What should everyone have at home to keep good care of their clothes? Here are 3 +1 of my favourite things that I recommend to everyone, that can save your garment and your day.
1. Gall soap
This natural, 100% biodegradable soap is the best for all kind of stains. Like for real. Think for example tomato sauce on a white shirt, blood, grease stains, well you name it. For example, my mom had carried a Christmas ham next to her chest at the supermarket. After coming home, she had noticed that the package had leaked and there was a stain on her jacket. She asked me for tips, washed a stain with gall soap and voilà – gone. I’m using gall soap for everything and every material. However, it is good to be careful with more sensitive materials like silk and colourful and patterned clothes.
How to use: I use the bar version of gall soap, but there is also a liquid version available. I start by wetting a corner of soap and gently rubbing it to a stain. When there is enough soap, I usually rub the stain in the middle of my fingers to get the soap to do its magic. Then washing with water and repeating if necessary. See the pictures below.
Ps. Gall soap works perfectly also to white living room carpet after a tortilla salsa night or a coffee breakfast.
2. Wool comb
To keep your wool clothes and accessories looking amazing. Wool, especially softer qualities like merino wool and cashmere, may start pilling in use or after washing. That is totally normal. To avoid pilling it is good to remember that woollen products do not like washing, but enjoy airing. Giving fresh air for a wool garment is usually enough to remove odours and freshen it. If there is a stain, check the point 1. – gall soap. And then back to wool comb. I prefer a basic, manual one. There are also electronic pill removers on the market, but I’m a bit sceptic on those. I haven’t tried those, so I don’t have experience, but I’m afraid they are too strong and aggressive. I like being in charge and being able to choose the right pressure for each material. I don’t want to take the risk of getting a hole or destroying my favourite knit.
How to use: Press the comb gently towards the material and brush the surface according to the direction of the weave or knit. Add pressure if needed. Clean the comb from pills regularly during brushing.
Before and after:
3. Steamer
Are you sick of wrinkled clothes? Have you got enough of ironing? Does it feel exhausting to open ironing board and waiting for the iron to get warm? Does it feel annoying to find out that the shirt you wanted to wear in 2 minutes is wrinkled? Are you afraid to iron sensitive materials? I could keep going even if this sounds like shopping television. Okay, maybe that was the point, haha. And please do not get me wrong, I do NOT recommend you to order anything from a TV shop. Now back to the point: a steamer changed my life. I first met it at work, fell in love and bought one home too (from a real store).
I have one of the cheapest hand steamers from Philips, and I have been happy with that. I’m not an ironing person but like to wear unwrinkled clothes. The steamer works from basic cotton t-shirts to silk garments to knitwear and from wool coats to curtains. However, steaming isn’t good for suede, waxed materials or fabrics with a special print. Check the care instructions always first, or try to unvisible spot if you are uncertain. The best I like in my steamer is that it doesn’t take a lot of space and is ready to use in 15 seconds so that I have time to steam a shirt just before heading out. It is also easy to take with to holidays cause it doesn’t take that much space. To find something negative: The water tank of my steamer is quite small. It is enough for approximately two shirts, and then I need to fill it. On the other hand, I’m always steaming only the piece of clothing I want to wear at that minute, so it hasn’t been a big problem. The other little con is that for stiff fabrics with strong wrinkles I would maybe need a more powerful steamer, but I haven’t been in that kind of situation yet. Like said, a steamer is also great for more gentle materials like silk and can be used in interior decoration, for example, cushions and curtains as well. Furthermore, steaming has a disinfectant effect. It kills odour causing bacteria and helps you to keep your clothes fresh.
How to use: Fill the water container, plug in, turn power on and wait approximately 15 seconds. This may, of course, vary between models so check the instructions from the package before using. It is important that the garment is hanging, not laying on a surface. First, the steamer may spit water drops before starting to produce steam. Therefore, it is good to test to “steam” the air before starting to steam the garment. Move steamer from up to down, pressing the button to let steam to come out, and the wrinkles will magically disappear. To help wrinkles to vanish, I’m often holding the fabric tight, not pulling, but keeping it straight when steaming. When done, turn the power off, unplug, empty the water tank and store the steamer to wait for the next time.
NOTE! The steam is extremely hot so be careful to avoid injuries.
Ps. Instead of buying a really cheap steamer from a brand you have never heard before, I recommend you to buy one from a reliable brand. There are several options. I tried my grandma’s, I have no clue where she had bought it, but unfortunately, it wasn’t really pleasant to use. True story.
Pps. Reliable brand does not necessarily mean expensive.
Before and after:
+1 Baby wipes
Great for cleaning white parts of sneakers, and makeup stains from shirts if the foundation on the surface is recent.
Before and after:
By showing some love to your clothes, you can enjoy them longer. If you have some good tips on how to take care of clothes, leave a comment! I hope these tips were helpful. Have an amazing weekend!
VIIVI