Taking Care of Your Clothes

          You may make or buy the most beautiful clothes in town, but if you treat them carelessly, you still won't look your best wearing them. For that reason it is important to make the care of your clothes a regular part of your routine.

          You have seen article after article in newspapers or magazines advising you to mend every little rip, check every little snap, wash separate collars and cuffs - all at the very instant after you remove your dress. Of course, if you change your dress at 4 o'clock in the afternoon and have nothing else to do before you eat your dinner or super, you might be able to follow those directions. But you cannot if you are either busy at home with your house and with your children or if you rush in from work and make a quick change from your everyday clothes into your dress-up clothes. That "fix every snap every day" advice was geared to a more tranquil life. Our advice is to devote one night a week getting all your clothes and accessories in order. This might be the same night that you put aside for shampooing and other grooming routines. If you are going to be well dressed, your clothes must be in order.

            The following are good habits to form:

- Hang your dress, coat, or suit on a hanger as soon as you remove it. If possible avoid using thin wire hangers (the kind that come with your clothes from the dry-cleaner) as they may leave "stretch" marks on the shoulders or sleeves of your garments. It is best to use a wooden or plastic hanger which is fairly wide, and if there are no shoulder pads sewn into your dress or coat, it is a good idea to sew a pair of pads to the ends of the hanger. This "fills out" the shoulder line of your garment and prevents the hanger from leaving marks. For a garment made of a delicate fabric like lace or chiffon, it is better to use a hanger that is completely padded (not just at each end). Such hangers may be bought already padded with cotton or foam rubber, covered with velvet or some other fabric. You can easily make your own padded hangers if you desire.

          Don't hang up sweaters or other knitted garments. Fold them and keep in a drawer or in a box on a shelf in your closet.

          If your wardrobe includes stoles made of materials that might crease if folded and laid away for a long time, you can hang them on the cross-rods by winding ribbon or strips of material over the rods. In that way your stoles will not show the marks of the metal and they will not slide off the rod. This idea is also good for hanging scarves if you don't want to fold them.

          Keep the door of your clothes closet open at night so that your clothes will have a chance to air.

          Wash stockings daily. Fibers are weakened if stockings are allowed to accumulate until the family wash.

          Air your sweaters and knitted clothes, then store them flat in a drawer or chest. Don't hang them up.

          Use shoe "toes" which you can buy or make of velvet or other fabric stuffed tightly with cotton. Or you can always stuff the toes of your shoes with paper. Air the shoes worn during the day before putting them away. Cover all shoes not in everyday use.

          Have run-over heels repaired at once. If your feet perspire, you may need to have the sole lining changed every few months.

          Brush your hat if it is to be worn the next day; if it is not to be worn for a while, brush it and put it in a box lined with tissue paper. Hat trees look nice in your closet, but a hat tree may cause the hat to lose its shape.

          Smooth leather gloves out flat and put them in a flat box.

PRESSING

 Pressing is an important step both in making your clothes and in caring for them. Pressing the seams while the dress, coat, or suit is under construction will help to give the finished garment a professionally made look. Pressing all your clothes regularly will help you to look well-dressed. Pressing should never be a last resort. There are men and women who wear clothes day in, day out, and then when an article of clothing (usually a woolen coat or suit) is hopelessly baggy and stretched at the elbows, knees, and seat, they rush it off to the tailor. And the tailor is blamed if the garment does not look like new when it is returned.

          Because different textile fibers require different treatment in pressing, you will find them listed separately here.   If you don't know the kind of material the garment is made of or whether it is safe to press it, try pressing a small sample of the material in a seam or some other place where it will not show. Save all identifying tags which come with ready-made clothes, or with fabrics bought by the yard, if these tags contain any laundering, dry-cleaning, or pressing instructions. There are some synthetic fabrics, for example, which should be dry-cleaned, not washed. This information will be stated on the label.

          Pressing Equipment – IRON

 One with heat control is best. Then you can set the dial at the correct temperature for silk, cotton, linen, wool, or synthetics, to make sure that your iron will never become too hot for the fabric.

          If you plan to do much tailoring or pressing of suits and coats, you might consider buying an electric steam iron. No pressing cloth is needed with this iron.

          If you have an iron, without heat control, press synthetics, silks, or woolen first, and leave cottons and linens until the last, since these fabrics can endure a greater amount of heat without injury to the fibers.

SPRINKLER –

You can use a bottle with a sprinkler top for dampening clothes or pressing clothes, or a sponge. Dampen a pressing cloth by  dipping it in a small pan of lukewarm water, or by sprinkling water on the cloth with your fingers.

Pressing Wool

- Wool is extremely resilient. It has a springiness unrivaled by any other textile fiber. A well-made woolen garment will spring back to its original shape, and any minor wrinkles will hang out if the garment is given at least one day of rest between wearings. Too frequent or careless pressing will shorten the life and injure the appearance of any woolen material just as much as too-frequent pressing.

          Pressing wool is always done with a warm (not hot) iron, using a dampened pressing cloth. You may decide to use two pressing cloths - a dry one on top of a damp one - if you want to steam the fabric thoroughly, although one cloth is ordinarily sufficient. Keep the iron moving. If the iron is held for any length of time in one spot, its shape may be marked through the pressing cloth and onto the fabric.

          Wool is usually pressed on the wrong side. Pockets, lapels, and other places may need to be touched up on the right side. Always do this with a pressing cloth between the iron and the garment.

          Pressing Silk - Silk is pressed on the wrong side, with a warm (not hot) iron. Use a dry pressing cloth. When this method is used, silk may be ironed even when slightly damp.

          Pressing Rayon

 Different types of rayon require different pressing methods. You are always safe if you use a slightly warm iron and a dry pressing cloth between the iron and the wrong side of the fabric.

          Most rayons are easiest to iron when they are slightly and evenly damp, and many weaves can safely be ironed without a pressing cloth, unless the ironing directions on the fabric label advise otherwise.

          Iron rayon dresses on the straight up-and-down grain of the cloth. This applies to hems as well as to skirts, sleeves, and dress tops. Rayon may stretch and ripple if it is ironed on the crosswise grain.

          Pressing Nylon

 Nylon seldom needs pressing. It can be pressed with a dry pressing cloth between a warm iron and the fabric. Iron nylon while damp--almost immediately after washing.

          Pressing Plastics

 DON'T! Most plastics are not pressable. The wrinkles will hang out.

          Pressing Linen

 Press linen on the wrong side with a hot iron to get the correct dull finish. Linen clothes should not be shiny on the right side. No pressing cloth is needed ordinarily, but a damp cloth may be helpful in pressing out stubborn wrinkles. Always use a pressing cloth if you must "touch up" a pocket on the right side of a linen dress or suit. Iron linen while it is slightly and evenly damp.

          Pressing Cotton

 Iron cotton without a pressing cloth and with a hot iron. A linen-finish cotton should always be pressed on the wrong side. Ironing on the wrong side gives a finer appearance, though there are many times when you will find it quicker and more convenient to iron men's shirts and everyday cotton dresses on the right side. Cottons are ironed when damp.