Laundry

[rootofnewt]

Pulled some new sweaters out of the bin to wash and put out for the winter. All were bought on sale (good sales), but are really nice.

Here's what I see:
Hanna Andersson sweater. Dry clean only. WTF? This is a toddler sweater. 100% cotton. Not only do I not want that crap near my kid's skin, I don't see the point in producing daily clothing for kids which is dry clean only. It's in the wash on the gentle cycle, my fingers are crossed.

Gymboree sweater says gentle wash, tumble dry low. GAP sweater says gentle wash, lay flat to dry. No biggie. I wash them with Ronan's laundry. Gymboree sweater looks fine coming out of the washer. It goes in the dryer. GAP sweater? Looks like hell. Fuzzy, pilly beyond all belief. This is ridiculous. I have it on the drying rack. I'll examine it when dry to see if it can be shaved. If not, is this a returnable item (I have the receipt)? Kids clothes should look fine when first washed. I bought it two weeks ago. It shouldn't look like a ten year old sweater after one wash (and washed according to directions). (looks like I'm not the only one with this problem.)

Anyhow, I hope that Hanna sweater comes through okay. We don't have a safe-for-me dry cleaner in town and Hanna clothes are generally machine washable, so it didn't occur to me to check when I bought it.

In other news, Tom tells me he composted the GAP receipt. Dammit. Guess I can't return it. Grrrr.

Comments

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

I hand wash most of my dry clean only items, mainly because I can't stand the way dry cleaned items smell. A 100% cotton sweater? I'd so machine wash cold, hang to dry.

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

I'd try taking the GAP sweater back and seeing if they'll replace it even without the receipt, ending up like that after the first wash is ridiculous.

[hnybny.livejournal.com]

If you paid for it with a credit card you may be able to show them the statement and use that as a receipt.

[schmoomom.livejournal.com]

Buy yourself some Soak. This stuff is good for anything. Lasts forever. No-rinse wash. I <3 it.

And I'm with Hobbitblue...they have stuff in the shop pretty quickly, and if it's still there on the shelves, you can say "Er, it's right there. I obviously bought it recently."

[krasota.livejournal.com]

I can't go near stuff like Soak. Allergic to several ingredients, plus we can't have anything around with fragrance.

I'll see if I can stop at our local mall tonight. Thing is, I bought it at a store in NJ, not here in VA. And different stores *do* carry different lines. I'll try.

[schmoomom.livejournal.com]

Soak comes in unscented, if htat helps :-). I think a drop or two of okay shampoo in a large tub might work as well...

They really carry different lines? That just blows. But give a go anyway, cause that's just poor workmanship.

[krasota.livejournal.com]

I use my shampoo to hand-wash, actually. I don't think unscented would help with Soak, because it contains lanolin and EDTA. The EDTA would rinse out more easily, but neither one is good for my skin to be anywhere near. It's a nice thought, though. Thank you. :)

[absinthea.livejournal.com]

Gentle shampoos (and I can't imagine yours NOT being gentle) are usually fine. I use some of Jhonen's shampoo, or Dr. Bronner's if I wash handknits in something other than Soak (and will make the mental note to wash in something non-Jossie-caustic when we are going to be in your general physical vicinity).
Hannas tend to do just fine in the wash. I've never (knock on wood) had issues with machine washing them. Just block and air-dry any knit items and you should be fine.