Fashion Fix: Sweaters

Monday, January 9, 2012



As bloggers and fashion lovers we spend time browsing, lusting after and not to mention our hard earned cash on some pretty fab pieces. I'm all for taking care of what you've got - if you love it why not?  So this begins a new series of offering solutions to some common fashion dilemma's. I'll be sharing some of my favorite tips for taking care of your favorite pieces. Since it's January and many of us are rocking the daylights out of some sweaters at the moment let's start there.


Caring for Sweaters:
  • Always fold, never hang.
  • Remove pills frequently. Pilling (those tiny lint balls permanently attached to elbows, armpits, hip area) are caused by friction. Remove with special tools like a lint shaver, sweater comb or even your fingers. This is the single most issue that makes sweaters appear old.
  • Repair holes quickly. This is important so the holes don't "grow". The beauty of many sweaters is that the texture somewhat absorbs any repairs anyway!
  • Hand wash. Regardless of the instructions (unless Dry Clean Only) I hand wash all of my sweaters using Woolite in cool water. This helps them retain shape and cuts down on pilling (less friction!). Additionally, don't wring them out, simply squeeze and roll in a bath towel to absorb more moisture. Lie flat to dry on a ventilated drying rack.

Tips:
  • Avoid 100% acrylic or high acrylic blends. Though technology is much better than it used to be, I still find acrylic to be one of the worst culprits for pilling.
  • Allow deodorant, lotions and perfumes to absorb completely before putting on your favorite cozy.
  • Avoid moth attacks with cedar blocks or moth balls (be ready to re-wash after removing from storage though - pee-yew!)
Do you have a question for Fashion Fix? I'm currently open to issues!

15 comments:

  1. These are all such great tips - I have a pile of sweaters in need of a little care...

    Courtney ~ http://sartorialsidelines.com

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  2. Great series - so original. I love this. How do you feel about denim care?

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  3. Johanna - of course I have my opinions ;) Adding it to this list of coming soon!

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  4. Love the blog hun!

    Following you now :-)

    please stop by, and follow back ?

    <3

    http://barbie-bombshell.blogspot.com

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  5. pretty ! very nice blog! i think that maybe we can follow each other (fb, blogger...) come to see my blog and tell me =)

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  6. Such great advice, Ashleigh! I have never taken very good care of my sweaters, but I definitely always keep them flat and I always let them air dry. I should probably wash them by hand though, but I'm just so lazy!

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  7. Bookmark & save! I will keep this for reference! thanks for the tips!
    xx

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  8. Fabulous tips! I just realized one of my John's sweaters only I wear has serious shrunk thanks to carelessly throwing it in our laundry!

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  9. All great tips! I sometimes forget to wait after I apply my deodorant...makes total sense though!

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  10. Great tips, def. saving these ;)

    Hope you had a great New Year!

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  11. my cousin made me buy a lint shaver and i can honestly say its one of my favorite possessions.

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  12. awesome tips- definitely necessary. I just learned last year on What not to wear that you should never hang sweaters! ha, I had no idea but it makes sense. And acrylic is so bad for pilling, ugh.

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  13. I just noticed a cashmere sweater I thrifted has two small holes in the back -- how do I repair them without making a mess of the sweater?!

    Chic on the Cheap

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  14. i hate pills and for that i decided only to buy clothes with natural fibers... they have much less of them!

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