Some weeks ago Margaret asked if I could do a post on laundry care since my clothes always seem to be in good condition. I actually get this question more often than I’d expect! So here are some of my basic laundry routines.

Separate!
I separate my laundry as follows:

• whites & nudes
• darks
• colors
• special care

My colors are mostly lounge clothes, pajamas, basic tops… things that are pretty wash & go. I wash these with regular laundry detergent and some liquid fabric softener on delicate cycle with cold water. I dry them on low-heat with a fabric softener sheet.

Special care items are silks, knits, dresses, tights, and jeans.

I always wash jeans separate with regular detergent on normal wash, cold water, tumble dry no heat.

I’m going to break down special care items by product used.
Basically cold water, delicate cycle or hand wash, lay flat to dry.

Dryel

I use Dryel for my “Dry Clean Only” items on a regular basis. It’s a little pricey at first for the kit & bag but after that you can just buy the refills. The bag lasts years! It comes with an extra refresh spray for things like coats and heavy knits. You can fit a number of items into one bag. It does a fantastic job at freshening up all items though, not just Dry Clean Only. I use this stuff religiously. It’s great on knits, silks, synthetics, denim, etc.

Woolite

For delicate items, especially knits, I use Woolite. It’s a gentle detergent and is ok to use in HE washers. It’ll keep knits from pilling and fading. For my knits I’ll use woolite and set my washer to the handwash cycle. You can use the delicate cycle or hand wash in the sink.

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Drying

Lay flat to dry. Purchase a drying rack if possible. I got mine at IKEA. Very affordable and folds up when space is needed.

Before I had a drying rack I would place clothes folded over onto hangers and then hang them on the shower rod of the bathroom. Place a towel underneath to catch any dripping water. I don’t place any hangers within the clothing I’m drying. The hanger can misshapen the shoulders and pull at the fabric as it dries.

Once everything is dry I pop them into the dryer for 5~10 minutes on “air dry/no heat” with a fabric softener dryer sheet. This softens up the piece before I put it into my closet.

Tough Stains

I’ve used an array of stain fighters but mostly they’re all created equal.
They seem to equally remove the easy stains but not tougher stains like grease. When that happens I take the items to a dry cleaner. I’ve had some pretty great luck with my organic dry cleaner. They’ve gotten some mighty tough stains out for me. Usually costs between $3 & $5 an item.

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Products I’m Using

The detergent I use

Mesh bags for delicate items. Available in various sizes.

Fabric softeners
The two on the left I use for clothing while the two on the right I use on sheets and towels because they are too strongly perfumed (personal choice) for my clothing.

Freshen Up!

I absolutely love to use these on coats, scarves, sweaters, etc. to freshen up items!

The one on the far left is my favorite.

Luxury by Aroma Charge. I purchased a few of these while in Japan. It’s a lightweight-spray scented with rose. I adore the fragrance! It neutralizes odors instead of just covering them up like a perfume.

The middle one is Wrinkle Release from Downy. Very easy to find product including this handy travel size. It has an added benefit of releasing wrinkles. The scent is a nice floral but not too overwhelming. The wrinkle-release works decent enough. I really like it and have repurchased it a bunch of times already.

The far right bottle is Flair in Floral & Sweet. Also from Japan. It releases wrinkles like Downy’s spray. The scent is a great rose-infused aroma. I don’t like it quite as much as the other two because it’s also a fabric softener and it leaves a bit of a too soft feeling for my liking.

32 Comments

posted: 10:28 pm, Thursday (2 days ago)    [url]
tags: japanese goods, clothing, home

whilst feeling Lame

 

 

 

Pink semi-sheer blouse from Tokyo Fashion at Yesstyle.com. Love that it’s both sleeveless and has a nice wide collar. Perfect for summer.

Finished up my laundry today. I still need to iron a few things but I’ll get to that tomorrow~~

This is what’s in my closet right now. A surprising number of knits but it’s very cold at my office so I still have to layer up or else I’ll freeze during work.

Have a stripe dress or two… or three! I need to iron the green one still.

Love Bvlgari fragrance.

60 Comments

posted: 10:44 pm, Monday    [url]
tags: yesstyle, home

whilst feeling Weird

 

 

 

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