How to clean a collar?
The collar gets especially dirty, so you need to pay special attention to it during washing:
- 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.
Washing shirts at SMA
It takes a lot of effort to ensure you always have clean clothes hanging in your wardrobe. Most people whose status requires them to wear business attire eventually wonder how to wash a shirt in a washing machine. We will tell you a few secrets that will help you wash your clothes correctly, easily and quickly. At the same time, you will not damage the item and will be able to enjoy its cleanliness and freshness for a long time.
Mode
In order for the item to remain just as neat and not shrink when washed, you should choose the appropriate parameters. First, let's decide at what temperature to wash the shirts. It is optimal to wash the item at a temperature of 40 degrees and a spin speed of 900 rpm. If your washing machine has a delicate wash function, then this is the most suitable mode for a shirt. You can also set the hand wash program or select the “Quick 30” mode.
Don't forget about buttons - they should be fastened to prevent unwanted damage and maintain the shape of the garment. Do not use the drying mode, as the shirt will become very wrinkled and will be difficult to iron.
Some useful tips
To keep things snow-white, it is better to wash them by hand. If you prefer to machine wash, be sure to choose the pre-soak mode. Use fabric softeners. And most importantly, do not wash white items with other colored items.
Important! To avoid damaging the material, do not twist the shirt after removing it from the drum. Hang it on a hanger to dry naturally.
Adding 2 tablespoons of vinegar to the powder container along with the detergent will help add shine to a silk shirt.
If you follow these recommendations, you will get effective and high-quality results. Happy washing!
Machine and hand wash
If the shirt is made of delicate fabric, it will have to be washed by hand. Everything is as usual. First we deal with stains, then we soak them and treat problem areas. Especially not three. To avoid damaging the hard parts of the product, do not twist it. So that it doesn’t wrinkle too much, we hang it on hangers, place a basin, and dry it in the open air.
Gentle washing can be done using an automatic machine. The main thing is to follow the manufacturer's instructions, especially regarding temperature conditions. Shirts can generally be washed at temperatures up to 40°C.
Set the mode to “hand” or “delicate” washing. It automatically implies low drum speeds. If you need to bleach a shirt, you need to pour a spoonful of hydrogen peroxide or special bleach into the detergent compartment.
It is better to disable the spin function. Squeeze with your hands, doing it carefully to avoid deformations, creases, folds, and stretching. Dry in the fresh air. Never put it in the washing machine. Wet shirts are ironed better. If the moment is missed, the shirt is sprayed with water and placed in a plastic bag, where it is moistened.
From washing to drying
If basic drying rules are not followed, even the most elegant and shining shirt threatens to irrevocably lose its attractive appearance.
How to dry shirts correctly?
- You should not hang the washed item on the clothesline (the same goes for the back of a chair). Instead, shake the shirt thoroughly and hang it on hangers, carefully straightening the collar and cuffs.
- Another suitable option for delicate fabrics is to lay the product on any horizontal surface covered with thick fabric. From time to time, the shirt should be turned over and the bottom material replaced with a dry sheet or towel.
- The room in which clothes dry should be well-lit and well-ventilated. It is strictly unacceptable to dry your shirts on a heating radiator or in close proximity to it - otherwise you are unlikely to be able to avoid shrinkage.
Tip: Many models of modern washing machines have a useful “Easy Ironing” option - its mechanism boils down to the fact that the drum rotates longer, but at slow speeds. The result of such work is pleasantly amazing: the shirt remains only slightly damp, and you can immediately proceed to ironing, skipping the drying step.
Operation “resuscitation”: how to eliminate the consequences of shrinkage?
What to do if a washed and dried item has lost its original shape? Most often, this sad fate befalls shirts as a result of machine washing, although annoying mistakes often occur when washing them by hand.
Having received a shapeless something instead of their spouse’s favorite shirt, most housewives make a hasty verdict: there is no chance of saving the product. Meanwhile, it is quite possible to eliminate the consequences of a washing accident.
So, what measures can be taken to restore a “shrunken” shirt:
- Ideally, clothes that have not yet dried out should be returned to their former shape, so you will need to act promptly. Soak the item in cool water for a quarter of an hour, then hang it on a line to dry without wrung out.
- A white shirt can be returned to its original shape using milk: soak the shirt in it for half an hour, rinse and let dry on a hanger (do not forget to shake vigorously from time to time).
- You can stretch a woolen product like this: take a little cool water into a basin, add 30 ml of ammonia, 50 drops of turpentine and 100 ml of vodka. Place the shirt in the solution for about ten minutes, then rinse thoroughly and hang it by the bottom edge to stretch the fabric more.
- For viscose, we apply the following method: lay the shirt on the table, cover with a clean, wet cloth and iron slowly, trying to stretch the fabric as much as possible on the sides.
- Shirts made of cotton and linen will need to be washed several times in cool water, and then straight wet stretched on a flat surface - to the sizes that you need. Fix the contours of the clothing and wait until it dries completely.
- There is also a universal way to stretch fabric: immerse the item in water with baby shampoo (conditioner is a good substitute - a tablespoon per liter). Soak for half an hour, then squeeze lightly and place on a towel. Roll them together, after another ten minutes, transfer them to a dry cloth and straighten them. Now all that remains is to dry the shirt on a hanger.
To an “inexperienced” housewife, all these tricks for caring for shirts will probably seem too lengthy and depressing. However, in reality, understanding the basics of proper washing is not at all so difficult: having learned to follow just a few useful recommendations, you can rightfully be proud of the title of the wisest, dexterous and practical keeper of the hearth!
We recommend watching the video about washing with soda, which has received over 230 thousand views!
