There’s nothing more annoying than a much cherished garment losing its first bloom of freshness and starting to look tired or even a bit grubby. If the washing machine is proving unequal to the task it can be very tempting to chuck the item away or consign it to the darkest recesses of the wardrobe. Here are some useful tips to prolong the life of your clothes.
How to get rid of collar stains
It’s infuriating when you are ironing a blouse and find that despite a good wash there are ingrained stains in the collar. Don’t despair.
Shampoo is designed to tackle body oils in hair and is equally effective at treating the body oil that accumulates inside shirt collars.
Just put some shampoo on an old toothbrush and gently brush it over the stains on the collar. After working the shampoo in, wash the shirt as normal. For really tough collar marks, leave the shampoo to work overnight before washing.
Getting rid of fade marks or white “bloom” on dark fabrics
image of vinegar cruet
Clothes can look faded after repeated washing and black jeans often acquire a white ‘bloom’ . This can be due to build-up of soap or detergent residues.
For clothes that look faded, blacks that are looking greyish, or synthetics that are looking a dull yellow, just add a dash of vinegar to the rinse water. This is an old washday trick. The acidity of the vinegar helps to get rid of the alkalinity of the soap.
You can add it to the rinse cycle in the washing machine via the fabric softener dispenser. The added bonus is that the vinegar also acts as a natural fabric softener and is loads cheaper. I have long since switched to this from fabric softeners as it’s cheaper, it stops fade, it softens and it can help get rid of stains. Don’t worry about smelling like a chip-shop: the vinegar actually seems to activate the perfume of your washing powder and everything smells really clean and fresh.
When washing coloured clothes it is also wise to turn them inside out. This helps protect them from fading and is particularly important if you line-dry as the sun has a terrible bleaching effect.
How to ensure your buttons don’t drop off
One of the facts of life when you buy machine-produced garments, is the way the buttons are badly sewn on and fall off easily.
To keep your buttons safely in place just dab a small quantity of colourless nail polish over the thead in the centre of each button and allow it to dry. This will seal and toughen the thread, preventing it from unravelling.
Other uses for clear nail polish:
- Great for stopping ladders in tights and stockings, if you need to make running repairs.
- A tiny drop on spectacle screws holds them firmly in place. Top tips
To protect buttons at the dry cleaners or in the wash
If you have delicate or beautiful buttons and don’t want to risk them getting damaged by dry cleaning fluid or chipped about in the washing machine drum, simply cover each button with tin foil. It will prolong the life of your buttons and stop them from chipping and fading.
To mend a snagged jumper
image of snagged jumper
It’s such a pain! – you have a brand new top and the first time you wear it you go and catch your ring or earring in it or catch it on one of those many, usually invisible, knitwear hazards.
Well help is at hand, here is a very easy picture guide from Amy (alias The Crafty Dame) from Canada, to help you restore your knitted top to almost pristine condition in moments.
Related links
>> Top Tips for stains and other stuff
>> Getting new life from old clothes
On the blog >> 10 ways to update your wardrobe without spending money
