Not Vinegar: The Beloved Cleaning Staple That Can Ruin Your Delicates

A true cleaning powerhouse, dish soap isn't just for dishes. In fact, it can tackle pretty much anything — including the kitchen sink. But when it comes to your delicate clothing, it may simply be too powerful of a cleaning agent. The same formula that's great for cutting through your greasiest pots and pans — and can clean unexpected items such as jewelry, makeup brushes, and gardening tools — could be too much for your hand-wash-only garb. While hand-wash-only garments should be labeled as such on the care tag, a good rule of thumb is to think chiffon, silk, wool, and lace.

The most popular laundry detergents have been intentionally formulated to not just clean your favorite tops and dresses, but also protect the delicate fabrics and saturated hues. And though dish soap has been billed as a cure-all, when used for any hand washing, it can leave clothes feeling stiff and can be tricky to rinse out. Worse yet, its harsh ingredients might end up damaging your favorite LBD.

That being said, if you're struggling to pretreat grease stains on non-delicate clothing, dish soap is the perfect laundry hack. The surfactants in the formula can attach themselves to the grease and oil particles so that they wash away when rinsed. But because sudsy dish soap can leave a film on clothes and cause buildup inside of your washing machine, always rinse away the treatment before tossing your laundry inside.

You don't want your favorite date night 'fit to get damaged in the wash. So, it's important to handle your delicates with care. As such, the first step is to always check the label. Some will contain very specific instructions for how to launder them, so your best bet is to follow those steps carefully. But for everything else, hand washing is considered the gold standard.

Fill up a basin or sink with water and a teaspoon of detergent and gently swish your delicate pieces through the soapy mix. Resist the urge to wring, twist, or scrub them. You can also swap that detergent for ¼ cup of vinegar — the common household staple is actually perfect for cleaning your delicate laundry.

To rinse, fill a second basin with water or drain and refill your sink, then dip your clothing in to wash away the suds. Finally, blot the pieces dry with a clean, lint-free towel and dry them as you would any other items you should never place in the dryer. Reshape the pieces and lay them flat on another clean towel or drape over a drying rack.