I do have some items of clothing that are more delicate and not suitable for washing in the washing machine. For these items I hand wash them and use soap flakes, this is something that is not as easy to find as they used to be as they are deemed to be quite old fashioned and more and more washing machines are being made with hand wash and gentle programs. Personally I would still rather hand wash my delicate garments to ensure that they handled delicately and that no damage occurs to the fabric allowing the items to last longer. For this I buy the dri pak soap flakes which are designed for woollens, delicates, babywear and breathable fabrics.

The Dri Pak soap flakes are quite difficult to find, my last purchase was from Wilkinson's and cost just £1.25 for a 425g box which is estimated to do 8 washes.

The soap flakes come in a blue box which has a perforated push in tab on the side which allows the flakes to be distributed. On the box you can find all the necessary information that you need to know about the flakes including, how they work, warnings, environmental information, and directions for use. The box is also made from 80% recycled board and is suitable for recycling.

The soap flakes, are exactly as they sound small flakes of soap with nothing else added. The flakes are fragrance free and therefore designed to be delicate for your clothes and your skin. These soap flakes are designed for hand washing only and should not be used in a washing machine as they can cause a blockage.

To use the soap flakes it states to put the recommended amount (depending on your water area) into a jug, add hot water and stir until dissolved. I find that this is the best way to dissolve the flakes as if you add them straight to a bowl of warm you tend to get a few stubborn flakes that do not dissolve fully. Then add the dissolved solution to a bowl of warm water and hand wash the garments. I then rinse the garments a couple of times until the water runs clear and either drip dry them or place them in the washing machine on a spin only cycle depending on the garment. I have always found these soap flakes to work extremely well on my delicate items and I have never encountered any problems. You do not get a strong fragrance as you do with the more modern soap powders but I think it is more important that my delicate items stay in good condition and these soap flakes always ensure this. Overall I think that these are great value and help my delicate and often expensive clothing items stay in great condition often preventing large dry cleaning bills. These are certainly something that I will continue to buy in the future and would recommend.