Soft goods care techniques have been handed down through generations, but between my grandmother’s era, my mother’s time, and my own, we seem to have lost many valuable sewing, care, and cleaning skills. I suspect it’s because the need for these skills has diminished compared to when my grandma and mom had to craft their own garments and make them endure.
Here, I’ve gathered some fantastic tips and tricks from acquaintances and sewing groups to extend the lifespan (presentability) of your clothing.
Remove fresh ink stains (and sometimes others) from machine-washable items
Apply a sufficient amount of gel hand sanitizer to cover the entire stain and let it sit for 10 minutes. The stain should appear diffused into the sanitizer. You can then either hand wash the item or run it through your washing machine on your regular settings. Check before drying to ensure the stain is gone, repeating the gel sanitizer step if necessary.
Remove persistent odors in already washed clothing
Grab some vodka and put it in a spray bottle. A small perfume spritzer or used liquid sanitizer bottle works well. Lightly spray the vodka over the smelly clothes and wait about 5 minutes. The smell should diminish. Repeat as needed. Similar to the gel sanitizer trick, pure alcohol (vodka) evaporates in a way that can also remove dirt or odors.
Remove old stains that you’ve neglected
Try a mixture of peroxide and Dawn dish soap. Combine 3 parts peroxide to 1 part Dawn, spray it on, rub it in, and let it sit overnight. Launder the next day as usual. While it may not remove everything, it should help significantly.
In a pinch without an iron?
When your nice dresses, shirts, or pants are wrinkled, you can’t iron them, and you lack a steamer, hang your garments in the bathroom while you take a steamy shower. The steam should help release some of the wrinkles.
