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Fresh, fluffy towels.
After a shower or bath, there’s nothing as refreshing as a big, clean terrycloth towel. Home laundry fabric softener can prevent a towel from soaking up water, incompletely rinsed detergent can harden the fibers. If towels aren’t smelling so fresh, add a cup of baking soda to the wash. White vinegar freshens mildewy staleness. Nothing…
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Picnic stains.
Beer stains should be blotted as dry as possible. As soon as possible, rinse the stain with cold water from the back of the stain. Mix liquid laundry detergent (or dish soap) with cold water and soak the stain at least ten minutes. Rinse thoroughly and launder in warm water. Yellow mustard can be tough to…
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Sparkling sneakers.
White canvas shoes are perfect for summer – until they start looking beige. Here’s how to remove stains, thanks to How to Clean Stuff. Scrub away dirt stains with shampoo on a nail brush, wipe residue away with a damp sponge. Use dish soap on grass stains, and nail polish remover on grease or tar.…
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Polo shirts, a brief history.
This casual classic is seen everywhere, especially in warm weather. Originated by French tennis champion René Lacoste and introduced at the 1926 U.S. Open, the shirt quickly became favored tennis attire. Soon, polo players ditched traditional button-down Oxford-cloth long sleeves for his crocodile-marked shirt. The combination of comfort, breathability, long tuckable tail, and soft collar…
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Summer wedding tips for women.
The first rule: keep the spotlight on the bride by avoiding white, cream or pale pastels. Prints with light backgrounds are fine, as long as they don’t read as “white” from a distance. If the ceremony is in a house of worship, cover your shoulders with a sleeved dress or jacket. If the wedding’s outdoors,…
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Fresh workout.
When your favorite fitness gear loses its fresh smell, a few tips from Valetmight help. First, turn everything inside out before washing to expose what’s the dirtiest. Add a quarter cup of white vinegar to your washer to kill odor-causing bacteria. Special detergents like Win or HEX are formulated to deep clean performance fabrics. And…
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Stains ahoy.
Summer boating adds a chance you’ll bring home more than memories, even on the cleanest vessel. Rust stains are common wherever there’s water and metal. We use concentrated professional products but for home use, try OxiClean or Wink. Mold and mildew can stain sailing whites in a second—diluted laundry bleach removes just as fast. There’s…
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We’ll get the mustard out.
Yellow mustard is one of the hardest stains to remove, so act fast if it squirts on you. We can help, first thing Monday morning after the big game. We’ll work that yellow spot out of your outfit – and we never charge more for routine stain removal – like some of the other guys.…
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Swimwear care.
After each use, rinse swimwear in cool tap water to remove sunscreen, sand, sweat and chlorine. To wash after a few wearings, turn the swimsuit inside out and hand wash in the sink, using a few drops liquid detergent in warm water. Gently squeeze the suds through the garment, don’t wring or twist. Rinse well and…
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Fashion first aid.
Emergencies happen, and quick fixes can save the day (or night). Double stick tape removes lint, fixes falling hemlines. Use a black Sharpie on a scuffed heel. Use a piece of hanger foam to remove deodorant or makeup stains from fabric. Keep a coffee filter in your makeup bag to blot a shiny nose or…