Whether you’re caught in a rain storm or accidently drew on your leather bag with a pen, your fashion pieces regardless of brand, will collect dirt and stains over time. You may see a stain on a jacket and decide to take it into the cleaners, or you may see scuffs on your shoes and assume it’s time for a new pair. Instead of purchasing new designer fashion items, try these safe and affordable cleaning tips to remove tough stains out of your most loved items hanging in your closet.
Polish Shoes
You don’t need to settle for wearing beat up boots or dirty high-heels. If you have any type of leather shoes, then a repair can be mended by shoe polishing which can go a long way for restoring purposes. You can pick up a shoe polish kit from most clothing retailers. However, there is always a safe DYI cleaning option to pick up a shoe brush, polish for the color of your shoe, applicator sponge and a polishing cloth. You can even use an old sock if you can’t find a polish clothing.
First, take the brush and work over the shoe. This will help break apart and remove any dirt. If your shoe has laces remove the lace first, otherwise the tongue and area around the lashes will not clean as well. Next, take the applicator sponge and take a small dip into the polish. Evenly work the applicator over the entire shoe. From there, use the brush to scrub all areas of the shoe, this will knock off and remove the excess polish. With a little elbow grease, rub down the shoe with your polishing cloth to reveal a beautiful and good-as-new looking shoe.
Clean Your Designer Bag
Have a designer bag that you want to bring back to life? There are few tips to consider while cleaning a designer bag. Dark and light bags can be saved easily with fragrance-free and alcohol-free solutions that will not dry out a leather bag. In fact, you may have some of the safe leather cleaning solutions in your house right now. Common household items that can used to restore stained leather are: baby wipes, oxi-clean max force, and amour-all leather wipes.
If pen ink has stained your leather bag, pull out some nail polish remover. You’ll want to test this in an area that is not visible. Dip a cotton swab into the remover and blot it on the ink stain lightly. It’s important to blot and not rub, otherwise you may remove the color of the leather. Continue to blot until the ink is gone.
If the bag is just a bit dirty, mix a small amount of warm water and gentle dish soap, then wipe down the exterior. Make sure to dry it down with a microfiber towel and immediately apply a leather conditioner thereafter. This helps prevent the leather from drying out and cracking. This is also helpful advice for any leather item in your closet (including jackets). Be sure to clean and condition your leather fashion items every six months, as the conditioner will soak in to prevent cracks and drying deep in the material.
Remove That Red Wine Stain
Is there anything worse than being at a party, laughing at a joke, and realizing you spilt a bit of red wine on your favorite blouse? Nothing gets out red wine, right? Well, not exactly. Stains that have been sitting for a while or are extremely large may be difficult to remove on your own, but there is a good chance you can remove the red wine stain at home with some salt, boiling water, and the washing machine!
Like the purse, you’ll want to blot and not rub. Additionally, do this with the clothing pulled taut (so you need to change shirts if you haven’t yet). Sprinkle salt on the stain and let it sit for at least five minutes. From here, pour boiling water onto the stain. Pour from about a foot above the stain as this helps to build up force (you’d be amazed at what kind of force this develops). Now, add the piece of clothing into the washing machine and set it to the hottest water setting possible. Let it go through the cycle at least once.
If the red wine doesn’t completely come out, apply liquid Oxi-Clean spot remover to it and let it sit overnight. Run the cycle again on the hottest level and repeat until the stain is out. Do not put it into the dryer until the stain is completely gone. Once you run it through the dryer you’ll seal in the stain.