Easy Way to Dry Delicates

This is my first "other stuff" post! Over lunch one day, Ling brought up a laundry frustration. One of her favorite tops has a beaded front and is "hand wash only". That's no problem. Swish it around in a tub with some gentle detergent and let soak for at least 15 min. Then rinse till water runs clear. Now here's the problem: how do you dry it? You can't stick it in the dryer. You don't have an elevated flat surface that will allow the water to drip off (and how long does that take anyway?) If you hang it up it'll stretch with the weight of the water, even if you wring it out first. I learned this easy technique for knitting.

1. Gently squeeze out excess water from your garment. Don't wring it. I usually gather up the top and raise it up letting the water drain back into tub, sink, etc. Then, I squeeze my fists as hard as I can, slowly moving hand over hand down the garment -- it's backwards what kids do with a baseball bat.


2. Repeat if garment is still dripping. (Note: if dripping water isn't clear, you may need to re-wash)


3. Place a large, clean towel on the floor. Use a dark towel if rinse water wasn't clear.


4. Spread out garment on the towel. Fold in so it only covers half the towel.


5. Fold the towel over the garment and roll it up.


6. Stand on the towel. Carefull, walk up and down the full length of the roll. If a lot of water soaks through, you'll want to repeat from #3 with a dry towel.


7. Unroll and hang to dry. Toss the towel in the dryer and it's ready for use again. If the garment is still too heavy, you can drape it over a few chairs or the back of a sofa (with towel underneath).

Wow, I might have gotten way to detailed for you.

Basically, squeeze/roll/stand/unroll/hang.

One last note: I found a wool wash that doesn't require rinsing. I use it for all my delicates, including my bras. Just soak for 30 min and squeeze out the water. You can find it here: http://www.eucalan.com/