What's the best way to wash & press wool tzitzis?

amother

Slateblue

Wed, Apr 25 2018, 3:26 pm

Hi Imas,
Dh wears wool tzitzis on top of his shirt, and am looking for a better way to wash and press it.
Currently dh soaks it with whitebrite, and oxiclean then vigorously rubs the stains, then hangs to dry, then presses, and after all that it still has creases in it, plus this whole process takes very long. Any way to get better results? Any faster way? Share your tips please! Thanks!

ETA I've given them to the cleaners, and they came back pressed really nicely but the stains remained, maybe became somewhat lighter.

Savta S

Wed, Apr 25 2018, 4:00 pm

I fold the 'beged' in half, and then again the other way in half. Then gently wrap the tzitziot around that bundle. Then it gets placed into an old knee hi stocking. Knot the end (not too tight so that it can be opened up w/o too much difficulty). It goes in the washer w/the rest of the laundry, but NOT hot water. Open up and hang to dry.

Last edited by Savta S on Wed, Apr 25 2018, 4:46 pm; edited 1 time in total

rim

Wed, Apr 25 2018, 4:15 pm

I spray with shout and wrap strings in foil (can also do what previous post said abt putting it into socks, I do it with the cotton tzitzis) put into mesh bag and wash with woolite,cold, delicate cycle. It comes out clean. The ironing is a big pain as it's hard to get out the creases, use a little spray starch to help out, but if too much heat for too long it turns yellow sooner..

amother

Ivory

Wed, Apr 25 2018, 6:40 pm

I know you asked for easy.
This recipe is not easy but it works really well for set in old stains.
If you keep on washing then one of the above methods might work, this is for when you need something stronger:

Talis/Talis Katan wash recipe:

1/4 cup iron out
1/2 cup tide (this is how I got recipe but always used dif. detergent & worked just fine)
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup murphy

dissolve iron out with warm water (do in well ventilated area & wear a mask if possible)
add rest of ingredients & add cold water. make sure water is not warm when adding tzitzis as that is not good for wool.
Let sit for 2 hours. after that check to see if some areas need elbow grease.
put tzitzis string in tzitzis bag/saver/sock whatever & wash on delicate cycle. hang to dry & iron when slightly wet.

Good luck!

Last edited by amother on Sun, Jun 10 2018, 11:57 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Slateblue

Thu, Apr 26 2018, 11:10 am

rim wrote:

thanks for the responses. This sounds like a good idea, and easier than what I'm doing right now.
You spray the entire thing with shout? And you find the deep stains like oil stains come out?

amother

Turquoise

Thu, Apr 26 2018, 11:38 am

I soak it in blanc nuclear (eres) powder. In the washing machine or with handwash. It makes it nice white. And I put a plastic holder on the strings that it shouldn't get ruined. My dh was really impressed. It looked like new

amother

Slateblue

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 10:32 am

amother wrote:

How do you soak it in the washing machine?
And do you put in this detergent in the regular detergent slot?

amother

Turquoise

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 1:44 pm

amother wrote:

How do you soak it in the washing machine?
And do you put in this detergent in the regular detergent slot?

I wask it on cold and when there is enough water inside a prese pause, let it soak a little then press on and after 5min pause again. I do that a few times. So it should soak long enough. Also I don't put it in the detergent slot but I put it in the machine together with the tzitzis

greenfire

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 2:13 pm

first off have enough tzitzis, since he wears them over his clothing, to change every day [or 2 max] this way splashes spills & schmutz never have time to set in

wash with white shirts in washer ... wrapping up folded strings into a pantyhose leg ... do not put in dryer ... then iron with spray starch [while damp if possible]

ra_mom

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 4:12 pm

gamzehyaavor wrote:

Don't use striped tzitzis but does this really work on a tallis or is it too big a job? I always wanted to try to wash the tallis because I don't find it comes out clean from the cleaners, just well pressed.

amother

Ivory

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 5:31 pm

ra_mom wrote:

it works. you might just want to remove the aturah before. (thats what I did)
don't 'over soak' as it can discolor the stripes. if you have a spare bathtub do it there. and I think I x2 the recipe when I did the big talis.

Last edited by amother on Sun, Jun 10 2018, 11:57 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Green

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 6:00 pm

myself wrote:

If you want it to press nicely, here's a tip, iron it straight from the washing machine while it's still wet.

Was going to post this.
And for oil stains I use dish soap and a toothbrush.