Taking care in how you wash your favorite belongings

Care methods vary depending on the item, but "washing" is something that applies to

almost everything we use every day, from clothing to tableware.

If you care for each item appropriately, your favorite belongings will last even longer and become all the more dear to you.

This time, we explore the right way to wash things according to their particular characteristics.

If you had a pile of your favorite belongings in front of you, and

were asked to sort them into things that can be washed and things that can't, what would you use as your criteria?

I think the key point to consider is whether or not the material is water-resistant.

For example, cotton and linen are often used for

clothing like T-shirts and towels, so we know right away that they can be washed with water.

Leather and wooden furniture, on the other hand, can develop mold or

discolor if soaked in water, so they cannot be fully washed with water.

And when it comes to materials like resin and metal, which aren't typically associated with "washing," or

items made from a combination of several materials, it becomes even harder to judge whether water washing is appropriate.

To make things last, it's important to first understand the characteristics of each material,

and then learn the care methods suited to its construction and structure.

The materials used in clothing include cotton, linen, rayon, nylon, wool, and

so many others that the list could go on forever.

You may own clothes made from all sorts of different materials, but

perhaps you're someone who just tosses everything into the washing machine and lets it handle the washing…

It's not uncommon, though, for machine washing to strip away a garment's original texture,

or for tumble drying to cause shrinkage.

The best approach is first to check the care label on the garment and follow its instructions.

Also, among items that can be washed with water,

delicate ones such as silk and wool,

items with delicate embroidery, beads, or other decorations,

and things like underwear, socks, or handkerchiefs where you're worried about stretching

are best washed by hand, since you can control the amount of force you use.

Item washed: ribbed tank top
 

There are various ways to hand wash, but here is the basic method.

Fill a washbasin with water and dissolve a small amount of detergent for delicate clothing (about a cooking teaspoon) into the water.

The Delicate Wash from THE LAUNDRESS used here

is a detergent for delicate garments made with plant-based ingredients, gentle on both clothing and the environment. It has a refreshing citrus scent.

For fabrics that damage easily, simply soak the garment in the water to let the detergent penetrate, and gently stir the water.

At this stage, avoid touching the garment itself, as moving it too forcefully can damage the fabric.

For items like underwear, move them gently up and down in a pressing motion. The key is not to rub or wring the fabric.

Afterward, change the water and rinse thoroughly until no more suds remain.

Be sure to handle the garment gently at this stage as well, to minimize stress on the fabric.

Once rinsing is finished, roll the garment up in a large towel to remove excess water, or

spin it briefly in the washing machine (about 1 to 3 minutes), then reshape it and hang it to dry.

Item washed: striped high-neck cut-and-sew top

Hand washing isn't limited to delicate garments—it also serves as a form of "pre-wash."

For dress shirts with stubborn sweat stains, pants with noticeable mud stains, or tops with food spill marks,

apply a small amount of detergent to the affected area and scrub it gently with a dedicated brush.

After that, simply do your regular laundry and the stains will come out cleanly.

For the dedicated brush, one with slightly firm bristles is recommended.

A densely packed brush made with natural bristles will lift dirt effectively.

Using a natural shuro (palm fiber) scrubbing brush instead of a regular brush is also a great option.

You might be surprised to hear of using a scrubbing brush for laundry, but shuro, being a natural material,

is both flexible and soft, so it can remove dirt without damaging the fabric.

Recommended care tools

・Nail & Laundry Brush / iris hantverk

・Kishu Nogamidani Shuro Scrubbing Brush / Takada Kozo Shoten

・Delicate Wash Lady / THE LAUNDRESS

Tableware is also something that needs to be washed almost every day.

Like clothing, tableware is made from a variety of materials, including ceramics, glass, and metal.

For care, many people tend to use a soft sponge, which is unlikely to scratch

the tableware while still removing dirt easily.

Left: dish brush ・Right: pot-washing brush

Besides sponges, brushes are also useful for taking care of tableware.

It may not be very common in Japan, but in Nordic countries, washing dishes with a brush is apparently quite standard.

Using a brush keeps your hands dry, which is gentle on the skin, and it also makes washing narrow bottles or colanders with holes much easier.

What's more, hanging the brush up after use lets the water drain off, which is reassuring from a hygiene standpoint as well.

The dish brush and pot-washing brush mentioned above are made by iris hantverk, a brand born in Sweden.

The dish brush uses horsehair with just the right amount of firmness, and its gently curved shape fits perfectly against the surface of a plate.

It's an all-purpose brush that removes dirt without needing to scrub hard.

The pot-washing brush is bundled from a natural material called enishida.

It's effective for burnt-on stains on iron frying pans and the like, and it's nice that it looks so charming, too.

There's one more thing worth paying attention to when washing dishes: the order in which you wash them.

If you stack a plate that's been used with oil together with a cup that only held water,

the oil will transfer onto the cup, meaning you'll have to wash it thoroughly with detergent.

Start by separating items with oily residue from those without, and wash the ones without oil first.

Also, wooden plates, earthenware pottery, urushi (Japanese lacquer) ware, chopsticks, and so on,

items that can be damaged by soaking in water, should also be given priority when washing.

For items with oily residue, wiping off the grime beforehand with a paper towel makes them easier to wash.

When drying with a dish towel after washing, we recommend a thick, quick-drying cotton towel.

The ARGUIA Torchon set of 2 from ONA-TISS is

a cloth characterized by a waffle-weave fabric with a bumpy texture.

It's made using thick, high-quality "Basque linen," which has been produced since ancient times in the Basque region

straddling southwestern France and northern Spain, and it's made of 100% cotton.

Since it's larger than typical Japanese dish towels, it can wipe away moisture from dishes all at once.

Recommended Care Tools

・Dish Brush／iris hantverk

・Pot-Washing Brush／iris hantverk

・ARGUIA Torchon Set of 2, Forest／Rouble／ONA-TISS

Among the things that need washing, bedding is something that requires a bit of extra effort.

It's bulky and large, so honestly, caring for it can feel like a hassle...

That said, bed sheets and pillowcases are places where bacteria can easily breed, especially during the sweaty summer months.

Precisely because there's dirt you can't see, regular care is necessary.

Even though bedding doesn't need to be cared for as often as regular clothing,

we recommend doing so once a week or once every two weeks.

It's also a good idea to have multiple pillowcases on hand, since they collect sweat, and switch them out daily just like other clothing.

Choosing cotton or linen materials with good absorbency and quick-drying properties in spring and summer, and wool materials in autumn and winter,

it's worth choosing bedding wisely according to the season and keeping up with its care.

There are two items we'd like to introduce for summer bedding.

The Wabotsumugi series from Masuhisa Some Ori Kenkyujo is

made by hand-spinning cotton thread one piece at a time.

It's characterized by an irregular, bumpy weave that can't be achieved with machine weaving,

and it's made in a way that lets it breathe well, almost as if the cotton itself were breathing.

The Linen Chambray Towel Blanket from fog linenwork is also

a linen towel blanket that's easy to use during hot weather.

Its rough texture offers good absorbency, and best of all, it holds up well to repeated washing.

When washing bedding, we recommend washing it separately from other clothing to prevent fraying or tangling.

Also, please put pillowcases and towel blankets in a laundry net before washing.

A key point when washing is to keep the visibly stained side facing outward.

If there are specific stains you're concerned about, such as sweat marks, it's effective to rub or soak them beforehand.

After washing, shake the items out well before spreading them out to dry.

Exposure to direct sunlight can cause darker colors to fade,

and can also leave the fabric feeling stiff, so we recommend drying it in a shaded, well-ventilated spot.

Recommended Care Tools

・Fabric Conditioner Classic (Softener)／THE LAUNDRESS

・Round Rattan Basket／Tsuruya Shoten

How did you find our feature on washing methods?

Caring for your things takes time, but putting in that effort

is also a chance to get to know your beloved items on a deeper level.

On a clear day with blue skies stretching overhead, why not wash your favorite items

and enjoy a refreshed, clear state of mind?