Do you know how many times you have to squeeze the soap out of a t-shirt, underwear and socks when you handwash them in the sink?

Aug 27, 2006 8 Replies

Do you know how many times you have to squeeze the soap out of a t-shirt, underwear and socks when you handwash them in the sink?



In the 1980s, I saw a TV commercial saying that soap can be in your clothes if you wash them, so I have accidentally flooded my apartment



20-something times over the years and my neighbor's apartment below me due to letting water in sinks run over my clothes when I'm in another room.

The thought of there being dried soap in clothes I'm wearing creeps me out. Soap in the clothes could also mean the clothes are still dirty because the soap could be dirty?



There is no such thing as perfectly clean clothes or anything else that is exposed to the air. Washing just makes them cleaner than before. Use just enough soap in your wash to make the water slippery, no more and no less. Small cold water rinses are more effective than one big rinse. These tips will get your clothes cleaner and at a lower cost. Recently I hand-washed a baseball cap in the sink--I spent more time rinsing than washing.

Thank you. Do you know approximately how many times to ring a size large T-shirt and how long to spend doing (as long as minute perhaps?)? And can you deduce by touch or sight whether enough soap has been rung and washed out?

rinse in the bath or get a spin drier then rinse then spin, then rinse again till water runs clear

The rinsing depends on the size and type of fabric. I continue the soak, agitate, rinse cycle until the water is free from soap bubbles and clear. For a shirt this may take 10 minutes, perhaps 4-6 cycles of soaking, agitating, and wringing. White vinegar (

Do you mean a manual spin drier? The building I live in doesn't allow electric driers. If I got one, they'd find out because I live on the second floor and they'd see the hose if I stuck it out the window. I don't have room for an electric one. I could keep it in my closet, but it would be in the way.

I didn't know it was so hard to get most of the soap out. I spent a long time doing it just to play it safe and because I was being nuerotic. I've flooded my neighbor below me more than I thought when I first posted because I hung clothes over a laundry bar and ran my shower over it and water seeped through the tiles and my super kept telling me that she complained and to caulk my shower walls.

an electric spinner to remove the water and soap, not to dry. you need an electric socket and a bowl to catch the water. They will fit in a small cupboard / put a cushion on top and use as a seat.

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required