Thrifty Tips
In order to keep your beloved purchases in peak condition it is necessary to take care of them. This sounds obvious, but it’s a lost art.
Stuff shoes & boots with crumpled newspaper if you don’t have shoe-trees. This will help keep their shape between wears. Also, keep them polished to nourish the leather.
Always use a weather-proofing spray on anything made of suede, & on especially precious shoes & bags – it will prolong their life dramatically & helps protect against stains.
Feed your leather handbags with a specialist cleaner & like shoes, store padded out to keep their shape. They too can be sprayed to protect them.
When washing, you can protect delicate items in a pillow case or purpose made mesh bag from your local hardware store. (Try Pearce’s in Chesham) Always wash items inside out to protect them from the bashing they get in the machine. Hand-wash delicate items & don’t put them in the tumble dryer.
Moth-proof your closets. Even if you don’t have moths, you will. They get everywhere & always prey on your favourite items.
Ensure that you put your cashmere away clean as moths love a dirty one. Dry cleaning is the best way to ensure they don’t eat your beloved knitwear. They hate the chemicals.
Learn to iron, use starch spray & deal with sewing jobs on a regular basis. It only takes a few minutes to sew that dangling button back on, but otherwise you’ll avoid wearing it for ages.
Summer Tips
How to use this good weather to avoid slaving over a hot iron!
During the summer months you can dry your clothes outside on a line or whirligig. It’s better for your clothes, your fuel bills & the environment.
Choose a slower spin cycle to avoid putting so many creases into your clothes. The weight of the water will pull them down slightly when they’re drying & help creases fall out. In fact, on a very hot day, you’ll be surprised how quickly they’ll dry when they’re sopping wet!
Be careful how you hang clothing on the line. You can use 2 pegs to peg an item that is drying on a clothes hanger or you can place the pegs under the armpit or where they won’t show or cause the clothes to loose they’re shape.
Be careful not to peg shoestring straps as this may cause them to stretch & show just a little too much cleavage.
Drip dry shirts should be placed in the shade to avoid the need to iron them. Dark colours can be turned inside out to stop them fading. If you still have a slight mark on a white item, the sun may help fade it as it dries but the tumble dryer will seal stains on any item.
Towels always dry better in a tumble dryer but you can partially dry them on the line first & still get that baby soft result.
If you fold your clothes before they get too dry, you can help remove minor creases. Neatly piled, clean clothes look so nice airing in a warm place.