18 Clever Clothing Hacks That’ll Rescue Your Ruined Clothes
From our favorite t-shirt to that expensive cocktail dress that we just cannot live without, it seems like every day life knows our closet’s both newest and staple items… and promptly helps us to ruin our closet’s favorite standout looks. I don’t know about you, but I have lost countless great tanks, tees and pants thanks to unfortunate accidents and simple, old fashioned wear and tear.
Whether you find yourself ruining your own things or you have a family who are great at shrinking clothes, staining clothes and all around leaving you living at the mall to buy new ones, don’t throw out those too-far-gone items just yet. These 18 clothing hacks can help you save face… and your shirts too!
1. Remove bubble gum from clothing with ice and a butter knife.
via Heddels
Did your gum slip out of your mouth again and wind up on your jeans? No problem. Simply place a handful of ice into a sandwich bag, hold the ice over the gum spot for a few moments (or until the gum hardens), then scrape off the gum using a butter knife. Wah-la! The gum will come right off.
2. Avoid static electricity with a safety pin.
Huh? We know. It sounds a little odd, but attaching a safety pin to the inside portion of each of the lower legs of your trousers is a great way to combat those “pops” that happen when we open a metal door in the winter. We all know how terribly those can be!
3. Use petroleum jelly on patent leather shoes to remove scuff marks.
Don’t you just hate it when you get that seemingly unmovable scuff mark on a new pair of patent leather shoes? It has happened to you in the past and you just know what it means… you are bound to send these to the back of the closet. Before you give up on your favorite heels, grab a q-tip and the petroleum jelly to rub off scuff marks. We promise this really works!
4. Use shaving cream to pre-treat makeup stained clothing.
All women know what it is like to retire a favorite shirt due to makeup stains. The most common staining stems from foundation (when we remove clothing) and lipstick. Both can be difficult to remove even with store bought pre-treatment stain remover. However, shaving cream placed directly on to the stain prior to washing can really help to remove stubborn makeup stains, saving your favorite looks from becoming toss outs.
5. Get rid of odors in jeans by freezing them overnight.
Washing stinky jeans over and over will only remove their dye… especially jeans that are overdyed on purpose. You can combat this and still get out odors by placing your jeans inside of a freezable bag and freezing it overnight. The temperature will kill any odor causing bacteria and save your jeans from losing their luster. Remove them promptly in the morning for a fresh new lease (and smell) on life.
6. Repair bleach stains with a Sharpie.
via Sew Many Ways
Everyone knows what happens to our favorite clothes when we pour bleach into the washer and it splatters on us. It completely ruins our go-to outfits and may also be the culprit of a few four letter words. Next time this happens to you, don’t throw out your favorite sweater. Instead, use a permanent marker to save the day. This trick seems to work best with black clothing as it can be hard to exactly color match with colored Sharpies when you have an item that is blue or another color.
7. Use baking powder to keep sneakers fresh.
After a workout session, sprinkle baking powder into your sneakers. It will work to absorb any bad odors and sweat that may be lingering, keeping your sneakers looking and smelling good as new. Do this after every Zumba class to extend the life of your go-to sneakers.
8. Fix a loose thread by pulling the fabric around it.
Did you pull a thread loose from your blazer? You can fix it by alternating this method. First, pull side to side beside the thread. Then, up and down. Repeat this exercise until the thread disappears back inside the blazer.
9. Remove fuzz balls with a cheap razor.
You can remove lent balls and fuzz piling with a cheap razor from any clothing item. However, you have to go slow and have a careful hand. Light is always best to avoid cutting through your garment.
via The Burlap Bag
10. Fix a run in pantyhose with clear nail polish.
It seems nearly impossible to keep a pair of panty hose for long, but if you are out on the town, you can make it through the rest of the night by using clear nail polish to save your hose. Simply brush on while wearing and let dry. This will stop the run from traveling, allowing you to enjoy the rest of your night without the fear of having a panty hose nightmare on your hands.
11. Fix a stuck zipper using a Crayon.
via Buzzfeed
Don’t you just hate it when a zipper stops working? Remedy this common issue with your kids crayon. Simply rub it on to the effected area to get things moving again.
12. Clear dirt from suede shoes using a nail file.
Who know how to clean suede? Water can damage it… so what else can you do? Believe it or not, that dirt will budge by using a nail file to buff the dirt right out.
13. Use a pillow case to create a makeshift garment bag.
via Bumblebee Linens
Need a garment bag to cover a favorite cocktail dress or gown? Don’t rush out to buy one. Just cut a slit in where the hanger will go, hang your dress on the hanger, then slip the pillowcase down over your gown. Simple as that.
14. Remove lipstick stains with hairspray.
As long as your top is not dry clean only, you can use hairspray to pre-treat a lipstick stain. Next, toss it in the wash to reveal a good-as-new top sans lipstick stain.
15. Remove deodorant stains with a dryer sheet.
Deodorant stains can seem impossible to budge. However, the answer is right under your nose. Simply rub the stain with a dryer sheet to get results.
16. Freeze your cashmere and wool items before wear to prevent shedding.
Everyone knows how badly wool and cashmere can shed. You can remedy that by freezing the items overnight before wearing them. This will cut back on the shedding and help you to enjoy pieces longer.
17. Use Modpodge to save old heels.
via Delia Creates
Modpodge made for fabrics is your best friend. You can recover an old pair of heels with it and a chosen fabric when you take your time to smooth things out. Not only can you save them, you can make them one of a kind. Be creative!
18. Use vodka to remove stains.
Fill a spray bottle with vodka when you notice an odor in your favorite items. It is way quicker than throwing a shirt in the wash and is great for times when you need something clean in a rush.
Better hack for de-fuzzing clothes is believe it or not a pumic stone! I used to use the razor hack until I accidently cut a part of the logo on my sweater, so I Googled and found out the pumic stone hack and it works fricking fabulously! You just rub it everywhere and the fuzzies will come off super easy and make the clothes (depending the material) look new again. Also you don’t have to worrying about accidentally cutting yourself or your clothes either 😜
Thanks for sharing this hack Amber! I’ll have to try it!
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