How to Care for Your Clothes

The clothes we wear speak louder than the things we do or say. Our clothes define who we are before we get a chance to speak for ourselves. How you take care of your clothes determine how long they will last. Either expensive or not, it is the little care and attention you give to your dresses that matter.

Before Laundering
• Make sure that the water is clean, if not; the dress will absorb some dirt.
• Separate clothes into categories before washing. Base this separation on color and texture.
• Look at the areas that are stained.
• Use soap that is fabric and hands friendly.
• Get the appropriate soap for white fabrics; do not use the same soap for white and color fabrics.

During Laundering
• Take consideration of the neck, armpit, bums, back, pocket and the up-fronts of your trousers, skirt or gown and the back of the heels.
• If you must apply starch, use cold water starch. Most spray starch only make ironing easier, they do not hold clothes. Starch is, however, not advisable for all fabrics.

Stains and their Removers
If you have a soiled shirt collar, use a brush to apply hair shampoo onto the collar before washing. Shampoo will dissolve oils on the soiled shirt collar.

Gasoline is an oil based product which could stain your cloth. Use any kind of oil that normally washes out of clothing. Preferably, use baby oil.

Deodorant stains are also noticeable over time on the underarms of shirts and other wears. Soak the area with white vinegar and wait for thirty minutes. Put liquid laundry detergent right on the area; leave it for five to ten minutes, then wash. To prevent deodorant stains, let your deodorant dry before dressing.

For grease stains, sprinkle baby powder over the stain. Allow it to sit for a couple of minutes, and then brush the powder off. The powder absorbs the grease and it brushes off with the powder.

For blood stains, pour hydrogen peroxide on the blood and rinse with cold water. Repeat till stain removes.

Lipstick normally finds its way to clothes. Use petroleum jelly for removing lipstick stains. Another possibility is to use fluoride toothpaste and then wash.

In the case where you mistakenly sit on chewing gum, use egg white to remove it. Brush egg white unto the gum with a toothbrush. Wait for 15 minutes and then wash normally.

For perspiration stains, soak the stained shirt in equal parts ammonia and water and add a few tablespoons of liquid soap overnight. Then wash the shirt as usual.

Storage Odor
The best ways to get rid of storage odor include;
• Creating cross ventilation in your room.
• Sun-drying your dresses for some minutes after wearing them.
• Opening up your wardrobe once in a while during the rainy season.
• Fumigating your wardrobe with insecticides and covering up for some minutes.
• Place cotton balls that have been sprayed with your favorite scent in the wardrobe.

Take good care of your clothes so they can serve you for as long as possible.