June 2005 Issue
In this months Issue:
First Aid for Clothes
Here Comes the Bride
Home Laundry Tip
Getting a Good Night's Sleep
You're at a party...or you're at a business lunch. Or perhaps you're on an airplane or heading for a job interview. Somehow, it always seems as though spills, hemlines coming down or other fashion emergencies occur at times when it's most inconvenient.
Let's start with spills: Protein stains from food and grease stains from oil definitely require different treatment, but sometimes stains are a combination of both. Not only that, there are many types of fabrics and fabric combinations and of course, they react differently to different types of stains.
For clothes that are washable, stains are usually easy to fix if you get to them quickly and if you use a combination of detergent and stain removers. For non-washable clothes, however, we're the experts! Bring the item to your Pressed4Time representative and we'll do our best to make it look great again.
If you do experience a stain, the best advice is to blot, don't rub, no matter what the fabric. Use a paper towel or a white towel, if available, and just keep blotting gently. If it's available, you can try using seltzer or club soda on washable items.
Here are some first-aid tips when you're on the go:
* If you find that your hemline is falling down, here's a quick, temporary fix: use tape (masking or regular) on the inside of the garment. Be sure to remove the tape before cleaning or washing the pants or shirt you've taped. * If your pantyhose runs, that old reliable remedy, clear nail polish, is a great solution. Be sure to brush some at the top and bottom of the run. The nail polish will stick to your skin, so once it's dried you might want to gently pull it off so your pantyhose isn't stuck to your leg.
* Can't get a zipper unzipped? Grab a candle and rub! It does work.
* Slip-sliding away? If the bottoms of your shoes are too slippery, the answer can be found in the great outdoors. Go outside! Rub them on a rough pavement a few times. Even better: If you have sandpaper, rub it on the soles of the shoes.
Here Comes the Bride
June is often associated with brides, and no wonder! More couples get hitched in June than in any other month. And while some women opt for less traditional garb, the long, flowing white dress is still a standard.
The dress can be a substantial investment, even though you will likely only wear it once. Many brides store the dress after the wedding for sentimental reasons or in the hopes that a daughter or other relative might want to wear it.
Unfortunately, no cleaning process or storage method can guarantee that your dress won't yellow or even deteriorate (lace is a very delicate fabric!), but there are ways to ensure good results for storage. If you have an inherited dress that you want to use, please talk to your Pressed4Time representative. We can help you decide whether the dress can be cleaned, altered or restored, and how to store it carefully.
After the gifts have been opened and the toasts made, it's time to think about putting the wedding dress away. Once we've cleaned the dress and boxed it for you, it's important to store the wedding gown in a cool, dry place. The back of a bedroom closet is your best choice-not the basement or attic!
Home Laundry Tip
We're positive that a manufacturer who could develop a washable and/or stain-resistant tie would certainly make millions! Most ties aren't washable, yet they are probably the one piece of clothing that, if statistics were kept, gets stained most often by food or beverages that have been dropped, spilled, dripped, etc. We swear sometimes it seems as that falling food and drinks are somehow magically attracted right to a tie&especially if it's new!
It IS possible to spot clean a tie, but it does take some know-how and quick action. If something does stain your tie, immediately put a pad of power towel in the opening between the front and back of the tie. That way, the stain won't go through. Next, dampen a washcloth (white or light colors only, please!) and blot the spotted area with a cleaning fluid or spot remover. Keep moving the washcloth around as you blot. We hope the stain or spot will be removed; pmce ot os, grab a hairdryer and dry the spot quickly sp ot won't develop a ring.
Getting a Good Night's Sleep
No matter how you like to sleep, the one consistent sleeping accoutrement is a pillow.
With lots of different shapes and sizes, just about everyone, it seems, likes to lay their head on a pillow at night.
Pillows can be made of down, feathers, a down and feather combination, polyester, or the newer foam-type materials. Down pillows are light and long lasting, but are often expensive; feather and polyester pillows are firm and are less expensive. Foam-type pillows can be very expensive (some are $100 and up!) but they're definitely worth a test drive before buying! Polyester pillows are firm, but they usually won't last long.
No matter what type of pillow you get, we do have important tips to extend the life of any pillow: Wash your pillow cases once a week, and invest in pillow covers. These inexpensive items will protect your pillow from hair oil (yes, even from clean hair) or stains. Believe us, it's a lot easier to wash a pillow cover than a pillow!