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Fashion Emergencyby
 by Natalia Bondareva

Don’t let spilled wine or food ruin your evening!

 

Fashion accidents happen to us all. And now, with New Year’s parties approaching, our favorite clothes can be compromised. Cocktails splashing over your expensive silk dress, canapés tumbling down your best white pants and on top of that smudges of make up on your collar. Your mood after all this just isn’t there any more.
But what if you knew how to fix all of these unexpected fashion disasters? We have collected the finest in fashion first aid tips to care for your favorite clothes.

  
   

 

CANDLE WAX
Once dry, try to remove it as much as possible, then put a piece of kitchen paper on either side and iron. The paper will absorb the wax.

 

 

FOLD SWEATERS
Sweater often loose their shape when put on a hanger. Fold and stack them instead, just like shirts, with their sleeves folded back. Fold backwards in the middle.

RED WINE
Hand wash with club soda. The salt absorbs the stain and prevents it from adhering, while the bubbles lift it out of the fabric.

WHITE WINE
Rinse in cold water or boiling milk.

LIPSTICK
Remove as much as possible with the credit card or a butter knife. Daub with the wet wipe and then rinse with hot water to remove the oils.

GRASS
Gall soap is completely biodegradable and contains chlorophyll, making it particularly good for grass stains. It’s also good for other tough stains.

TOMATO SAUCE
If it’s a small spot: scrape the worst of it and then rinse with cold water and dish liquid. Dish liquid will breakdow the oils and will make removal easier. For larger stains, continue by daubing with white wine vinegar.

COFFEE AND TEA
Daub with white wine vinegar and rinse.

BEER
Rinse thoroughly in cold, soapy water. Pure vodka works too.

OILS
Rub in corn starch and leave for at least 20 minutes. Brush off with the dry towel. Repeat if necessary. This works best for silk and wool. If you can take the item home and wash it, pretreat it with citrus oil. Gall soap is another solution.

MAKE UP
Sponge it off with a slice of white bread.

FRUIT
Comes out right away if you pour boiling water on the stain, just make sure you are not still wearing the clothing.
 
   

TANGLED WOOL SWEATER
Treat the tangles strands as if they were your own hair: untangle them and rinse in conditioner.

PILLING
Special pill removers are now available and are more or less effective. A more classic approach is to shave them off with the sharp razor.

SMELLY SHOES
Replace the insoles. If your shoes still smell, freeze them for at least 3 days. Another old trick is to put a mug of 24% vinegar in each shoe and cover the opening with a paper bag. Let them stand overnight.

SWEAT STAINS
Use diluted vinegar.

CLOTHES BLEEDING DYE
Fill a bathtub with hot water and a cup of salt. Leave the clothing in the tub for a half-hour, and then drip-dry.

HANGING CLOTHING
Hang creased trousers on the hanger’s crosspiece with the creasers properly aligned. Hang skirt from small sidehooks. Hang dresses with the lining facing out. Use wooden hangers; your clothes will last longer.

    

FIRST AID KIT
A lint brush, a sewing kit and safety pins are good to have at a party, if you have the space in your bag.

CLEAR JEL
Choose a gel based deodorant that leaves no trace of messy white residue on you or your clothes.

USE AN APRON
If called to the kitchen to help make appetizers, do what the old-fashioned housewives did.
 
 

HAND WASH
Traditional washing machines waste both water and electricity. Laundry Alternative has developed a crank-driven manual washer that cleans 4lbs. of laundry in just 2 minutes. The company has also revived the good old-fashioned centrifuge, a much more energy-efficient alternative to the tumble dryer.

ACT FAST
Stains are much harder to remove if you leave them until they’re dry. If you discover it too late, try gall soap.