Getting wrinkles out of your sweaters

From Lucky Magazine, january 2006:

Ironing works best, but the goal is to never actually touch the fabric: If you do, it can flatten and stretch the yarn fibers permanently and leave an ugly shine. Get around this by turning th sweater inside-out and putting a damp cloth (white, so the color won't accidentally rub off on the item) between the garment and the iron. Gently press, lowering and lifting the iron instead of sliding it back and forth. Here's what settings you should use for the best results:

Acrylic: Cool iron (use a dry cloth).

Cashmere: Steam, on medium heat.

Wool: Same as above, and then gently knead the sweater afterward.

Tip: You can use this same method to reshape shoulders that have been stretched out by a hanger. Turn the top on its side and lie it flat so the shoulder (and the offending peak) is facing straight up, and iron as above.

Tips from the founders of the fabric-care line "The Laundress"

From Domino Magazine, may 2007:

Gwen Whiting and Lindsey Wieber ditched their jobs to launch the fabric-care line, The Laundress. Here, they share genius tips your dry cleaner doesn't want you to know.

Fresh, Long-lasting Linens

• Skip the clorox: "Bleach is evil," Whiting says. "It eats away at fibers, and , ironically, it's what makes fabrics yellow over time. To brighten dingy cotton whites, soak them in hot water for at least half an hour using detergent with a bleach alternative, like sodium perborate or white vinegar."
• Hot washer, cool dryer: "Don't be scared of the hot cycle - it's the best way to keep white linen and cotton really bright," Wieber insists. "If spots don't come out the first time, we pat on a bleach-free stain solution and pour boiling water straight from the kettle on them before washing again." Line-drying à la Downy April Fresh commercials is the gentlest way to go. Barring that, it's best to tumble linens on a cool setting for as long as that might take; baking them in a hot dryer can ruin the elastic in fitted sheets.
• Wrinkle fix: Once they're dry, take out your linens and fold them right away. If you like your sheets hotel-style smooth, iron them while they're damp - it's gentler on the fibers - or put them on the bed and spritz with wrinkle remover.

D.I.Y. Delicates

• Ignore the label (sort of): "That 'dry-clean only' tag in most of your clothes is a way for manufacturers to protect themselves, kind of like 'keep away from children' warnings," Whiting points out. "Unless your piece is padded or lined, like a suit jacket, or made out of rayon, you can pretty much hand-wash anything - silk, cashmere, polyester. If you're not sure, test a corner first."
• Long, lazy soak: Treat stains before soaking the piece in room-temperature water with a squirt of detergent made specifically for delicates. Silks should be soaked no more than 20 minutes; wool and cashmere can hang out longer; swimsuits can go all night. To rinse, fiil and refill the basin with cool water until the suds are gone.
• Squeeze, don't wring: Gently press out water and roll your delicates in a towel, then lay them flat on a clean, dry one. To iron pieces like blouses and pants, place a clean dish towel on top once they're dry, and iron on the steam setting, making sure you use distilled water.

Clean Little Secrets

Tips from Whiting and Wieber on how to wash, dry and store your clothes.

1. Spot-clean: "This minimizes the number of times I have my suits and coats blasted with chemicals," Whiting says. Press a damp towel with a bit of delicates detergent on the spot, then blot with a clean corner.
2. Go halfsies: Dress shirts will last longer if you wash them at home, then have them ironed professionally. "Cleaners often charge full price just to press items, but negotiate an 'iron-only' fee," Wieber says.
3. Sort religiously: "I don't even launder pale or dark pinks together," Whiting says. "If you're vigilant about seperating your colors, you'll e;iminate a lot of nasty surprises."
4. Everything inside out: If you dropped $200 on your dark-rinse jeans, keep them looking like new by turning them inside out when you wash them (cold), and remember machine-drying is wath causes the most fading, so air-dry whenever you can. Ditto for the rest of your clothes.
5. Reconsider fabric softener: Many fabric softeners conatin beef fat to coat your clothes. "Ours has canola oil," Whiting says. Use softener only every other time, so it has a chance to rinse out. This is important with towels, which lose absorbency when treated with softeners.
6. Watch out for beauty products: Benzoyl peroxide, an ingredient in many acne treatments, can bleach fabric, so put a towel on your pillows if you're on Proactiv Solution or something similar. Also, since the whitening ingredients in toothpaste can discolor the fabric, don't brush while wearing your best clothes.
7. Instant stain fix: Here's how to deal with spills until you get home. Push out a fresh red-wine stain by blotting it with a cloth napkin dipped in white wine. Lift greasy stains like salad dressing with table salt, cornstarch or baby powder.
8. Free your clothes: "Take off the plastic covering as soon as you get clothes back from the cleaners, lest you provide a warm, saunalike environment that moths crave," Witing warns. For long-term storage, go for cotton wardrobe bags.
9. Clean the machine: "Lint accumulates in the washer as much as the dryer," Whiting says. "Once a month, run your machine on hot with a cup of white vinegar to clean out fibers that have accumulated."

Whitening a Yellowed Collar

From Lucky Magazine, september 2007:

Seun Lim, designer of the denim brand James Jeans Dry Aged Denim, swears by this quick fix for freshening up a favorite button-down.

• You'll need: A bottle of Johnson's Baby Powder and an iron.
• How it's done: Set iron to medium with the steam option turned on. Sprinkle onto the shirt just enough powder to cover the stained area and spread it with your fingertips. Hold the iron an inch above the soiled spot and steam for a few seconds. Then press down the iron for a count of three to set, and shake off the excess. Let the shirt cool before wearing.

Washing Embellished Clothes

From Lucky Magazine, december 2007:

Designer Rebecca Taylor loves beaded and sequined pieces (as any fan of her flirty, feminine line can attest) but loathes excessive trips to the dry cleaners - so she devised this technique.

• You'll need: A cotton pillowcase. "Choose one in a neutral color, or that's similarly colored to the garment you're cleaning," Taylor says.
• How it's done: Make sure the piece is machine-washable, and then "flip it inside out, throw it in the pillowcase, and knot the case closed - tie it as close to the item as possible," she says. "Set the machine to delicate, use gentle detergent, and afterward lay it flat to dry."

Removing Sticky Stains

From Lucky Magazine, march 2008:

Clothing designer Julie Haus picked up this tip from her mother-in-law and has employed it on everything from bubble gum to remnants of double-sided tape.

• You'll need: A dull knife and canned air (the kind used to clean a computer keyboard).
• How it's done: Hold the can six inches from the stain, spray for four seconds, and immediately and gently scrape off the now-frozen residue with the knife. "It's worked beautifully one every fabric I've tried," says Haus.

Whitening Underarms Stains

From Lucky Magazine, april 2008:

Karen Reinitz and Abigale Levinson, the designers behind the preppy-cool line AKA New York, swear by this tip for freshening up yellowed T-shirts.

• You'll need: One tablet of aspirin and a washing machine.
• How it's done: Put your discolored tees in the machine and let the water start streaming in (temperature doesn't matter); add detergent as usual. Drop in one aspirin when the basin is filled with water, close the door and let the cycle finish. "White tees really do come out looking whiter than ever," says Levinson.

Fixing Bleach Spots

From Lucky Magazine, august 2007:

Tibi designer Amy Smilovic got this tip from her mother early in her career, after a batch of vivid samples was almost ruined by a splash of errant whitener.

• You'll need: Tria System Pantone Markers. "They won't bleed on any fabric," Smilovic says, "and there are endless color options, so you can always find an exaxt match."
• How it's done: Wash the garment first, then just fill in any splotches with the marker. "Let it sink in for a day," Smilovic advises, "and then launder as usual. It sets permanently."