Why are "Hand wash only" clothes hand wash only?

Question

I have several dresses (simple bar style dresses,, no fancy detail).. One is polyester and the others are missing tags but feel like a softer polyester.. maybe cotton-polyester blend if i had to guess or another polyester blend. the one still with the tag is hand wash only and i assume the others are as well. I hate hand washing clothes as it bothers my skin for weeks afterwards. Why are they handwash only? Will it fall apart? Will they shrink? Does it simply weaken the stitching?

They werent overly expensive and they will likely get ripped or stained from drinks before they are washed more than 20 times so thats not tooo much of an issue for me..

Would it be ok to wash them on a slow, short gentle cycle with like 1/2 the soap or use another method?

Answer 1

Hand washables items are wash by hand only because they are so

fragile that washing them in any other way would damaged them.

Answer 2

Most of the time things that say hand wash only will be fine on the gentle cycle of the washing machine.Some things that say hand wash such as a sweater may stretch when washed in the machine.This will cause them to lose their shape.But what you are discribing sounds like it will do fine on gentle.

Answer 3

Clothing manufacturers recommend that you hand wash delicates to avoid damaging them in a washing machine. My wife just throws delicates in the washing machine, anyway. Some things, like bras or whatever, kind of fall apart quickly. And, they would last longer if she washed them by hand. But, it's not worth the extra work for her.

Answer 4

The San Diegans stick together, I agree with Paul.  I also throw a lot of hand washable garments in the washing machine, too.  Most of the time, it isn't the agitation that damages the fibers as many machines, like mine have a setting for hand washing.  It is the spin cycle that is too rough for delicate fibers, embellishments and fine stitching.  I will often remove the garment after the rinse cycle, place it on a terry towel and gently roll and squeeze the water out rather than subject the delicate to the spin cycle, just to be on the safe side.  I also use a detergent that is formulated for delicates and there are many, like Woolite, Cool Wash, etc., and wash delicates only in cold water to prevent shrinkage.