Category: Home Interior Tips

General Info.:
Here are some tips on how to care for and store gentlemen’s accessories.

Ties:
Care – When taking off a tie, try to remove by gently loosening the knot, not by yanking on the collar loop which can stretch the fabric. Always have ties dry-cleaned by a reputable cleaner with experience in spot removal and non-fading silk cleaning methods. Non-experts should only attempt to gently blot fresh water spills with a dry, clean white cotton cloth. Leave all other stains to an expert.
Storage  Try to hang ties on brass hooks, with one tie per hook. For packing purposes, roll up ties to prevent wrinkling.

Belts :
Care To keep looking scuff-free, buff leather belts with a clean, soft cloth. Do not use shoe polish. Polish buckles with the appropriate metal polish when they start to look dull.
Storage Always hang by the buckle from a hook or roll them up and store in a drawer.

Shoes :
Care Suede and nubuck shoes need a protective spray. Re-apply often, especially after they’ve been wet. When necessary, lift flattened nap with an old toothbrush. Leather shoes need to be polished often. Instant polish works in a pinch, but nothing replaces old fashioned buffing with a shoe brush.
Storage  Try to use wooden shoe trees as much as possible. They preserve the shape of the shoe as well as absorbing moisture and odour. Also, never wear a pair of shoes two days in a row. They need time to dry out naturally.

General Info.:
Here are some tips on how to care for and store gentlemens outerwear.

Wool Coats :
Care – Dry-clean one or two times each winter. Always use strong wooden hangers not hooks to hang.
Storage Use mothballs or cedar-chips to protect during warmer months.

Leather Jackets :
Care If the jacket gets wet, always allow to dry on it’s own. Never use a heat source, which can dry out the leathers natural oils. Wipe off white salt stains with cool water and a soft cloth. When necessary, use an appropriate leather conditioner to repair marks and scratches.
Storage Use sturdy wooden hangers and never leave garment in a plastic dry-cleaner bag; this avoids drying out the leather.

General Info.:
Gore-Tex is a specially constructed fabric with pores small enough to repel water droplets but large enough to let body-moisture evaporate out. When sandwiched with different face fabrics ,Gore-Tex is a very comfortable ,waterproof material.

The enemies of Gore-Tex are dirt, salts and oils which, over time, will wear away the Durable Water Repellency (D.W.R.). D.W.R. promotes water beading up and running off rather than soaking into the fibres.

Technique :
Frequent washings with detergent will keep the D.W.R. from breaking down as quickly. Be sure to rinse completely as detergents by nature cause water to penetrate into fabric in order to wash away dirt. Often a second wash cycle without detergent is necessary to get rid of all the detergent residue.
Everyday use and constant flexing will also cause small cracks in the D.W.R.. Drying the garment in a hot dryer will cause the D.W.R. to partially melt, re-fuse and seal over the cracks. You can also use an iron to touch up the D.W.R..
Eventually, the D.W.R. coating will wear out. There are several D.W.R. restoration products available at your local outdoor store.

Grass stains will usually come out of your clothes if you pre-treat with vinegar before machine washing.

This question was submitted from Debbie.

“How do I clean automotive grease from clothing? ”

It is always best to treat any petroleum based stain as quickly as possible. Grease, etc. , attracts dirt and will destroy fabrics if untreated. Try these techniques :
First, when stain is fresh, blot as much excess with paper towels.

Next, we recommend using a spot remover / dry cleaning fluid. Follow the directions and use gloves in a well ventilated area. Place the garment with the stain facing onto a clean, white, absorbent cloth. Then soak another like cloth with the spotting solution and blot the stain from the back. The dissolved grease will transfer to the under cloth.

Rinse the garment with water and repeat only if necessary (dry cleaning fluid can be very hard on many fabrics).

Precautions:Always test on an inconspicuous area before using spotting chemicals.

This question was submitted from Darren H.

“How do you get hair gel and grease out of a suede jacket?”

Suede is very beautiful but terrible to clean.

Try these techniques :

About the only thing you can do is use a suede brush.

For the grease, cover with corn starch and leave overnight. The grease will wick into the corn starch then brush or vacuum off.

Otherwise, there is little you can do besides going to a professional with the skill and equipment to effectively clean stains from leather & suede.

General Info. :
Without proper care, leather (and suede) hiking boots will rot or else turn brittle and crack. Even newer waterproof boots need attention to keep the leather supple, conditioned and functionable.

Technique :
Some models are pre-treated at the factory and can be worn several times before waterproofing. Others , especially lighter boots, should be treated as soon as they are purchased.
After use, clean boots with clean, cool water and a medium stiff brush. If mud is allowed to dry on boots for any length of time natural oils can start to wick out of the leather.
Dry wet boots as soon as possible-take out footbeds and laces.
Re-apply the appropriate waterproofing often, especially after the boots have been soaked during use. Consult with the boot vendor for the best treatment for your particular pair.

Precaution :
Never dry wet boots with a direct intense heat source such as a campfire or blow-dryer. These will dry out the leather and weaken the glue.

To remove glue from clothes (White,hobby glue, School):

1. Gently scrape (use a spoon) off whatever you can.

2. Soak and agitate in cold water before washing. Do not use hot water it will cause coagulation between the fibers in the yarns of the fabric, making the stain difficult to remove.

3. Inspect before drying if stain is still present. Soak in cold water using a detergent or enzyme presoak product for about 30 minutes. Soak old stains for at least several hours.

Launder in warm (not hot) water, rinse, and inspect. If stain remains, soak an additional 30 minutes, then rewash. (Never put a stained fabric in a dryer. The heat from the dryer can set the stain.)

Always follow garment label warnings and instructions.

This question was submitted by Tammy;
A pen got into the dryer how do I remove the ink?

A Forum expert had the same thing happen to him.
Tools:
Clean dry cleaning rags

Multi-use solvent.

Technique:

1. Shut the dryer off. The heat will set the ink stains.
2. Using a clean dry cleaning rag, wipe as much ink off as possible.
3. In my case there was an extreme amount of ink and I wiped what I could. I used a large towel and poured a mixture of warm water and dish soap on the towel and placed it in the drum in an attempt to have some of the ink soak into the towel. I had marginal success with that, however I was able to get some off especially where there were large ink amounts.
4. Then I used a multi-use solvent which is designed to break down gum, glue, ink etc. Caution:  Solvents are flammable.  Be sure the dryer is cool and your working area is well ventilated.  Pouring the multi-use solvent onto a clean dry white cleaning rag wipe the ink off the drum of the dryer.
5. The biggest problem I was having was ink under the agitators (usually plastic). The ink on the plastic came off well with the solvent, however ink had pooled under the agitators. I poured a general purpose cleaner along the edge and a fair bit of ink came out. I did not pour the solvent since I did not want to much flammable material to be used.
   6. Take your time and use lots of rags always pouring the solvent on them and removing as much ink as possible.
   7. Now I had so much ink that I eventually used paint thinner to remove more ink. Now paint thinner is also very flammable so I used with caution. I did not nor would I recommend running the dryer for at least 24 hours, waiting for all the vapor to dissipate first. This is why I did not pour the solvent directly into the drum.
   8. Now all this took some time and effort and after it was all done I did not even get 100% of the ink removed only about 70% so I was a little frustrated. After about 24 hours I ran the dryer only on air fluff to be sure there was no vapor. And I washed and dried some work clothes to absorb any ink that may not have come off.
   9. It has been a couple months now and it looks like a little more ink has come off but I have seen absolutely no ink on any clothes. To summarize be patient and realize that it probably will not be perfect and you will have to live with some ink stains on your dryer drum but overall it will have no impact on your dryers performance. I will NEVER again forget to remove my pens from my pocket (I hope) this was one tough job. Good Luck

Caution: DO NOT USE A SOLVENT IF YOUR DRYER IS GAS POWERED call a professional to turn the gas off and service the dryer.

Here is a tip submitted by Patty:

My brother got a red wine stain on a very expensive cotton sweater.

Thedrycleaners could not remove it. My mother (80 years old) took it outusing “Efferdent” for dentures and cold water. She soaked it (I’m notsure how long). Then washed in cold water as usual.