Best Bib & Tucker

Archive for the ‘Clothing Maintenance’ Category

Q: I leave for vacation next week.  Is there any way to pack so my clothes won’t get wrinkled?

A: You can minimize creases in clothing by rolling instead of folding.  Make sure the item is wrinkle free before rolling and smooth out any creases as you go.

Choose material wisely.  Cotton blended with nylon, polyester, or lycra is less likely to wrinkle than an item made of 100% cotton, linen, or satin.

Once you reach your destination take your clothing out of your suitcase and hang them up as soon as possible.

If you still have wrinkles and are avoiding ironing, try bringing the item into the bathroom.  The steam from your hot shower will allow some of the wrinkles to release.

Q: Help! My daughter has chocolate stains on her Easter dress.  How do I get them out?

A: First blot the stain with cold water using a clean rag or dishcloth.  Next, add a few drops of light-colored dish washing liquid.  Mild laundry detergent or even light-colored hand soap will work too.  Blot the stain then rinse completely.  If you have a tough stain you can add a couple drops of ammonia for milk chocolate or a couple drops of white vinegar for dark chocolate.  Reapply the soap, blot and rinse again.

For more stain removal tips check out Removing Playground Stains

Q: After the winter we’ve had around here I can’t wait to stop wearing my heavy sweaters and coats. Do I need to do anything special with them before I pack them away?

A: First, make sure items have been washed or dry cleaned and are free from stains.  Then, find a place to store your clothing.  It should be dark to prevent sunlight fading as well as dry and clean.  Once you get items back from the dry cleaner, remove the plastic bags.   Plastic traps in moisture which could lead to insect damage or mold.   If you plan on hanging your items, use padded hangers for coats and ones with clips for pants and skirts.  Don’t fold them over a hanger bar.  Sweaters will maintain their shape better if they are folded into a plastic storage container, suitcase or clean cardboard box.

Shoes and boots and the bottom of coats and pants take a beating during the winter months.  Salt stains need treated as soon as possible.  If you don’t, those little white marks and lines can change the dye color and later look like bleach spots.  Vinegar to the rescue!

Salt on Clothes

Materials Needed:

• Distilled white vinegar, water, toothbrush, rag or cotton ball

Directions:

• Mix equal parts of distilled white vinegar and water.

• Dab water/vinegar mixture, using a rag or cotton ball, on the affected area.  Use an old toothbrush in a circular motion to softly scrub the stain.   For stubborn stains, you may need to treat again.

• Then, for washable items, wash as normal.

Salt on Suede

Materials Needed:

• Distilled white vinegar, pencil eraser, water, spray bottle, suede brush (short bristled wire brush), newspaper, soft brush

Directions:

• If removing salt from shoes and boots, stuff them with newspaper so they hold their shape.  Let any mud dry.  Brush with a suede brush to remove any dry dirt.  Do not brush in a circular motion, instead brush one way in the direction of the nap of the suede (make it lay down).

• Using a pencil eraser, lightly rub the stained area.

• For tougher stains, use the vinegar/water mixture.  Mix 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar to 1 cup water in a spray bottle.  Mist the affected area with the vinegar/water mixture using as small amount of water as possible.  Lightly brush the area to lift the nap up.  Once dry, use a soft brush to restore the original texture.

Salt on Shoes & Boots (Leather, Canvas, etc)

Materials Needed:

• Distilled white vinegar, water, toothbrush, spray bottle, clean rag or paper towel, newspaper, shoe polish or banana

Directions:

• Mix 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar to 1 cup water in a spray bottle…amounts do not have to be exact.

• Stuff shoes and boots with newspapers so they hold their shape.  Mist the affected area with the vinegar/water mixture.  Gently scrub with an old toothbrush or soft bristled brush in a circular motion.  You may need to treat again.

• Once dry, polish with shoe/boot polish or the inside of a banana peel.  Buff with clean rag or paper towel.

When I was a little kid our neighborhood road would get tarred in the summer.  During the heat, there would be a zillion tar bubbles just waiting to be popped.  I could hardly wait to get out in the morning to play, but the rule was to wait until 10am to go outside.   It was extremely stressful for a kid to have to wait until 10am, especially when your best friend/neighbor was allowed out at 9am and just as excited to get started popping the bubbles.  Needless to say, this was some of my first encounters with learning how to remove stains.  As far as the tar…cold cream and lots and lots of toilet paper seemed to do the trick back then.

BLOOD

I have a few different options of getting blood out of clothing.  First, rinse with COLD water to get off the majority of the stain.  Just hold the stained area under the water so blood doesn’t get onto the rest of the clothing.

Option #1: Sprinkle salt generously on stain, rub in or tap in with a little brush, rinse with cold water and then wash as usual.  This can be used on dried blood, just dampen with cold water and then use the salt.

Option #2: Saturate in hydrogen peroxide, leave on over night and rinse. (Hydrogen peroxide works wonders.  It isn’t bleach, but can possibly take out the color on some fabrics, so check first.)

Option #3: Drench the stain with ammonia and let sit. (This will not discolor clothing.)

Option #4: Soak the area in milk over night then wash as usual.

GRASS

Option #1: Rub Murphy’s Oil Soap onto the grass stain with a small brush. Wash.

Option #2: Combine a few drops of household ammonia with 1 tsp. of hydrogen peroxide. Rub on the stain and rinse with water as soon as stain disappears.

Option #3: Use Karo syrup (white corn syrup).  Pour on stain, rub in, wash as usual.  This works really well on baseball pants.

Option #4: Drench area with white vinegar & use toothbrush to loosen stain.

MUD / DIRT

Option #1: First let the mud dry.  Then scrape off as much as possible.  Cut a potato…yes a potato.  Rub the cut side of the potato on the muddy section.  Rinse with white vinegar.

Option #2: Spray shaving cream on the mud, get it nice and foamy.  Let stand at least 20 minutes, then blot off with paper towels or rag.

TIRE MARKS / TAR

Rub peanut butter onto the tire marks.  Rinse and repeat if necessary.  Once the tire marks are gone you may need to use Dawn Dish Soap to get out the greasy peanut butter.

TREE SAP

Rub Purell or any antibacterial hand gel onto the area.  Scrape off.  Wash.  Make sure the sap is completely gone before drying.  If some is left on the clothing, the heat from the dryer can soften the sap and transfer it to other articles of clothing.  Hence, making more work for you.