Laundry detergent for hand washing clothes

[dylanmitchell]

What laundry detergent are you using for hand washing clothes? Looking for a gentle detergent for "hand wash" only cloth face masks. Woolite is stocked locally or I can order something online. I use pods so don't have any liquid soap on had. Have 60/40 cotton-poly mask and cotton lined masks with a lyocell-viscose outer layer. Also looking for a mini-tub or mini washboard.

Know cloth masks may not provide much protection but masks are required to get into most stores around here and if I have to wear one I'd like it to be a clean one.

 

[mrboilwash]

If I have nothing else on hand a dishwashing liquid like Dawn, Palmolive etc. will do for occasional handwashing of small items.
Of course it`s not as good as a specialized product for delicates with a nicer scent and water softening agents but it`s still mild enough even for wool and silk and does the job.

 

[hobbyapocalypse]

Yesterday I used Purex Mountain Breeze to hand wash my tactical face mask scarf and hung it over towels on the clothesline outside to dry in the sunshine and today it was very pleasant to wear.

"Experts" say any kind of soap is good for killing germs, and antibacterial, antiviral, etc are just hype. And sunshine is a good natural disinfectant.

 

[foraloysius]

Regular detergent if it's made of cotton. You could use gloves to wash them. An alternative is shampoo, I have used that in the past if I had run out of detergent for delicates or wool.

 

[rolls_rapide]

"dishwashing liquid like Dawn, Palmolive etc."

I actually came across an advert for a bottle of Mild Green Fairy Liquid hand dishwashing detergent. The advert said that the free 5oz extra amount was to try it on washing woollens.

https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-fairy-liquid-bonus-offer-1966-online

 

[logixx]

I wash my mask (that I have to wear 8 hours a day at work - yay) with whatever: Dawn, shampoo, shower gel, liquid soap. I put some on it and rub the mask between my hands. Rinse with hot water. Wring it out. Done.

 

[dylanmitchell]

Thanks, have dish soap, will get some mild detergent

Thanks. I have some Myers and Dawn on hand and can get some gentle laundry detergent like Woolite next time I'm at the store. Dish soap should also be good at getting off the oils the masks absorb from my face.

Soap and water have a remarkable ability to rupture and destroy C19 and may other bacteria and viruses and wash them away.

Logixx I'm sorry you have to wear a mask for 8 hours a day. I feel for you and others who wear masks all the time. Hoping we get back to the days where you can get a box of N95's and throw them away at the end of the day.

 

[launderess]

Be careful of Woolite....

Not all versions are mild, and quite a few have all sorts of additives.

 

[kb0nes]

A short soak and rinse in any detergent will do just fine as far as killing anything on the mask. I'd use whatever you have on hand. I hand wash my hats all the time with powdered Tide a tablespoonful in a small bucket of hot water, works amazingly well.

 

[rolls_rapide]

"Be careful of Woolite...."

Laundress is right... I remember they had around three versions over here:

> The pink liquid in a translucent bottle with a pink cap suitable for woollens and silks. I think lanolin was in the formulation.

> A black bottle with a purple cap for black and dark clothing. Probably had no optical brightener, but might have had a few enzymes.

> A red bottle, possibly with a yellow cap, for coloured clothing. Probably had enzymes. Might have had optical brightener.

I got the impression that the black and red bottles were imported into the UK. They were available at discount shops - for a short time, whereas the main supermarkets always carried only the standard pink (wool/silk) version.