OK, so now we know the ‘official’ estimates of how long a particular garment can be worn without being washed (see part 1), is it possible to move towards the longer estimates, or even exceed them? Of course the answer is yes!
And if nothing else you will guarantee yourself a seat on the train, bus or tram! But seriously folks…..
The words ‘fresh’, ‘freshness’ and ‘freshen’ are beloved of advertisers, and not without good reason, because they have very pleasant connotations. So it is important to be aware that there are a number of techniques that can be used to improve clothing ‘freshness’ between wears and so potentially increase the number of wears between washes.
The techniques are as follows:
Overnight airing – This is easy to set up and doesn’t require much in the way of cash. I set up ours by using our ironing hanger rack, which we don’t use anymore. I installed it in the bedroom (see photo) and as soon as I remove my clothing, rather than dumping it in a heap (as I used to do) I hang them up separated by a few centimetres. Hanging your clothes up overnight gives moisture and odours from things such as food or sweat an opportunity to dissipate rather than set into the fabric. Thus they need breathing room, rather than just being jammed back into the wardrobe.
Hanging the clothes up straight after taking them off also gives wrinkles (on the clothing, not you) a chance to fall out while they are still warm from being worn.
Hand washing – (that is to say, washing of garments by hand, not handwashing, Covid style) A quick and delicate hand wash, particularly for underwear can extend their life, reduce the need for a full wash and/or eliminate the need for running the washing machine for just a part load. Just run some water into the sink, add in some soap and put in the underwear. Let the garments soak for a while, then scrub, rinse and hang to dry overnight. Next morning you are ready to go! This technique can be particularly valuable when you are travelling with limited clothing options.
Brushing – Stains, dirt and grime tend to sit on the surface of tightly woven fabrics like tweed and brushing the area once any gunge has dried with a stiff clothes brush will remove them, and you are ready to go again!
Steaming – Steaming clothes which have been clothes also releases odours and creases giving the clothes new life, as well as seriously reducing the bacteria count on the fabric, which can provide some peace of mind in these days of Covid. There are two methods of achieving this, the first one requires a piece of electrical equipment – a small portable steamer. Just fill it up with water, plug it in and run the bit where the steam comes out over your clothes. Job done.
If, however you don’t have and don’t want to get hold of a steamer, a similar effect can be achieved by hanging clothes in the bathroom while you have a hot shower. Hang the garments as close as you can manage to the shower head without getting them wet, and leave them there, even after you have finished showering but while the bathroom is still foggy. It won’t be quite as effective as a steamer but will still improve the freshness of the clothing.
There are also steam cleaners (see pic of ours above) which can double as clothing steamers (using water only) with the correct accessory.
Spot cleaning – The idea behind this technique is, rather than chucking a garment into the wash when it has a spot of food or dirt on it, treat the soiled area and re-wear. It is worth having a small sponge on hand when going out so that if some soiling occurs, dampen the sponge with warm water and wipe the area over. If some liquid has been spilled onto the garment the dry sponge can be used to soak it up, then rinsed, and used to wipe the area over while damp to remove any remaining material. If a sponge is not available, dab water (with or without soap) onto the soiled area and rub, then run the spot under running water.
Freezing – Putting your garments into the freezer overnight kills odour causing bacteria and thus freshens the clothing. As a bonus the freezing kills any moth eggs or other bugs you have picked up. Place the clothing into a freezer bag and then put it into the freezer, leave overnight, then remove from the freezer and hang up to air, voila!
Alcohol spray – where more persistent odours are encountered (food, cigarette smoke, perfume, body odour) spraying the clothing before hanging with a dilute alcohol solution can help. The best alcohol is vodka. Vodka is 37.2% alcohol (or at least the vodka we have is!) and should be diluted one part Vodka to 4 parts water, giving a finished solution of a bit under 10% alcohol. We are not drinkers but I used to pick up the cheapest vodka I could get when I did trips to New Zealand for work back in the day. It was duty free and handy to make tinctures and extracts with, even our own vanilla essence.
Place the diluted vodka in a spray bottle and give the clothing a spray all over prior to hanging up overnight.
Lint roller & fabric shaver – Your clothing does not look fresh and clean if it is covered in lint, hair and fabric pills (plus, dare I say it, dandruff!). Running over your clothes quickly with a lint roller before going out will remove most of these problems and give the clothes a fresh sharp look. To remove pilling a fabric shaver may be required or a fabric comb, which is drawn over the surface of the fabric to remove any pilling.
Stain treatment – in a similar way to spot cleaning, a stain which has happened can be treated rather than requiring the whole garment to be washed. Stains should be treated swiftly if they occur to prevent them setting into the fabric and becoming permanent, but that will be the subject of another article.
