DELICATE VS. HAND WASH CYCLE

When washing delicate clothing, it's important to choose the right washer cycle to help preserve the quality of the fabric. Similar to the Permanent Press cycle, the Delicate cycle and Hand Wash cycle are both designed to have a soft touch, using slow to no spin speeds and gentle agitation to get your delicate items cleaned.

Read on to learn about the Delicate and Hand Wash cycles to care for sensitive items. For model-specific instructions on wash cycles, refer to your washer’s user manual.

WHAT IS THE DELICATE CYCLE?

The Delicate cycle setting on your washer generally uses a gentle wash action, cold water and a low-speed spin to gently clean clothing while minimizing wrinkling. Some washing machine models label the Delicate cycle as “Gentle,” but the wash action is usually the same.

This cycle can be used for garments that are marked “Machine Washable Silks” or “Gentle” on the care tag. To avoid damaging the fabric, you may want to place clothing items in a mesh garment bag before washing.

WHEN TO USE THE DELICATE CYCLE

Use the Delicate cycle setting when a delicate or gentle wash is recommended on your clothing care tag. This wash setting can help prevent stretching, shrinking or damage to lightly soiled, delicate clothing, such as sheer fabrics, lingerie, swimsuits, sweaters, blouses and pants.

A close-up of clothes during a wash cycle in a Maytag® washer

WHAT IS THE HAND WASH CYCLE?

The Hand Wash cycle on your washing machine mimics gentle hand-washing by using cold water, low agitation and a slower spin speed (or no spin speed). You can also use this cycle if the care label on your clothing says machine washable on a “Delicate” or “Gentle” setting.

Consider placing delicate garments in a mesh bag before washing. If the care label recommends hand-washing only, make sure to physically wash the item instead of adding it to a wash cycle.

WHEN TO USE THE HAND WASH CYCLE

If your clothing is made of a sensitive fabric, you might be able to use the Hand Wash cycle, similar to how you’d use the Delicate cycle. You should still avoid machine-washing clothing that needs to be physically washed by hand, such as fragile items that have embellishments like beads or delicate fabrics like pure velvet. Always check your care labels first.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE DELICATE CYCLE AND THE HAND WASH CYCLE?

The Delicate cycle and Hand Wash cycle are similar, using gentle action and low or no spin speeds to gently clean your sensitive garments. In general, machines will usually offer either one or the other, rather than both cycle options.

AGITATION AND SPIN SPEED

Both the Delicate cycle and the Hand Wash cycle have gentle agitation and a low (or no) spin speed.

WATER USAGE

In general, a Delicate or Hand Wash cycle may use slightly more water than a Normal cycle. However, water usage of these cycles can vary because it depends on the type of washer you have. A high-efficiency (HE) washer uses less water as compared to a regular washer.

WATER TEMPERATURE

The water temperature for the Delicate cycle and Hand Wash cycle can generally be warm to cold. Although, you may want to choose a cold wash as this can help prevent shrinking.

CYCLE DURATION

The cycle time of a washer can vary by model. In general, a Delicate or Hand Wash cycle can average around 45-80 minutes.

CLEANING EFFECTIVENESS

Your delicate clothes can be effectively washed with both the Delicate cycle and Hand Wash cycle. If you notice your laundry items aren’t as fresh as you’d like, check out this guide on how to maintain your washer and dryer.

A person adding laundry to a Maytag® washer

CAN “HAND WASH ONLY” ITEMS BE WASHED ON A DELICATE OR HAND WASH CYCLE?

Items that are labeled hand-wash only should always be washed, physically, by hand. While the gentle agitation and lower spin speeds of the Delicate and Hand Wash cycles are designed to help preserve delicate fabrics, it's always important to check the care label and avoid machine-washing extremely fragile items

Clothing items that you may want to hand-wash instead of using the Hand Wash cycle include:

Extremely delicate fabrics like silk, lace or embellished garments
Items prone to shrinkage like pure wool
Fragile clothing with beading, sequins or embroidery
Very lightweight fabrics that could tangle

CARE TIPS FOR DELICATE FABRICS

Before cleaning any item, check the care label for proper wash instructions. You can usually choose between machine-washing or hand-washing certain delicate items such as cashmere, knitted clothing, windbreakers and weighted blankets. Using a protective mesh bag when machine-washing delicate fabrics can help keep items from snagging or tearing.

Consider using a gentle detergent on delicate fabrics. A product like Swash^® Laundry Detergent¹ provides a pre-measured pour, ensuring the right amount for each load. This helps prevent detergent residue and buildup, keeping fabrics fresh and clean, while being gentle on your clothing.

If you need to spot-treat a stain on a delicate item, these stain removal tips can help guide you in removing different types of stains from sensitive fabrics. Some delicate clothing may be able to go into the dryer on a Tumble Dry No Heat or Air Dry setting, but always check your care labels first. Check out these other laundry tips to help streamline your routine.

EXPLORE MAYTAG^® WASHERS

When washing different types of fabrics, you need a washing machine with a range of customizable settings to help give each item the right cleaning. In addition to a dedicated Delicate cycle designed to help care for your more fragile garments, Maytag^® washers also offer features like the built-in water faucet to rinse, spot treat or soak clothes right in the washer.