Tips on Restoring Old White Uniforms and Shoes

School year 2014-2015 has began for some students. Hope the tips below can help moms who are still preparing for the opening of classes next week. 

As parents, we find ways on how to lessen our expenses like letting our kids reuse their old uniforms and shoes. There is no need to buy new ones if they still fit. Through this way we can save a lot of money and teach our kids frugality. 

To make old white uniforms and shoes look new and ready to use again, here are my practical tips.

White Uniforms

Soak yellowish or grayish white uniforms in a basin with water, detergent, and white distilled vinegar for 15-3o minutes. Acetic acid of vinegar removes stains, discoloration, and enhances the cleaning power of detergent. Hand wash the uniforms until they turn white again. Rinse with water, wring or spin, and hang them outside, most preferably exposed to direct sunlight.   

Yellowish or Grayish Plain White Canvas Shoes

Do the procedure above using an old toothbrush to remove excess dirt and stains. But don't expose it to direct sunlight when drying to avoid making the fabric weak. Based on my experience, prolonged exposure to sunlight turns white canvas shoes yellowish or grayish again. Make sure to air dry instead,  not tilted please, to avoid water marks on the exterior.

Old Plain White Rubber or Leather Shoes

Rub the exterior using plain white toothpaste with little water using a microfiber cloth. Remove the suds and dirt using clean cloth or wet wipes. Then air dry. Yes, believe me! It will make your white rubber and leather shoes very white and clean! The baking soda on toothpaste does the trick. I remember doing this during my nursing student days.

If the interior is very dirty, brush it thoroughly using detergent or dishwashing liquid solution. Rinse it immediately in running water. But don't do this on the exterior because it can make your shoes chip off. Then do the above-mentioned procedure on the exterior. Indirect warmth and good ventilation is the best way to dry them.

Old Black Shoes

Wipe the dust or dirt using dry cloth. Apply shoe polish, baby oil, or cooking oil on the exterior. Don't forget to brush or wipe them with dry cloth to make them even more sparkly!

Read More

My Basic Clothing Care

I am doing the laundry right now and I think of sharing some of my practices on basic clothing care. I got positive feedback on my article Tips on How to Make Laundry Smell Fresh & Clean Rain or Shine! Hope this will also help you moms out there to make doing the laundry hassle-free!

We are all aware that buying good clothes is a big investment. Proper care after purchasing and before, while, and after using them is a must to extend their longevity. 

Here are some of my practices on basic clothing care:

• The button will stay longer if you dab clear or colorless nail polish at the center of the button to seal the threads.

• Lint removers are readily available in the market. In case you don't have your own, you can make one by rolling up a glossy magazine and wrap adhesive tape around it with the sticky side out. Roll it over lint, hair, and thread. You may do it repeatedly until they are removed.

• Rub a candle against zipper teeth to keep it working smoothly.

• Do not  dry clean clothes made of jusi, pina, and silk. Hand wash them with mild soap and water. You might also like reading How To Care For Your Jusi Barong.

•  When bringing soiled clothes to a dry cleaner, pin a note to each spot explaining what substance it is to call the dry cleaner's attention. Make sure to bring with it the different accessories like belts, scarves, etc. to make sure that the outfit remain the same color.

• Soak yellowish white clothes in vinegar for 15 minutes. The acid removes yellowish discoloration. Rinse just before soaping with detergent. You may also do this on your white or light colored canvas shoes but make sure not to expose them in direct sunlight because it can aggravate the yellowish discoloration of your shoes.

• Faux leather should be cleaned with  mild soap and water applied with a damp cloth. You might also like reading Quick and Effective Way to Clean Leather Using Household Products.

• If you are going to use a stain remover, test it first on the hidden part of the clothing to avoid ruining the entire garment.

• For stubborn wrinkles on clothes, hang it on a shower rod over the tub or big basin with hot water. The steam will remove the wrinkles.

• For wool or velvet clothes with cigarette or tobacco odors, run hot water in the tub or big basin and add vinegar. Hang the clothes on the shower rod and close the bathroom door. The vinegar in the rising steam will remove the odor of smoke.   

• Always hang clothes zippers and buttons closed on the hangers that fit the clothing. Make sure that sleeves, shoulders, creases, and collars lie flat into place. These will keep clothes in shape.

• Store beaded, sequined, embroidered clothes flat to avoid distortion of  their shape.

• Ties should be gently hand washed with mild soap and water. Please don't wring it after rinsing. Just hang it immediately to avoid distortion of their shape. It saves you time and electricity too because you don't need to iron them.

• Soak socks and clothes with stubborn dirt or mud on a detergent solution with baking soda and vinegar for 15 minutes then hand wash until the dirt is removed. Rinse thoroughly. 

 

Read More

Tips on How to Make Laundry Smell Fresh & Clean Rain or Shine!

I know that it is a dilemma when we wash our clothes especially during rainy season when we can't hang our clothes outside for sun drying or when we have a small laundry area or space for air drying that they smell really horrible, "amoy kulob at lumlom, hindi natuyo sa araw", as if they are not dried properly.

 I tried a lot of ways on how to avoid this. After months of figuring out what's the best solution, I am so glad I found  two ways on how to avoid this problem.

First, I found out that the previous laundry detergent that I use didn't fit our body chemistry. I started trying different brands of laundry detergents. When I washed our clothes, my sons' and mine would smell good after drying while my husband's wouldl smell awful. Then I tried another brand, ours became stinky while my husband's smelled good instead. I even used different fabric conditioner brands but it made the problem even worse. After the episodes of  trial and error, I found a brand that suited all our body chemistry and that was TIDE with FRESHNESS OF DOWNY. All our clothes smelled good and our white clothes became whiter. Hard to remove stains could be easily removed. The fabric conditioner (Downy) component made our clothes softer and I did not have piles of clothes to iron then.

I buy this pack to avoid the hassle of measuring. It is also economical for budget conscious like me.

Second,  I discovered a cheaper and effective way on how to make our clothes even smell good. I used one capful of ZONROX COLOR SAFE BLEACH in rising our clothes.  It  was intented for colored clothes but this also helped in mantaining the whiteness of white clothes. This would also reinforce the cleaning action of TIDE with FRESHNESS OF DOWNY. 

I usually buy the biggest bottle because I use this often. Rinsing will not be complete without this. 

Aside from washing and rinsing clothes, I use this as a multipurpose household cleaner! You can even use this as is or without soap.

By the way, these are the detailed steps on how I wash our clothes:

1. I rinse all our dirty clothes with water first. After spinning, I soap them immediately.

2. I put 1 35 gram sachet of TIDE with FRESHNESS OF DOWNY  and 3 capfuls of ZONROX COLOR SAFE BLEACH in our 4.5 kg capacity washing machine with water. I use this solution for three wash loads instead of one only. The cleaning capacity of these two products are incredible both in colored and white clothes!

3. I soap each wash load for 15 minutes. 

4. I place each wash load in a spinner to remove the excess water/solution.

5. After soaping the three wash loads,  I rinse them one at a time in water with one capful of  ZONROX COLOR SAFE BLEACH. Rinsing our clothes ONCE is enough using this solution. 

6. I spin and hang clothes immediately for drying.

After following this regimen in washing our clothes, I didn't have any problem anymore in keeping them smelling clean and  fresh rain or shine!

Read More

How To Care For Your Jusi Barong

My husband told me that he needed his Barong for his student's graduation. I thought that it was too soon to get his Barong from the storage box not until two days before graduation that I remembered to do that. To my dismay, his old barong was already old looking and yellowish. There were also unwanted creases and perfume marks.

I told him that he should buy a new one. I just bought it from Divisoria a year ago and I got it way much cheaper than the mall price anyway . It was not painful to throw it away. On the lighter note, the store where I bought that barong was the supplier of Onesimus. I am a bargain hunter and Certified Divisoria Girl! :)

So we went to the mall to buy a new one. I was so happy because it was Sale Day and we got a Best Buy Barong for my husband. 

When we got home, I immediately removed the tag of the Barong.  Written on the tag was a list of How to Care For Jusi Barong. Wow, the tag was double purpose! Immediately I got my husband's old Barong and follow the tips stated on the tag:

* Dry cleaning may contain chemicals that may make the barong brittle.

* Hand washing is preferred using a mild detergent or bath soap. Do not scrub.

* A Jusi Barong that has turned yellow may be soaked for an hour in diluted vinegar 

(1/2 cup to 2 gallons of water). The acid in the vinegar helps remove the yellowish stain.

* Rinse with upward and downward motion. Do not squeeze or twist. Drip dry on hanger.

* Iron the barong while damp or as soon as it is dry.

* To avoid unsightly creases or folds, hang the Barong using a protective covering.

Well, the tips worked! His old Barong looked new again! If only I knew these tips ahead of time, it would save as a lot! But I had no regrets because my husband looked good on his new Barong and he had a spare. 

Hope the tips above will help you too. :)

Read More