Does one need a laundry mesh bag if using "handwash" setting on laundry machines?

[Acousticfoodie]

Are these necessary if you're throwing in a bunch of sweaters and using the "hand wash" setting?

[Cannon]

I don't really know anything about this, so could you elaborate and perhaps clue me into the logic and purpose?

[LesserBlackDog]

The purpose of the mesh laundry bag is to protect knits from getting caught, pulled, stretched, or otherwise damaged by either other garments or by the washing machine itself (i.e. the agitating blades and so on).

I always wash my knitted garments on cold, delicate, in a mesh bag. I just think it prolongs the life of the item and the bags themselves aren't exactly expensive or hard to use.

If you're washing a bunch of sweaters at once, I don't think you need a mesh bag for each sweater, but it's probably best to keep it to 2-3 sweaters per bag.

[Cannon]

If you set it to hand wash, doesn't it just fill the chamber so you can hand wash them? I thought it didn't activate a spin cycle if you set it to hand wash.

[LesserBlackDog]

The "hand wash" cycle is just a cycle with a slow, gentle agitation process, similar to a delicate cycle.

[Sigtweed Corduroy]

Where would one purchase these bags at reasonable cost?

[LesserBlackDog]

I bought mine at Target. They were in among the other laundry stuff (ironing boards, laundry hampers, etc.) and are Tide brand. They cost something like $4 each.

You can get similar stuff online or at bed and bath stores. Just make sure you get the sweater-sized variety. A lot of really small ones are made for women's bras/underwear, which are too small to wash any normal-sized garment in.