Photo Courtesy: Agencies
Caring for your wardrobe is the best way to maximize the wear you get from your clothing. So how can you get rid of pills on your favorite sweater? And how can you rid your sock collection of set-in stains? Well, read on for tips on all that and more.
Sweaters
Whether they’re wool, cashmere, cotton or polyester, here’s the skinny on caring for your sassy sweaters.
-Don’t hang them up: Keep your winter sweaters from becoming stretched out and shapeless by folding them and placing them in a drawer.
Winter travel tips
-Eliminate pills with a razor or sandpaper: Expensive de-piller? Who needs that?! Here’s a tip for the fellow frugalistas--lightly rub fabric with a disposable razor or a piece of sandpaper. It might take a few minutes, but you’ll get rid of those annoying little bumps without damaging your clothing.
-Hand washing is better than washing machine: The best way to preserve your sweaters is to hand wash them. Protect your fragile duds from the rigors of the washing machine.
Coats
Whether you’re dealing with a pet hair-covered pea coat or a dirty down jacket, here’s how to make your outerwear look as good as new.
-Remove lint from wool coats with a coat brush: Have you ever tried to use a sticky lint roller on your wool coat? It’s about as futile as letting a two-year-old “help you” wrap gifts. Buy a coat brush with natural bristles, and brush in a firm, sweeping motion to remove hair and other fibers.
-It’s okay to wash your down jacket in the washing machine: Use cold water and a mild detergent. To keep it looking nice, don’t wash it too often; twice a year should be sufficient.
-Use tennis balls to help your down jackets dry properly: Use low heat, and throw three to four clean tennis balls in the dryer alongside the jacket. The balls will help balance out the material in your jacket so that you don’t end up with lumps.
-Lubricate a sticky zipper with hand soap: Do you have a frustrating zipper on one of your jackets? According to Yahoo, you can fix the zipper by closing it and then rubbing a bar of soap up and down the track. Then try to open and close the zipper several times. It should work a lot better.
-Leave leather cleaning to the pros: Leather jackets don’t require a lot of care. Just make sure to hang it up nicely when you’re not wearing it. Have the jacket cleaned annually by a professional to keep it in good shape for years to come.
Boots
Winter footwear can be expensive. Make your boots last for multiple seasons with these easy care tips.
-Leather boots require periodic care to stay nice: Waterproof your suede boots with protective spray. Before you first wear the boots, spray them with waterproofing spray, and allow them to dry completely. After that, make sure to spray them every few weeks to keep them free of stains and water damage.
-Don’t neglect scarves, gloves or hats: These items are rarely washed, but they come into contact with makeup, oil and germs more often than just about anything else in your closet! Hand wash these items once a week to keep them dirt-free and looking’ spiffy.
