Friday, June 24, 2011

Washing Swimwear

We’re so excited that summer is finally here because we LOVE the beach!


And because caring for your suits can be such a hassle, we thought we’d show you how it’s done.


Just an FYI…It’s always better to wash your swimwear sooner rather than later.



We know how difficult it is to remove all that salt water, sand, chlorine, body oil, and most importantly sunscreen - as this can be the most stubborn - so here is what you’ll need…


Always pre-treat all stained areas…


To remove odors we recommend soaking in Scented Vinegar.


Once you’ve pretreated you can hand wash with our Swimwear Care, simply agitate the water and detergent with your hands, and allow your items to soak for 30 minutes.


Rinse well…


Never put your swimwear in the dryer, always allow your items to line dry.



It is best to dry out of direct sunlight to help prevent fading, as well as protect the elastic/lycra material.


For more information on how to care for your swimwear, click here.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

The perfect summer combo...


32 oz. Bleach Alternative + 16 oz. Stain Solution
[ get it now ]

Keep reading below for step-by-step guides on remove pit stains, washing whites and more!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Pit Stain & Ring-around-the-collar removal...

Our own Tony here at The Laundress brought his dress shirts in for Rehab.

With typical pit stains and ring around the collar, he needed some help to get in shape for the wedding of our own webmaster Lauren! (and clearly, he had to represent perfectly in spotless Laundress style!)

It was Tony’s turn to follow the recipe and do it firsthand himself. Here is his pit trip…


Here’s the ammunition you will need:


First you want to pre-treat….

Start by turning the shirts inside out. For the pits, pour Stain Solution directly on the stains. I almost covered the whole stain. Then, add the All Purpose Bleach Alternative to the Stain Solution. Work them into each other which makes a paste - then I used the Stain Brush with quite a bit of pressure. (Probably not necessary, but I am neurotic).

 

Time for the collar…

Fill a basin, bowl, or bucket with hot water and dip the collar in. Remove from the water and work the Wash and Stain Bar into the whole collar.

I learned it was okay to just work on one area at a time. I rubbed the bar into the collar pretty hard, but I’m always nervous about “under-doing it”.
 

Time to soak…

I put them in to soak. In this case, each shirt got its own basin since they are different colors. I poured boiling water over the shirts, concentrating on the collar and pits. I let them soak overnight.
 
Rinse well….

I examined my work to see if there were any stubborn left-over stains that you may want to go back and rework before laundering but mine were perfect and all good to go.

The blue and grey shirts were washed together in the machine because the water they were each soaking in did not have any dye released so it was safe. I learned to be cautious and wash the white shirt separately anyway (with some other whites we had to do in the office).
 

Here are the settings to use…

Select warm water and a medium or normal cycle. I learned I did need hot water since all the stains were already gone.

 
Remove promptly to reduce creasing, steam when damp.
Now I got to learn about steaming and ironing…

Steaming is pretty straight forward. Hold the shirt to get out the creases and start moving the steamer up and down until the shirt is done. Really easy and quick results.


Ironing - I learned to start with the collar and cuffs first. Go from the outside tips and work your way in as the photo demonstrates so the fabric doesn’t bunch up. Next, lay the sleeves flat and start at the pit and work to the cuff. I do the inside of the sleeve first and then the outside. Then it’s the rest of the shirt. Starting with the front side of the shirt with buttons, iron around the buttons, work your way to the back, and finally the other front side.


Despite the efficiency of the steamer and the iron taking a few extra minutes I preferred the ironed results. I will stick with the iron next time for my dress shirts at least.

My shirts are perfect - and I can’t believe how easy it was!






































Monday, June 13, 2011

Washing Summer Whites

It’s summertime and that means it’s time to break out your whites and unfortunately, even in storage, our favorite white pieces can be subject to yellowing.  So Gwen decided to get a head start on washing her white wardrobe.  The most important step in brightening whites is allowing them time to soak!

To keep your whites their brightest, you’ll need the following…

Our main focus was to remove the yellowing that happened in storage and some additional stains that Gwen simply could not understand where they came from.

To remove yellowing from dress shirts. mix a paste with Stain Solution and All-Purpose Bleach Alternative. Then allow the items to soak in hot water, silk can’t soak longer than 30 minutes. 

You may need to repeat and be sure to change out the dirty water.

While our dress shirts were soaking, we tackled the straps of a dress. Straps discolor easily due to body oils; these stains are best treated with the Wash & Stain Bar and a hot bath of All Purpose Bleach Alternative.

The Wash & Stain Bar is also best for treating cuffs and ‘ring around the collar’.

Nothing says summer like white jeans, so to always make sure they look their brightest, make a hot bath with All-Purpose Bleach Alternative and launder with Whites Detergent to remove stains!
 After pretreating and soaking to your liking, your items can be laundered with Whites Detergent.  Delicate items should always be placed in a mesh washing bag.


To reduce creasing, always remove your items from the dryer promptly-steaming or pressing when damp is best!

No more stains or spots, just like that...our whites look brand new!
Check out some before and after photos...




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Friday, June 10, 2011

This Week's Ask The Experts...

Question:
HELP!  I accidentally washed and dried a load of white clothes with an orange crayon! It's a total mess and disaster and everything is covered in orange spots!  Any advice?  I unfortunately already sprayed everything with Shout before I knew it was crayon, so I probably made it worse.  Please help!
-Marilyn

Answer:
Hi Marilyn,

I cannot even begin to imagine the mess that must have made!! We should be able to help you remove the crayon, but before we even start with the clothes you’re going to want to make sure that both your washer and dryer are completely free of any leftover crayon pieces.

TO CLEAN YOUR WASHER:
Add (1/2 cup) Scented Vinegar to your machine dispenser and run an EMPTY, long load with hot water. Repeat again with just hot water. Don’t forget to clean out your fabric softener & bleach dispensers!


TO CLEAN YOUR DRYER:
Your dryer drum collects lint (crayon) and can affect the efficiency of your dryer and leave fuzz behind on clean clothes. Use a cloth or sponge with cleaning solution (one capful The Laundress Stain Solution and 1 liter of water) and wipe the inside of the dryer to remove any crayon that may be left in there. Clean the dryer filter after each use. A clogged filter will restrict flow and reduce dryer performance.


After your machines are clean, you can start pre-treating your whites. As crayons are made of wax, you’re going to have to treat these stains as wax removal. I’ve attached a blog below showing you exactly how to do so. Once the wax build up is removed you can treat with Stain Solution and All Purpose Bleach Alternative, by mixing the two together you will create a paste that you will have to work into the fabric with the stain brush. You can then make a bath with Hot water and All Purpose Bleach Alternative and allow the items to soak, you may need to rinse and repeat more than once. When the stains are removed to your satisfaction you can then launder as usual with our Whites Detergent. I’ve also attached our Stain Removal Recipe for you.


The Laundress: Wax Removal
The Laundress Recipe -Stain Removal


Hope this helps, please let me know if you have any further questions.
Happy Laundering and Good Luck!

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