Want to know how to wash clothes in the bath? Whether your washing machine is on the blink or you have a small load to do, the answer is easy. Follow our guide to learn how to get started. Here’s everything that you need to know.
How to wash clothes in the bath
Step 1: Gather what you need
Before you get started, you need to gather the essentials. Do not use everyday soap to wash your clothes. While it might do the job if you’re caught in a pickle, it does not have the same properties as detergent and won’t do a decent enough job of cleaning your clothes.
For that reason, you should ensure that you get the right materials for the job. Here’s a quick checklist to help you get started. Use the following items to wash your clothes in the bath:
- Detergent liquid: Liquid tends to work the best. However, you can use powder if needed. Mild detergent works the best while also being eco-friendly. Make sure you do your research and choose the right cleaning agent for your needs.
- Soft brush: If you have tough stains on your clothes, you might want to opt for a soft brush. Depending on what you have around the house, you can also use a cloth or a sponge.
- Laundry basket: You should have this next to the bath so you can transport your clothing to the drying rack or airer.
- Airer: It’s smart to let your clothes dry naturally after you have washed them in the bath. For that reason, make sure that you put the airer up in advance.
Step 2: Sort your laundry
Before we take a look at how to do a clothes wash in the bath, let’s talk about how you can sort your laundry. You don’t want to shove all of your clothes in the bathtub and hope for the best. Instead, you need to make sure that it’s all sorted in advance. There are two categories you should be using when it comes to sorting your clothes.
Colour
Clothing with strong colours and dyes could risk bleeding in the wash. That means that they will accidentally dye other clothes. You should sort your items into ‘coloured,’ ‘darks,’ and ‘whites’ before you try washing them in the bath. This is extra admin, but it is worth your time.
Fabric
Similarly, you should sort your clothing by fabric type. At the very least, you will need to sort it into two categories: delicates and general. You should be careful when washing delicate items of clothing. These pieces tend to rip and damage more easily than you might expect. However, you can be more forceful when washing your other clothes.
Step 3: Fill up the bath
Now that you are ready, you can fill the bath with warm water. Be careful here. If you make the water too hot, you might hurt your hands when you are washing your clothing. However, if the water is too cold, you might find that the detergent does not mix well. As Goldilocks would say, you need to ensure that you get the temperature just right.
Check the back of the detergent and see how much you need to put in the water. Use the same amount that you would need for a full load of washing. Usually, that equates to around 35 ml of washing detergent. However, if you’re using a stronger product, you may need less volume.
Step 4: Treat any stains first
When you are washing a bunch of clothes in the bathtub, you might find that certain stains don’t come out. That is because the motion of washing the clothes is not as fast or forceful as that of a machine. However, there is one thing that you can do to get around this problem.
That is to treat any stains ahead of time. You can use a small amount of detergent and rub it directly on stains. Use a gentle motion when you are pretreating trains. You should make sure that you rub the fabric together and use the soft brush to deal with the marks directly. When you can see that the stain has begun to fade, you can stop.
Step 5: Soak your clothes in the bathtub
Next up, you want to submerge the clothes in the soapy water. Make sure that all of your clothes are underneath the water. Of course, you should do this in batches. Only wash one category of clothing at any given time. When you have done that, allow them to soak for around 20 minutes. If the clothes need an extra deep clean, you can leave them for up to 30 minutes.
Step 6: Hand-wash the clothes
When you have left the clothing to soak for up to 30 minutes, the next step in the process is hand-washing them. You should move the clothing around in the water and try to agitate the material. You may need to rub the fabric on itself to help to loosen any dirt that has built up.
This is arguably the most important step in the whole washing process. You should keep going with the clothing items until you are satisfied that they are clean. How long this takes will depend on how dirty your clothing is. However, you should expect to spend at least 20 minutes on it.
Step 7: Rinse your clothes thoroughly
Now that your clothes are clean, it’s time to rinse them. You can do that by draining all of the soapy water from the bathtub. When you have done that, you can give your clothing items a quick squeeze to get rid of any residual detergent. Next, fill the bathtub with cool water.
You should move your clothing around in the water to remove the detergent. You will see that the cold water starts to get thick with the soap. You may need to do this a couple of times to make sure that your clothing has been thoroughly rinsed.
When it comes to how to wash clothes in the bath, you always need to pay extra attention to the rinsing process. If there is still soap on your clothes, they will dry stiff. That can be a real pain to deal with. For that reason, make sure that you get rid of all of the products here.
Step 8: Get rid of excess water
Hand-washing is all good, but since there’s no spin cycle, you have to do the extra work. Start by pressing the clothes against the side of the bathtub to remove any excess water. The harder you compress your clothing, the more water will come out of it.
While age-old wisdom may tell you to wring out the clothes, that could be a mistake. One of the main problems here is that clothes tend to lose their shape if you wring them out. This is especially true if you are dealing with delicate fabrics and materials. Take extra care.
Step 9: Air-dry the clothing
Before you hang the clothing on a drying rack, you need to make sure that you have removed as much of the excess water as possible. That is a given. You can then hang the clothing on the airer and allow it to work its magic. It will take a matter of hours for your clothes to dry.
Ensure that the room has good ventilation. (Or, if at all possible, dry your clothing outside!) Since your hand-washed clothes will retain more water than a regular load, this is a must. You need to ensure that there is good air circulation, or you could end up with clothes that smell musty. Open windows and place the airer by them for the best possible results.
Learning how to wash your clothing in the bath doesn’t have to be hard. Follow the advice in this guide to get started. Remember, the first time you do this, it may feel tricky. However, practice makes perfect. Keep on going!
Q&A
Did we miss something along the way? Take a look at our frequently asked questions now.
How do you soak clothes in the bathtub?
As we have covered, you should mix warm water with around 35 ml of mild detergent. Then, submerge your clothes in the bathtub and wait for up to 30 minutes.
How long can you leave clothes to soak?
You should leave clothes to soak for at least 10 minutes in the bath. However, you can afford to leave them in the water for around 30 minutes at a time.
Does washing clothes in the bathtub save money?
Yes. Washing your clothes in the machine costs roughly 26p per cycle. If you wash your clothes in the bath instead, you may save some money. However, you should take into consideration the cost of the bath water and your time, too.
How did you get on? Let us know in the comments below!
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