Pre-treat to preserve your garments
Posted
Nov 28 2007, 12:01 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Last summer, I had to sit down abruptly while descending a slope and wound up with blackberry stains on my backside.
Yesterday, I spattered my blue cotton blouse with turkey gravy.
I'll admit it: I'm a mess. But then and now, Spray 'n Wash saved me. I've also had great success with Shout. And for whites, I use what my mom used: a cotton swab dipped in bleach.
Some of you may be more interested in green laundry products. In addition, many stains can be removed with ordinary household items like vinegar or cornstarch.
If you don't have a stain-removal product, get one. It'll pay for itself the first time you use it because you won't have to replace the sullied garment.
Out, out, darned spot
I thought everyone knew about stain removal. To me, it's basic Laundry 101: pre-treat the spots and you won't have the replace the clothes. But several university students I talked to seemed mystified by the idea.
You're probably wondering how the subject came up. While eating my brown-bag lunch on campus last quarter, I dripped blueberry jam on myself. (Yep, she's a mess.)
As I dabbed at the splotch, the young women at an adjoining table commiserated. I said I had a great pre-treatment product at home and the stain would almost certainly come out.
Puzzled silence ensued. Then one of the little ducklings remarked, "When I get a stain on something, I use it as an excuse to go shopping."
Yikes. Are we really not teaching the next generation how to spot-treat?
It's such a mom thing
Maybe you don't see yourself as the kind of person who makes a cornstarch paste, or who trots after his significant other with a bottle of Zainz Laundry Pre-Wash.
Well, grow up. It's the adult, financially responsible thing to do. A bit of simple garment care and repair makes your clothes last a lot longer. This makes a big difference to the bottom line. Why go shopping when you can fix the problem?
Would you buy a new shirt just because a button came loose? I sure hope not.
So the next time you drip mustard on your chinos, for heaven's sake do something about it. A couple of spritzes, toss it in the wash and the garment will live to fight another day.
