Thursday, March 14, 2019

Stuff I Like...For Taking Care of My Stuff.

Hello! For this post about Stuff I Like I'm going to tell you about stuff I like to use to take care of my stuff. I am definitely going to be bossy and I might yell a little but it's only because I care about you and I suspect you might be washing your jeans. Here we go:




Sweaters. 
First, don’t hang your sweaters. You'll stretch them out. Just fold them and put them in a drawer or on a shelf. Also, did you know you can handwash cashmere and wool? You CAN. It sounds like a pain in the ass but get some no-rinse handwash detergent (I really like Eucalan) and it's super easy. Add a little bit of soap to tepid water and let your sweater soak. Then swish it around a bit. Don't wring it out like a maniac! To get the water out without ruining the shape of the sweater, roll it up in a big towel. Then lay flat to dry and you're good to go. I promise you won't ruin your sweaters - I do this all the time with cashmere and merino wool.



Denim.
Now, let’s please talk about your jeans. Stop washing them. Seriously, stop it right this second, especially your darker jeans. Stop. Stooooopppp.

Okay, fine. You can wash your jeans but only after maybe 6-8 wears. More if you can stand it. Washing your jeans will fade them out quickly and OH MY GOD DO NOT PUT THEM IN THE DRYER. When you wash your good denim, use way less soap than normal, wash on cold and hang to dry. Really, you should be hanging anything you care about to dry. The only clothing I put in the dryer are pajamas, around-the-house loungewear, basic tees and socks.

Also, while I don't hang my sweaters, I do hang my jeans. (I am very Parker Posey in Party Girl about my denim, apparently.) In general I am partial to wooden hangers (IKEA also has good ones) because I think they look nice and they don't leave dents in the shoulders of my shirts. I also like flocked hangers for slippery things.


Athletic Wear
Athletic wear should always be hung to dry because heat breaks down spandex and you paid too much for those cute Athleta leggings to wreck them. I also recommend an occasional soak in something like Rockin Green, which has saved some of my athletic wear that had stink I couldn’t get out. (My link will get you 10% off.)



Shoes
First, find a good shoe repair place and take your favorite shoes and boots to get reheeled every season. It sucks upfront but your shoes will last much longer. Also, I now have a deep and abiding love for Dr Martens wonder balsam. It's a clear shoe conditioner and protectant and I put it on all my leather boots. I also usually have a small shoe polish kit because scuffed up shoes ruin a look. Take care of your shoes and they will last longer.



General Clothing Care
My basic rules are this:
  • Hang most of your clothing to dry
  • Hand wash your nice sweaters
  • If you machine wash your bras, put them in a lingerie bag
  • Don't wash your clothes every time you wear them (unless they really need it.) 
  • Shout wipes are magic but unscented baby wipes will also take care of a lot of stains
  • Add some white vinegar in with your laundry now and then. It's cheap and effective
  • Take your shoes to the shoe repair place once a season
One More Thing
Get a handheld steamer! I just bought this one (mostly for Poshmark purposes) because steam will not only get out your wrinkles, it also freshen clothing and kills bacteria. Apparently you can also spritz your clothing with cheap vodka to deodorize but I haven’t tried that yet. I’m sensitive to scents so I don’t generally use products like Dryel or Febreeze, which just seems like it's covering one smell with another. Vodka on the other hand...

Bonus: This episode of Every Little Thing about the "thrift store smell" was fascinating! Highly recommend.

8 comments:

  1. Huh. I always thought steamers were a hundred and fifty dollars and were attached to a big heavy base. What a fascinating modern world we live in! Can I put vodka in the steamer? :-)

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    1. Floor steamers are, I'm sure, WAY better but I'm going to give this little puppy a try. Vodka steam seems like it would be a bad idea but maybe it's the best idea?

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  2. Oh man. I *just* shrunk two of my cashmere sweaters with my home washing hubris. The Laundress detergent label said I could use the cold delicate cycle! That, it turns out, is ... advanced. Apparently I can re-soak them and stretch/re-shape them, I just need to find the time. Luckily, I have two other sweaters of the same cut, and I think I'm going use those to make cardboard templates for stretching the shrunken ones.

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    1. Noo, that sucks! Handwashing (in tepid, not cold water) is probably the safest method. I'm sorry about your sweaters! I hope they're salvageable.

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  3. Your gifs are the best. I'm gonna think about laundry cat for a long while. Good advice, too. How do you store purses / bags?

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    1. Um. Well. I kinda throw them in a bin on a shelf in my closet. I would love to say they're neatly stacked but that would be a lie.

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  4. Must find a way to install drying racks in my house...

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    1. I have a shower curtain tension rod set up in our little utility room. An actually shower curtain rod also works!

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