Washing knitwear in a washing machine

Washing knitwear in a washing machine Knitted clothing is considered one of the most popular and comfortable to wear. Both adults and children love knitwear for its softness and durability. Cotton, silk, linen, wool, and sometimes synthetic additives are used as raw materials in the production of the material.

In order for your favorite knitted T-shirt to last as long as possible, it is important to follow certain recommendations for caring for the material. Let's figure out how to properly wash knitwear in a washing machine, what detergent to choose and how best to dry the fabric.

Learn some rules

Knitted items are resistant to various mechanical influences, but at the same time, they are prone to deformation. Often, when washed and dried incorrectly, knitwear stretches and pills appear on the clothes. To avoid this, it is important to follow several rules:

Before washing the item, be sure to turn it inside out. So, the main friction will be on the inside of the fabric, the likelihood of lint rolling off on the outside will be low;
use suitable cleaning agents. It is better to give preference to gels; dry washing powders increase the risk of pilling;
run a gentle cleaning mode with a short duration. The less the item “spins” in the drum, the better for the fabric;
To prevent the knitted T-shirt from losing its shape, choose the program without soaking;
The product should be dried in a horizontal position on a clean, dry sheet. If you hang knitwear on a clothesline or radiator, the item may become deformed;
To prevent the neck and sleeves of the blouse from stretching, before loading it into the washing machine, sew these places with light thread and large stitches.After drying, the thread will be easy to remove without leaving marks on the fabric;
it is better to refuse automatic spinning, or set the minimum speed (up to 400 per minute);
If the clothes have buttons, before loading them into the drum, treat the loops with colorless varnish on the inside. This will prevent them from stretching.

The likelihood of pilling appearing on knitwear in an automatic washing machine is higher, so if possible, it is better to wash items by hand.

If you follow simple recommendations, knitted clothing will last longer without losing its qualities and original appearance. It is equally important to follow certain rules when wearing it - if the fabric constantly rubs against a belt, bag or backpack, it will not be possible to prevent the appearance of pilling.

Automatic cleaning of knitwear

Typically, knitwear can be washed in a washing machine if the fabric contains artificial threads. After purchasing, study the item's label - it describes the basic recommendations for caring for the product. When loading knitted clothing into the washing machine, it is important to remember:

cleaning should be carried out in a gentle mode, for example, manual or delicate, on the “Wool” program;
water heating temperature maximum 40°C;
It is best to turn off the spin, or set the minimum rotation speed;
For compression items, any spinning is prohibited. Even the lowest speeds can disrupt the structure of the carcass threads that make up the material;
double rinsing is recommended;
It is ideal to wash knitwear in a machine in special laundry bags.

It is important that the drum of the machine is loaded to a maximum of half, otherwise knitted sweaters, dresses and T-shirts will get mixed up and stretched out.

It is better that the program lasts 40-50 minutes.Too much contact with water can have a negative effect on knitwear.

Traditional cleaning

If the item's label strictly prohibits machine washing, you will have to clean the item manually. In fact, dirt is easily washed off from knitwear, so the housewife will not have any particular difficulties.

Hand washing is carried out in three stages:

First, the item is soaked in warm soapy water for 10-20 minutes;
then stains and dirt are removed with gentle kneading movements;
then the product is rinsed several times in clean water.

If there is a difficult stain on a knitted sweater, do not wash the item under any circumstances. It is necessary to saturate the stain with a gentle detergent and wait 15 minutes. After this, the jacket is washed in the usual way.

When washing knitwear by hand, you should also follow the basic rules:

The water temperature should not be higher than 40°C. Ideally – 20-30°C. Hot washing will cause it to lose shape;
the procedure itself should not exceed 40 minutes - longer contact with water is undesirable for the fabric;
To avoid loss of brightness of colored items, it is better to pour a spoonful of vinegar into the soap solution. This way the knitwear will not fade.

More precise washing parameters should be found on the product label. For example, the permissible water temperature will be slightly different for knitwear of different compositions. But the general rules for manual cleaning are approximately the same.

Choosing the right product

You should not use powders when cleaning knitwear. The granules do not completely dissolve in cool water, become clogged with fibers, and are poorly rinsed, leaving streaks. It is recommended to wash knitted items with gels or other liquid products.

Gels quickly dissolve in water, are easy to rinse out of the material, are more economical, and provide gentle care for things. The following liquid products can be purchased for washing delicate fabrics:

BioMio Bio-Sensitive with cotton extract;
Persil Gel;
Ariel;
Synergetic for delicate fabrics;
Burti Wolle & Seide for wool, silk and delicate fabrics;
Chirton concentrate, etc.

It's easy to make your own gel. This way you can get an absolutely safe and environmentally friendly product. The homemade composition can be used to refresh children's clothes and clothes for allergy sufferers. You need to take:

200 grams of baking soda;
a bar of laundry or baby soap;
3 liters of water.

A bar of soap is grated or melted in a water bath, then added to the water. Soda is also poured here. It is important to stir the solution until the granules are completely dissolved. The mixture is left for a day, then poured into a bottle and then used for its intended purpose.

Getting rid of moisture

For the safety of knitted items, not only careful washing is important. Be sure to dry them properly as well. Basic recommendations to follow:

Do not hang knitwear on the radiator or near heaters. Accelerated drying will cause the product to lose its shape;
Limit exposure to direct sunlight. Otherwise, the material will shrink and lose color;
do not hang knitted clothes on a line;
dry things on a horizontal surface, placing a soft towel under them.

If you urgently need to dry a knitted dress or sweater, you can hang the product on hangers and blow it with a hairdryer from a distance of at least 20 cm from the fabric. You can use an electric dryer, cover it with a sheet and put knitwear on top.