Care for your clothes

Invest in three important tools:
1- a lint tape roller,
2- a clothes brush,
3- a steamer.

After each wearing, remove lint, hair, and surface dirt with the lint roller fabrics such as flannel will perk up after a light once-over with a clothes brush, and a shot of steam will remove wrinkles quickly and effectively.
Don't jam your clothes together in your closet, either. If you have a big wardrobe, rotate it seasonally, storing your out-of-season clothes in a separate closet or in special clothing containers or old suitcases.
Store out of season hanging clothes in cloth bags, never use the plastic bags from the drycleaner; they trap odors and mildew and the plastic attracts dust.
Padded, wood or plastic hangers are better than wire ones.
Care for your clothes regularly, and unless you have a spill, you should only have to dry-clean them once, at the end of the season and before storing them.
If you've dribbled spaghetti sauce on your favorite white shirt, take it to a professional dry cleaner and let them deal with it.
Linen is famous for wrinkling, and in an odd way, that's part of its charm steam it every time before you wear. But whether you struggle to keep your linen looking pressed, or embrace the wrinkled look as your own, you still confront the age-old question “wash or dry clean”? Linen jackets, suits, and dresses must be dry cleaned to keep their inner construction (facings, lining, shoulder pads, etc.) intact. As a bonus, dry cleaning restores linen's crisp shape and finish. However, if you prefer a more relaxed look and feel to your linen, wash them at home.
Before you wash linen blends, be sure to check the label. Mixes with other fibers such as silk and rayon can dictate the garment be dry cleaned. Avoid folding linen, and always iron it when it's damp.

How to get rid of some of the toughest stain?
Try to treat a stain as soon as possible, keeping the garment moist under laundering, if you can. A few other tips:

• Never rub a wet stain. If liquid is still in a ball on the surface, try to absorb it into the tip of a white cloth.

• Once a stain has dried, brush off what you can before attempting a chemical solvent.

• Always test cleaning agents first on a hidden seam or hem.

• When applying product, place stain-side down on a paper towel or white cloth, and dab stain remover to the underside of the fabric, forcing stain through onto the towel or cloth.

• When in doubt, don't do anything. Consult a dry cleaner.

How to Care for Sweaters
The better care you take of your sweaters, the longer you'll be able to enjoy them. Here are four important things you need to know to keep your sweaters in great condition.
A child's hairbrush works better than a lint roller to remove hairs, dandruff, and bits of fluff. Brush cashmere, lamb's wool, and acrylic after each wearing (be especially gentle with acrylic, which tends to have a short lifespan anyway).
Use a steamer to remove wrinkles and hanger marks.
Forget mothballs. in addition to smelling horrible and releasing toxic chemicals, they're just not necessary.
A cardboard box is a good resource for storage. Natural fibers need to breathe or they start to break down. Avoid storing them in dry-cleaning bags or sealed plastic containers.

Wool Garment Care

Care for your wool garments properly, and they'll go out of style long before you can wear them out. If you have invested in classic pieces, you can wear them for a lifetime and even pass them on.
Wool is highly supple; after a day's wear, a wool sweater will regain its shape in about 24 hours.

• Brush and air wool clothing after wear to remove surface soil and allow clothing to relax.

• Space wool clothing when hanging; do not hang garments tightly together.

• Wool clothing can be refreshed by hanging in a steamy bathroom.

• Allow wool clothing to rest at least 24 hours before repeat wearing to prolong garment life.

• Empty pockets when hanging woven garments and fold knit garments flat to prevent shape deformation.

• Clean wool garments periodically, not frequently, to avoid premature fiber wear. Spot clean with water or a spot cleaning agent

• Prior to long-term storage, clean wool garments thoroughly. Store with fresh cedar.

• Rinse stains immediately with cool water.

• When spot cleaning, test the method on an inconspicuous area first to avoid an expensive mistake

• Never twist or strongly rub wool garments.

• If you hand wash wool (and it's safe for some garments; check labels carefully), dry wool sweaters flat, away from heat sources.

Caring For leather
Cleaning
To clean a leather item, first choose a cleaner that will help preserve the natural lubricating oils instead of stripping them. The cleaner of your choice should not leave any greasy residue behind. Residue makes leather susceptible to bacteria and can break down the stitching of your item. Before applying anything to your leather item, be certain to test it out for effect and possible color distortion on an area that isn't visible to the eye. Once you've ascertained whether the leather care product is acceptable to use, apply it to your item. With a slightly dampened cloth, remove the cleaning product. For areas with stitches, there are brushes available on the market.

Conditioning
Leather conditioners are meant for occasional use. They contain fats and/or oils that help lubricate leather and replenish the suppleness. Look for a product that will penetrate the strong fibers in leather. While petroleum by-products won't damage your leather immediately, they do over a period of time. Again, just as with cleaning, keep on the look out for thick, greasy conditioning treatments for the best care of your leather

Protection
Moisture barriers are extremely crucial in preventing rain or other liquid hazards from damaging leather. Stiffness and spouting will happen if leather isn't protected beforehand. There is a drawback in protecting leather with a moisture barrier product. They tend to fill in the pores with a greasiness that makes cleaning, conditioning, and polishing difficult, but it's a necessary process to ensure leather isn't destroyed. Periodically apply a moisture barrier and allow it time to penetrate and dry before using your leather item.

Removing Mildew
To remove mildew from leather, create a mixture of one-cup rubbing alcohol per one-cup of water. Wipe the mildew area with a cloth dipped in the diluted alcohol, then allow it to dry. If the mildew persists, use mild soap and water that contains a germicide, then remove with a clean dampened cloth and allow to dry.

Wet Leather
An important key to keeping leather in top-notch condition is to treat wet leather before it has a chance to dry. Remove any dirt, mud, or other stains with a cleaning agent, then condition while the pores are still fully responsive. It is critical to remember that leather should be dried away from heat. If the leather in question is a garment, it's a good idea to stuff the garment to retain shape.

Storing Leather
Remember that leather is a natural material and should never be stored in plastic because it encourages the growth of mildew and bacteria and will ruin the leather. Always store leather in a cool, dry place away from heat. If the leather item is a garment, store in a breathable bag.

Removing Stains
Fresh stains from things such as blood and food can be cleaned up quickly with a damp cloth. Stains from oil or grease can be lifted by grinding ordinary blackboard chalk, sprinkling the area, and leaving the powder on for a twenty-four hour period. Resist the urge to rub the powder in. After a sufficient time has past, simply use a leather care brush to remove the powder. While fresh stains can be treated and cleaned at home, ground-in stains should be attended to by a professional cleaner who deals in leather.

Save those Clothes:
Runs in Hose
When you buy your hose make sure it is the correct size. Hose that is too small is more easily ruined.
Before you wear your hose hand wash them and allow to drip dry. Then mix 2 1/2 cups of salt and one gallon of water and soak your hose for 4 hours. Rinse thoroughly and drip dry.
Carry clear polish to stop any runs immediately. It is possible the run is in a place that does not show and you may still be able to wear this pair, at least with slacks. Where your less that perfect hose with slacks, and save new and unblemished hose for skirts and dresses.

Ink Stains
Ink on your favorite shirt? Here is the solution.
An ink pen just leaked all over your favorite shirt, or worse, your husband left one in his pocket and it exploded in the dryer all over the whole load.
What do you do? Is there any way to get out the ink?
Pick up some inexpensive aerosol hair spray and use it liberally all over the stain to break up the ink. The sooner you catch the stain the easier it is to get it out. So try to keep some on hand for future accidents.

Chewing gum, a sticky situation!
Some people qualify gum chewing as a bad habit, I don't know if I would go that far. But I do know that leaving your already chewed gum in places others inadvertently come into contact with is thoughtless and inconsiderate.
Since I doubt we will rehabilitate the world on their gum disposal at anytime soon, or if ever, we will still from time to time get caught in other people's sticky situations.
If it happens to be your clothes that get caught, and it doesn't easily come off, try putting the item in the freezer and chipping off the gum when it is frozen.