It’s mid-summer and by now how many countless parties and patio hopping having you been attending? Now, how many items of clothing do you think were ruined because someone got a little sloppy with the red wine or some grease from that to die for fish and chips place made its way onto your clothes. I’m sure these particular scenarios can resonate with most of you out there. This idea for my article came to fruition because I was on a patio with a group of good friends and through one of our many fits of laughter, someone had spilt some red wine and had gotten grease on themselves. So of course I took over and started giving my gentlemen friends some helpful advice to remedy these problems. One of them said, “ You are as handy as a Swiss army knife but for fashion.” I then realized how many men out there probably would find such remedies quite helpful.
So gents, instead of being disappointed and pretending a particular stain just happened that day in case someone calls you out on wearing your favorite shirt with a stain. Here are a few of my fav home remedies that I have learned over the years to give certain wardrobe pieces that were once forsaken a new lease on life.
The Dreaded Red Wine Stain
I totally get why some homes only allow white wine to be served, it is because the red wine stain is a nightmare to get out, unless you know this trick. Moving forward, if you are out and someone spills red wine on you, take some white wine and pour it over the same spot the red wine stain is located, do not rub at the stain as this will only set it deeper into the fabric. When you get home throw your garment into the wash on delicate and your garment should be as good as new.
Helpful Tip: I always like to pour white wine over the stain location once more before I throw it into the wash.
Sweat Stains
Everyone has fallen victim to the dreaded yellow sweat stains that surface on your beautiful crisp white dress shirts after you just endured a particularly uncomfortable sweaty day. So instead of keeping your arms super close to your sides to hide the stains, get ready to raise your arms high. After trying various home remedies over the years, the two options that have worked for me are as follows. 1) Pour some vinegar onto the stains and begin rubbing in some salt and then throw them into the wash. 2) Is creating a mixture of 4 tablespoons of baking soda and ¼ cup of warm water mixing it into some sort of a paste and then rub the stained areas on the garment. I usually let them set for 15 minutes and then throw my shirts into the wash on delicate and before you know it the stains are gone. (Please note I usually do this process with a cotton or cotton blend garment)
Removing Grease
With every summer season, the more cocktails being enjoyed will most likely mean the more food being served. Before you know it, the moment you stand up to leave the table you look down and you notice you have somehow managed to drop some greasy food on your favorite tie. The best solution in my experience is to use your best grease fighting dish detergent and hand wash the spot. I have saved countless garments for myself and my friends over the years.
Helpful Tip; my favorite dish detergent that I use for washing is “Dawn”.
So when you are out patio hopping and partaking in the fun that summer warm nights have to offer, please try to keep these helpful little tips in mind to help prevent some fashion causalities along the way.
