Okay my next question, I've recently hand-made some outfits, a mens formal wear vest and a mens formal wear jacket, they are both cotton/polyester blend. It took me soooo long to make the outfits and they are so valuable to me I refuse to machine wash them because I want to preserve their quality. I will only delicately wash them by hand, unless there is another way. Can someone experienced please tell me how I should do this? What should I use to clean it and how should I use it and explain why it will help prevent fading or wear or shrinkage. I want to cause the least amount of wear on the clothing items and protect their rich black color. I know I'm being over protective but they took so much work to make.
There is no magic to hand washing. It does not produce a better result. Some fibres, such as wool, require hand washing because the agitation in the washing machine makes the wool felt or pill. I would not dream of hand washing a cotton/polyester blend. Life is too short.
To hand wash, fill a basin with cool to lukewarm water, dissolve your laundry detergent in it (only a small amount, since you're not doing a big load), place the items in the water and squeeze gently to get them thoroughly wet and to get the detergent into the fibers. Let them soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Gently squeeze the water through them a few times. Drain the water and squeeze the items to remove excess water. Do not wring. Rinse in the same way, with clear water, until there is no more detergent coming out of the fibers. Hang to dry. Since the fibers are cotton/polyester, they will be quite sturdy and don't really require hand washing. But because of what the items are (vest, jacket), I would probably have them dry cleaned, in order to get them properly pressed to keep their tailored look.
