We spend a third of our lives in the bedroom. Sure, most of it is spent sleeping, but when you’re awake, it’s your room. It’s a sanctuary. How can you make your bed a joy to slumber in? And what can you do if breakfast in bed becomes breakfast all over the bed? Read on and all will be revealed. The bedroom is also where we keep our clothes. Care for them now and you’ll still be able to wear them years later when they come back into fashion.
| Incident: | ‘It was so stupid! I was painting my toenails in bed and dropped some polish on the sheets. And of course it’s the brightest red nail polish you can imagine. And they’re my favourite sheets—lovely Egyptian cotton. Is there anything I can do?’ |
| Solution: | Put a cotton ball behind the stain then soak another cotton ball in acetone (not nail polish remover) and rub it in a circular motion on the front of the stain. Use the dry cotton ball as backing. Work from the outside to the inside of the stain. Keep on doing this until all the colour is removed, replacing the cotton balls as you go. With some nail polish, this process will need to be repeated up to five times. |
The importance of a clean and comfortable mattress becomes really evident when you don’t have one. Just ask any backpacker, especially one scratching bed bug bites! I like to air, turn and vacuum mattresses often. If you can, let yours air for about 15 minutes every day before making the bed. And get into the habit of turning the mattress over and backwards, each week if possible. This may sound excessive but it keeps the coils even and stops the mattress from sagging. To help you remember where you are in the rotation cycle, attach a different coloured safety pin to each corner. I’d also recommend a monthly sprinkle of bicarb over the mattress; leave it for a couple of hours and then vacuum it off.
An indispensable part of any bedding is a mattress protector. It’s a great washable barrier between you and the mattress and allows air to circulate. Wash it according to the instructions every third time you change your sheets. If you have a bed head, vacuum it once a week.
If you spill something on the mattress, use as little moisture as possible to clear it off. It’s better to apply a little bit of solvent a few times than use too much at one time. Use a hairdryer to speed up the drying time.
I suffer from asthma and use this remedy to kill dust mites. Put a tea bag into a spray bottle filled with cold water, let it sit for 3 minutes and then lightly spray the liquid over the mattress. The tannins in the tea kill mites. And no matter how clean you are, you can get bed bugs, which live wherever people do. Keep them contained with tea-tree oil. Rub some onto your fingers and then wipe around the edge of the mattress. Use surface insecticide spray over the edges and ends of the bed, but not over the top of the mattress and not just before you’re about to sleep in the bed.
Q: ‘On weekends, I love having a cup of tea in bed,’ confesses Leanne. ‘But one morning, I lost control of the cup and now the mattress is covered in tea. What can I do?’
| Problem: | Tea stain on the mattress. |
| What to use: | Glycerine, cotton ball, detergent, cloth, hairdryer. |
| How to apply: | Apply glycerine with a cotton ball. Use enough to make the surface of the mattress damp but not soaked. Leave for 10–15 minutes then wash it off with a little detergent on a damp cloth. Leave to dry or speed dry with a hairdryer. Never hand a sleepy person a cup of tea in bed because it’s likely to end up all over the mattress. It’s happened to me! |
| Problem: | Fresh bloodstain on the mattress. |
| What to use: | Cake of soap, cloth. |
| How to apply: | Moisten the cake of soap with cold water and rub it on the stain, working from the outside to the inside of the stain. Rinse several times with a cloth wrung out in cold water. Leave it to dry and repeat if needed. |
| Problem: | Old bloodstain on the mattress. |
| What to use: | Cornflour, cloth, stiff brush. |
| How to apply: | Make a paste of cornflour and water to the consistency of thickened cream. Paint it on the stain with a cloth and leave to dry. Brush the dried mixture off with a stiff brush. You may need to do this a few times. |
Q: ‘I write a lot in bed,’ says David. ‘But I had a disaster when my ballpoint pen broke and ink went everywhere, including into the mattress. What should I do?
| Problem: | Semen stain on the mattress. |
| What to use: | Cake of soap, cloth, ice. |
| How to apply: | Damp a cake of soap with cold water and rub it over the stain. Leave it for 2 minutes then rub the soap off with a damp cloth. Allow to dry. For old semen stains, ice the stain before applying soap. |
Q: ‘My child is a bed-wetter,’ reports Jane. ‘Urine has soaked into his mattress. What do you suggest?’
| Problem: | New red-wine stain on the mattress. |
| What to use: | Old toothbrush, vinegar, paper towel. |
| How to apply: | Dip an old toothbrush in vinegar and rub it over the stain. Blot the stain with paper towels. Repeat until clean. Then dry thoroughly. |
| Problem: | Old red-wine stain on the mattress. |
| What to use: | Glycerine, cotton ball, bicarb, vinegar, soft brush, detergent, soapy sponge, paper towel, hairdryer, vacuum cleaner. |
| How to apply: | Loosen the stain with glycerine applied with a cotton ball until the edge of the stain begins to lighten. Make a paste with 1 dessertspoon of bicarb and 2 dessertpoons of vinegar and scrub into the stain. Wait until it stops fizzing then rub it off with a soft brush. Leave until the stain begins to disappear. Then wipe it off with a damp soapy sponge. Blot with paper towels and dry with a hairdryer. Then vacuum. |
Q: ‘We’ve stored an inner-spring mattress in a caravan for six months,’ reports Jenny. ‘It really smells. What do you suggest?’
I know all about waterbeds because I have one. They’re particularly helpful for people with arthritis because you don’t get pressure points on your joints. I clean them using the ‘333’ technique. Every 3 months add the proprietary chemical to the water. Every 3 months pull the cover off and wash it as you would a doona. And every 3 months wipe in and around the bag and underneath the plastic reservoir. Make sure you dry the area thoroughly with a towel before returning the bedding.
The water level is crucial. To work out the right level, lie on the bed with your sleeping partner. If you both roll towards the middle, you need to add more water. If you both roll towards the sides, you need to remove some water. And when you are replacing the water, use warm rather than cold water.
If you get a hole in the bladder, call a professional. I’ve found that the cost of repairing or replacing the bladder is fairly reasonable and attempting to do it yourself is tricky. Failing to repair properly will give you a rude shock in the middle of the night and a disaster the next day when you try to dry everything out. Water beds hold a lot of water!
There’s nothing better than getting into bed with clean, fresh sheets. When selecting sheets, choose natural fibres such as cotton, silk or linen. I hate polyester satin sheets. They may look good but they’re cold in winter and like lying on a plastic bag in summer! Wash your sheets once a week in a good detergent. If you can, dry them in the sun because it’s a great antibacterial and leaves them smelling fresh. I love sheets to have that starchy feel. You can make your own starch from rice. Strain the water after you cook rice and add it to the rinse water in the washing machine. The sheets will be really white and firm against your skin and the rice powder helps prevent sweat.
With accidental spills, work out what the stain is made of and then work out its solvent, remembering that protein stains need to be removed first with cold water before fat stains are removed with hot water. If you do it the other way around, you’ll set the protein stain.
| Problem: | Tea stain on the sheets. |
| What to use: | Glycerine, cotton balls; or glycerine, cotton ball, dry-cleaning fluid. |
| How to apply: | For fresh stains, rub glycerine into the stain with a cotton ball. Then put the sheets through the washing machine on the cold cycle. For old stains, apply glycerine with a cotton ball, then rub in dry-cleaning fluid with a cotton ball and leave for 10–15 minutes. Then put the sheets through the washing machine on the cold cycle. |
Q: ‘Most of the time I can’t be bothered removing my make-up before I go to bed,’ admits Kristie. ‘I then often transfer the make-up to my sheets during the night. What’s the best way to get it off?’
| Problem: | Fruit juice stains on the sheets. |
| What to use: | Napisan. |
| How to apply: | Wash the sheets in the washing machine and hang them in sunshine. If you can’t dry the sheets in the sun, soak them in Napisan before washing then tumble dry. If the sheets are white, use Napisan Whitening. If the sheets are coloured, use Napisan Oxygen or Napisan Plus. |
| Problem: | Candle wax stain on the sheets. |
| What to use: | Ice, blunt knife or scissors, dry-cleaning fluid, cotton balls, paper towel, iron. |
| How to apply: | Put ice on the wax and remove as much of the wax as possible, either with a blunt knife or scissors. Don’t damage the fabric! Then apply dry-cleaning fluid with a cotton ball on either side of the wax, working in a circular motion. For any remaining marks, put several layers of paper towel on the ironing board, put the sheet on top, then place more paper towels over the wax and iron over the paper towels. Replace the paper towel regularly until all the wax is removed. |
Q: ‘I had a cut on my knee which bled through the bandage and onto my sheets,’ reveals Jessica. ‘I washed the sheets in hot water, which has set the stain. Can it be fixed?’
| Problem: | Bloodstain on the sheets. What to use: Cake of soap; Napisan; or glycerine, cotton balls. |
| How to apply: | Damp the soap in cold water and rub over the stain. Then rub the stain against itself vigorously until it’s removed. You may need to do this a few times. Put the sheets through the washing machine on the cold cycle. An alternative is to soak the stain in Napisan. If the stain has set, apply glycerine with a cotton ball to either side of the stain. Rub in circles from the outside to the inside of the stain until it starts to shift at the edge, then wash in Napisan and cold water. |
| Problem: | Semen stain on the sheets. |
| What to use: | Cake of soap. |
| How to apply: | Damp the soap in cold water and rub over the stain. Then rub the stain against itself until it’s removed. Put the sheets in the washing machine on the cold cycle. |
| Problem: | Egg yolk stain on the sheets. |
| What to use: | Cake of soap, cold water, warm wash. |
| How to apply: | Damp the soap in cold water and rub over the stain. Then put the sheets through the washing machine on a warm setting to remove the fats. |
| Problem: | Ink/ballpoint pen stain on the sheets. |
| What to use: | Milk; or dry-cleaning fluid, cotton balls. |
| How to apply: | Rot a carton of milk in the sun (the time this takes will vary). Then heap the solids over the stain with your hand. Leave until the ink starts to soak into the solids. Then wash the rotten milk out in the washing machine on the warm cycle. Alternatively, apply dry-cleaning fluid with a cotton ball, working in a circular motion from the outside to the inside of the stain. Remove all the colour before placing the sheets in the washing machine on the warm cycle. |
| Problem: | Vomit stain on the sheets. |
| What to use: | Napisan. |
| How to apply: | Rinse out the solids first with water, then put the sheets through the washing machine and dry them in the sun. If you can’t dry them in the sun, soak them in Napisan before putting them through the washing machine. Then put them in the dryer. Always wash vomit as soon as possible because mould can grow on it overnight and will stain. |
I’ve lived in some really noisy places. I’ve lived next to train lines, under flight paths, on main roads—even above a massage parlour! You can reduce noise by restricting the sound vibrations. Place objects, such as wardrobes, against the wall to muffle sound. Use heavy curtains, several lightweight curtains or ruffled curtains to minimise noise. Fluffy items help. If noise is coming from underneath, don’t lean your bed against the wall and put high-density foam rubber squares under the four corners of your bed. Layering carpets and rugs also helps to reduce noise levels. If the noise is coming from above, hang mosquito nets or parachutes from the ceiling or put up some wall hangings. Put felt spots behind picture frames and mirrors on walls to prevent vibration. You could also put pelmets over windows.
I like my pillows in all shapes, sizes and densities. Pillows can be made of foam, feather, blow fibre or kapoc. Use a pillow protector as well as a pillowcase and wash them weekly. The reason why you should use a protector is to stop the pillow compacting or needing as much washing. Wash pillows in woolwash the same way that you would wash your doona as described below. Allow them to dry in an elevated area so the water can drip away. The top of the clothesline is ideal. Turn the pillow regularly while it’s drying but never compress it while it’s wet. When you think it’s dry, leave it for another hour to make sure the centre of it has dried completely.
Doonas can be made of goose feathers, wool or synthetics. Wash them twice a year or even more if you sweat a lot. You can tell it’s time for a wash when the fibres are packed down and lumpy, or the doona smells. Some doonas can be put through the washing machine. Just check the manufacturer’s instructions first. Others, regardless of the filling, can be washed in a bath or large washing sink. If you don’t have one, try to borrow a friend’s.
Fill the bath with water warmed to blood temperature and half a cap of woolwash for a double-sized doona. Lay the doona in the bath then get in yourself and stomp up and down on the doona until you get rid of all the dirt and grime. Empty the bath, fill it again with clean, blood-heat water and stomp over it again. Let the water out, fill the bath again with clean, blood-heat water and allow it to soak through the doona.
After you’ve rinsed the doona, drain the water from the bath and tread on the doona to squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Place the doona in a large garbage bag rather than a basket so you don’t leave a drip trail. Then take the doona outside and put it on an old sheet. If you don’t have a lawn, place it flat over the top of the clothesline. Leave it to dry for quite some time, then shake it and turn it. You need to do this about three times until it’s almost dry. Then hang it on the clothesline using lots of pegs so you don’t put stress on any one spot. Unless you already have a stitched ridge, don’t fold the doona over the line. Instead, peg it by the two outside edges on separate lines so that it forms a U-shape. This allows air to circulate. When it’s almost completely dry, whack it with your hand or an old tennis racquet. This fluffs up the fibres or loosens the feathers. Then put it back inside the doona cover to protect it against spills and grime.
If you can’t be bothered washing your doona, at least hang it on the clothesline in the sun to allow the UV rays to kill bacteria.
Blankets should be aired regularly, preferably once a week, and outside if possible. Woollen blankets should be washed once every 4–6 months in shampoo and conditioner, the cheaper the better because they contain less perfume. For single-sized blankets, use 3 dessertspoons of shampoo with water warmed to blood temperature, rinse, then use 3 dessertspoons of conditioner with water warmed to blood temperature. Use double the amount for double-sized blankets. After rinsing, dry them in the morning sun or dappled shade, not the afternoon sun, or the blankets will stiffen.
Machine wash only if the manufacturer’s instructions indicate that you can. If you use the washing machine, add 1–1½ caps of woolwash for a double blanket. If you wash the blanket in the bath, use 2 caps of woolwash or shampoo. Don’t leave blankets to soak. Just wash them in blood-heat water, rinse in blood-heat water and hang to dry. If you agitate woollen blankets too much, the blanket will shrink, leaving you with a felt wad instead of a soft blanket.
Cotton blankets can be machine washed the same way as sheets. Faux mink blankets can either be hand washed with woolwash or shampoo in blood-heat water or dry cleaned. Make sure you brush with a hairbrush as it dries.
Never put sheepskin in the washing machine or agitate it. Instead, wash sheepskin underblankets with woolwash or shampoo in a bath, sink or bucket. Dry them lying flat. Just before the sheepskin is completely dry, brush it with a hairbrush in all directions.
Read the washing instructions before cleaning an electric blanket. If it doesn’t have any instructions, take it to a reputable dry cleaner.
If you have space, store blankets in a blanket box or, better still, a camphor wood box because this will keep insects away. Otherwise, keep blankets in the cupboard but protect them with some camphor inside a handkerchief and plastic bag. Prick little holes in the plastic and put it inside your blankets. This will keep insects and other nasties away but won’t mark your blankets. Store doonas the same way.
Drawers and wardrobes take many forms. They can be built-in or stand alone, old or new. Those with a shellac, French polish or varnish finish should be cleaned once a month with a good quality, silicone-free furniture polish. Just put a small amount of polish on a cloth, wipe it over the piece, then wipe it off with the other side of the cloth. A good furniture polish should remove most small scratches.
Those with a laminate or polyurethane finish can be cleaned with a damp cloth. If they’re very dirty, use bicarb and vinegar. Keep polyurethane pieces away from windows because the sun’s UV rays will yellow them.
To clean the inside of drawers, take your clothes out and vacuum. If the area is very dirty, use vinegar and water on a sponge. To deter nasties, put some lavender oil or tea-tree oil on a cloth and wipe over the drawer or cupboard interior. A cake of soap left in the drawer will also deter bugs and scent your clothes. You can also buy scented and anti-bug drawer liners to fit into your drawers. These will also protect your clothes from the tannins in the wood.
If you apply make-up at a dressing table with a timber surface, protect it with a glass tile or mirror tile. A mirror tile is preferable because it gives backlighting and your make-up will be applied perfectly. I also like to put foam in my bedside table drawers so that if I drop make-up bottles or jewellery, they won’t break!
Q: ‘How do you remove beeswax from a wardrobe?’ asks Bill.
| Problem: | Beeswax on wardrobe. |
| What to use: | Mineral turpentine, water, cloth. |
| How to apply: | Mix 1 part mineral turpentine with 1 part water and wipe the mixture over the beeswax with a cloth. |
Q: ‘My cast-iron chest has gone rusty,’ reports David. ‘Can it be fixed?’
Most people have a system for sorting out where their clothes go in the wardrobe. But if you don’t, and you’re tired of wasting time searching for that shirt you know is in there somewhere, this is what I do.
Clothes last longer if they’re hung rather than folded, so hang as much as you can. The exception is woollens and knits, which should be stored flat.
Use good coathangers. Wooden hangers are the best, plastic are OK and wire coathangers need to be wrapped with foam strips or old shoulder pads pinned on the shoulders of the hanger.
Divide your wardrobe into sections, putting similar types of clothes together. All your shirts should be together, for example. Then order the sections by size, putting the longest garments at one end and the shortest at the other end. You can further sort your clothes by colour. One suggestion is by the colours of the rainbow. Then order by sleeve length and seasonal weight.
The beauty of this system is that if your skirt is not in the wardrobe, then it’s in the wash or at the dry cleaners. You won’t spend hours searching.
Q: ‘When you’ve had your clothes sitting on a coathanger for a while, the hanger can leave a mark,’ reports Terzine. If you don’t have time to iron it out, is there anything you can do?’
| Problem: | Hanger marks on clothes. |
| What to use: | Spray pack, body heat. |
| How to apply: | Before you put the garment on, damp spray the spot with water where the hanger has left its indentation. When you put the garment on, your body heat will interact with the water and smooth the marks out. To prevent the problem, wrap the shoulder line of your coathanger with foam strips or old shoulder pads. |
My mother has a horror of anything that itches—and she passed this on to me in spades. Clothes have to be soft on your skin and finished properly. Anything with a lace edge has to have a cotton lawn bias binding or silk bias binding stitched over the seams. It’s a practice I’ve adopted. Of course you’re going to get spills and stains on your clothes, they’re a barrier between you and the world. Start by working out what’s in the stain. If it has several components, remove proteins first, then fats, then chemicals.
Q: ‘My cotton business shirts have sweat stains that just won’t wash out,’ says Steve. ‘Do you have a suggestion on what to do because the shirts aren’t cheap!’
| Problem: | Sweat marks on fabric. |
| What to use: | Napisan Oxygen. |
| How to apply: | Make a paste with Napisan Oxygen and water to the consistency of peanut butter and apply this to the stain. Leave for 15 mintues before washing. You must use Napisan Oxygen rather than just Napisan. |
Q: ‘My deodorant has left white stains on my shirts,’ says Susie. ‘It’s like it’s permanently caked on now. Can I remove this?’
| Problem: | Deodorant stains on fabric. |
| What to use: | Napisan Oxygen. |
| How to apply: | Make a paste with Napisan Oxygen and water to the consistency of peanut butter. Apply it to the deodorant stains and leave for 15 minutes, then wash the shirts as usual in the washing machine. |
Q: ‘My husband was wearing suntan cream and it’s marked the neckline of his shirt,’ says Sandra. ‘Can I get it off?’
| Problem: | Suntan cream on fabric. |
| What to use: | Napisan Oxygen. |
| How to apply: | Make a paste of Napisan Oxygen and water to the consistency of peanut butter and apply it to the stain. Leave it to penetrate for 15 minutes then wash in the washing machine as usual. |
Q: ‘I’m a bachelor,’ says Geoffrey. ‘And I accidentally put my jumper into the washing machine and it’s shrunk. Can it be fixed?’
| Problem: | Shrunken jumper. |
| What to use: | Bucket, Fuller’s Earth, towel, two wide-toothed combs; or Epsom salts. |
| How to apply: | For dark-coloured jumpers, fill a nappy-sized bucket with blood-heat water and add 2 tablespoons of Fuller’s Earth. For light-coloured jumpers, add 4 tablespoons. Put the jumper in and gently agitate it with your hands until it’s thoroughly wetted. Let it sit for 10–15 minutes and then rinse thoroughly in blood-heat water. Don’t leave it for longer than this or it will bleach. Lie the jumper flat on a towel in a shady spot and leave it to dry. Gently stretch it back into shape as it’s drying. To make it stretch more evenly, use two wide-toothed combs on either side of the jumper and stretch the jumper with the combs as it’s drying. It’s not as effective, but you could also use 2 tablespoons of Epsom salts, instead of Fuller’s Earth, to a bucket of blood-heat water. |
Q: ‘I hate the dressing on new shirts,’ says Stephen. ‘Is there a way you can soften them so they’re like your old favourite shirts?’
| Problem: | How to soften stiff or brand new shirts. |
| What to use: | Bicarb, washing powder, vinegar. |
| How to apply: | Put the shirts through the washing machine, adding ½ cup of bicarb to your washing powder and ½ cup of vinegar to the rinse water. |
Q: ‘I pulled out an old cream satin evening gown which was covered in mildew,’ says Barbara. ‘Is it fixable?’
| Problem: | Mildew on satin. |
| What to use: | Hairdryer, clothes brush, salt. |
| How to apply: | Blow a hairdryer over the satin until it is warm. This causes the mildew to blow up and fluff up. Then rub a clothes brush in the direction of the watery-looking part of the satin. If any black marks remain, cover them with dry salt and brush backwards and forwards with a clothes brush. Then brush off. |
| Problem: | Stretched cotton-knit jumper. |
| What to use: | Wide-toothed comb, Fuller’s Earth. |
| How to apply: | Use a wide-toothed comb to evenly stretch the jumper. Then put it in the washing machine on the hot water setting. Before it reaches the spin cycle, remove the jumper and put it in the dryer. The water superheats and shrinks the fibres. You can also add 1 tablespoon of Fuller’s Earth to the wash cycle to help shrink it. |
To stop angora jumpers from shedding, put them in the freezer for 20 minutes before wearing them. Or add a little hair conditioner the size of a 20-cent piece to the rinse water when you’re washing them.
Q: ‘How do you remove chocolate ice-cream from a T-shirt?’ asks Maureen.
| Problem: | Chocolate ice-cream on T-shirt. |
| What to use: | Cake of soap. |
| How to apply: | As the chocolate contains protein, you must use cold water. Vigorously rub the stain with soap and cold water. Then wash normally. |
| Problem: | Shine on a suit. |
| What to use: | Cloth, white vinegar, bran, brown paper, iron. |
| How to apply: | For a dark-coloured suit, damp a cloth in vinegar and wipe it over the suit. Then place brown paper over the suit and iron. For light-coloured suits, damp a cloth in 1 part white vinegar to 4 parts water, wring it out and lay it over the shiny section of the suit. Steam-iron the suit. |
Q: ‘We were at Carols by Candlelight and wax dripped onto my husband’s corduroy trousers,’ says Kay. ‘We tried putting ice onto it and it didn’t work!’
| Problem: | Wax on corduroy fabric. |
| What to use: | Paper towel, dry-cleaning fluid, cotton balls. |
| How to apply: | On an ironing board, place a few layers of paper towel on top of one another and then place the trousers on top of them rib side down. Then put more layers of paper towel on top of the stained trousers and run a hot iron over them. The wax will be absorbed by the paper towel. For the final bit of wax, put dry-cleaning fluid onto a cotton ball and wipe over the area. |
Q: ‘My daughter works as a beauty therapist,’ says Sandra, ‘and she waxes a lot of legs. As a consequence, her black synthetic slacks have wax on them. How should I get it off?’
| Problem: | Wax on synthetic fabric. |
| What to use: | Paper towel, hairdryer. |
| How to apply: | Put a paper towel on either side of the wax and blow a hairdryer over the area. The paper towel will absorb the wax. Keep on replacing the paper towel until the wax is removed. |
Q: ‘My six-year-old daughter wore her brand new white ladybird T-shirt under a pecan tree,’ says Megan, ‘and bird dropping landed on her. What can I do?’
| Problem: | Bird dropping on fabric. |
| What to use: | Vinegar, glycerine, salt, Napisan. |
| How to apply: | Pecans contain a dye that has to be treated with vinegar first, then glycerine. Soak the fabric until the stain begins to move. Rub with glycerine, then salt. Rinse, then wash in Napisan. |
| Problem: | Tree sap on fabric. |
| What to use: | Cotton balls, dry-cleaning fluid. |
| How to apply: | Put a dry cotton ball behind the stain and dip another cotton ball in dry-cleaning fluid. Wipe it over the stain in a circular motion, going from the outside to the inside of the stain. Then wash normally. |
Q: ‘I’m a banana cutter,’ reveals Kevin, ‘and I’ve got banana sap all over my clothes. Can I get it out?’
| Problem: | Banana sap on fabric. |
| What to use: | Glycerine, cotton balls, dry-cleaning fluid. |
| How to apply: | Apply glycerine to the stain with a cotton ball to remove the latex in the sap, then apply dry-cleaning fluid with a cotton ball to remove oxides. Then wash normally. |
If you get grease on fabric, there are two methods of cleaning them, described below. If the problem is recurring, use the first method.
Q: ‘I work in the transport industry,’ says Tom, ‘and I’m always getting grease on my clothes. What should I do?’
| Problem: | Grease on fabric. |
| What to use: | Baby oil, cotton ball, Napisan. |
| How to apply: | Baby oil is a mineral oil that breaks down grease. Put baby oil on a cotton ball and apply it to the grease. Rub it in circles. Then soak the garment in Napisan and hot water before washing. |
Q: ‘My daughter was given a new nightie by her nanna,’ says Patrick, ‘but I’d been washing grease off my truck and it ended up on the nightie. Needless to say, I’m not too popular. Can the nightie be fixed?’
Q: ‘My car broke down the other day and, as I was looking under it, I got tar and gravel over my shorts,’ says Frank. ‘Can I get it off?’
| Problem: | Tar on fabric. |
| What to use: | Scissors or blade, baby oil, cotton balls, kerosene or dry-cleaning fluid. |
| How to apply: | If you can, place the fabric in the freezer. Then cut off as much tar as possible with scissors or a blade. Then damp the back of the stain with baby oil on a cotton ball. Let it soak for a little while and then rub the front of the stain with a cotton ball dipped in either kerosene or dry-cleaning fluid. Make sure you work from the outside to the inside of the stain. Use clean cotton balls, one after the other, until the tar is removed. Do not heat tar or it will spread. |
| Problem: | Hair dye on fabric. |
| What to use: | Cotton ball, cotton bud, dry-cleaning fluid or kerosene, hairspray. |
| How to apply: | Place a cotton ball behind the hair dye, dip a cotton bud in dry-cleaning fluid or kerosene and rub the stain off. Spraying hairspray will work as well, but only if you use it immediately, as hairdressers do. |
Q: ‘I used to get rust off my sailing clothes with a product called Rustyban,’ reports David. ‘It was taken off the market and I’m wondering what I can use now.’
| Problem: | Rust on fabric. |
| What to use: | Cotton ball, cotton bud, CLR; or lemon juice and salt. |
| How to apply: | Rustyban was withdrawn from the market because it was toxic. Try CLR instead. Put a cotton ball behind the stain and dip a cotton bud in CLR. Rub it over the rust until it starts to lift. Then hand wash the garment straight away—the rust should come off. CLR is a very strong product so be careful. If you’d rather use something natural, try lemon juice and salt. Damp the rust spot with lemon juice and then rub salt over it until the rust starts to move from the fibres. Hand wash and begin the process again until all the rust comes out. This could take some time. |
Q: ‘During a blackout, I managed to back into a freshly painted wall,’ reports Rodney. ‘Now I’ve got paint marks on the seat of my trousers. Can I fix it?’
Q: ‘When I was travelling, the blue from my asthma pack rubbed onto my yellow polyester viscose slacks,’ says Jocelynne. ‘Can I get it off?’
| Problem: | Ink stain on fabric. |
| What to use: | Milk; or dry-cleaning fluid, cotton ball. |
| How to apply: | Rot a carton of milk in the sun and spread the solids over the stain. Leave until the ink begins to rise into the milk solids. Then wash the rotten milk out in the washing machine. Alternatively, apply dry-cleaning fluid with a cotton ball, working in a circular motion from the outside to the inside of the stain until it’s removed. Then wash normally. |
Q: ‘I buy a lot of second-hand clothes,’ says Joyce. ‘But they often have a musty smell about them. What do you suggest?’
| Problem: | Dirty woollen coats, dresses or skirts. |
| What to use: | Salt, clean handkerchief or piece of linen, bristle brush. |
| How to apply: | This is an alternative to dry cleaning and much cheaper. Sprinkle the item with salt about as thickly as poppy seeds on bread. Then rub with a clean handkerchief or piece of linen. Don’t go in circles but up and down with the grain of the fabric. Once the item is clean, give it a really good shake and brush with a bristle brush. |
Q: ‘My mum gave me her old mink jacket,’ says Jo. ‘I have no idea how to clean it.’
| Problem: | Cleaning fur or faux fur coats. |
| What to use: | Pillowcase, bran. |
| How to apply: | Place the coat in a large pillowcase and add a 1 kilogram of bran. Secure the top of the pillowcase and shake vigorously for about 3 minutes. Open the pillowcase and lightly shake the item as you remove it, so the bran stays in the pillowcase. This technique is also good for wool, mohair or camel coats and is a quick way to clean suits. |
The best way to wash silk is with shampoo and with conditioner in the rinse water. Use the same amount as you would with your hair. Never dry silk on a windy day because all the fibres go stiff and cause white dusty marks, white lines and water marks.
| Problem: | Water marks on silk. |
| What to use: | Clean white silk square. |
| How to apply: | As taught to me by my grandmother, rub the clean white silk square gently across and down the grain of the silk. Don’t rub diagonally. |
| Problem: | White lines on silk. |
| What to use: | Vinegar, salt. |
| How to apply: | When hand washing silk, put vinegar into the rinse water and the white lines won’t appear. To keep silk soft, put a teaspoon of salt in the washing water. |
Q: ‘I’m not sure if it’s coffee or red wine,’ admits Les, ‘but it’s stained the elbow of my white raw-silk jacket. I took it to the dry cleaners and the stain is still there. Can it be fixed?’
Q: ‘I splashed black coffee over my favourite silk tie,’ says Geoff. ‘It just won’t shift!’
| Problem: | Coffee stain on silk. |
| What to use: | Glycerine, cotton ball, washing power, vinegar, towel. |
| How to apply: | Apply glycerine to the stain with a cotton ball. Then wash the tie with washing powder in blood-heat water. Rinse in blood-heat water and, to prevent the tie stiffening, add a little vinegar. Then dry it flat on a towel in the shade. |
| Problem: | Oily stains on suede. |
| What to use: | Dry-cleaning fluid, cotton bud or cotton ball, talcum powder, soft bristle brush; or bran, vinegar. |
| How to apply: | Damp the stain with dry-cleaning fluid applied with a cotton bud or cotton ball, then cover the dry-cleaning fluid with talcum powder and allow to dry. Brush the talcum powder out with a soft bristle brush. Repeat if necessary. You can clean suede by rubbing bran over it. Remove sweat marks by damping some vinegar on the marks, then rub with bran. |
Most people have a leather jacket for life unless it was one of those bat-wing 1980s numbers. Getting a hole is usually devastating, but here’s how you can keep the jacket alive.
Find a matching piece of leather. This could be taken from the inside of the hemline or seam or under an armpit seam. Cut a paper template 1 millimetre larger than the shape of the hole, place it on top of the leather piece and cut around it to make the patch. Sand the back of the leather patch with sandpaper so that you thin the edges. On a piece of linen or cotton that is 1 centimetre larger all round than the leather patch apply malleable contact adhesive or specialist leather adhesive and glue on the patch.
The patch will now be sitting in the middle of the sticky, adhesive-covered piece of linen or cotton. Line the patch up with the back of the hole and attach. You’ll find it’s a little thick where the two layers overlap. Lay the face of the leather on a smooth surface such as a breadboard and tap the back of it with a flat-headed hammer. The leather will smooth out and appear to be one piece of leather again.
Turn it over again so you’re looking at the front. Warm a spoon, dip the back of it in a little Vaseline and lightly rub the patched area. For hard leather surfaces, use paraffin wax.
Q: Angela loves her old red leather jacket, ‘I’ve had it for years. But it’s got deodorant smeared on it. Is there any way I can get this off?’
| Problem: | Deodorant on leather. |
| What to use: | Dry-cleaning fluid, cotton bud, talcum powder, leather dew. |
| How to apply: | Apply dry-cleaning fluid to the smears with a cotton bud, then sprinkle with talcum powder. Allow it to absorb, then clean the jacket with leather dew (following the directions on the packet). |
Q: ‘How do you get chewing gum off a leather jacket?’ asks Victor.
| Problem: | Chewing gum on leather. |
| What to use: | Ice, scissors or a blade, dry-cleaning fluid, cotton bud, sticky tape, leather dew. |
| How to apply: | Put ice on the gum. Once it has hardened, cut as much off as possible with scissors or a blade, but be careful not to cut the surface of the leather. Then apply dry-cleaning fluid with a cotton bud. Remove the last of the gum with sticky tape. Keep on ripping the sticky tape away as though you’re waxing a leg. Do this until all the gum has been removed. Then treat the spot with leather dew. |
| Problem: | Sticky zippers. |
| What to use: | Vinegar, lead pencil, graphite powder or glycerine, talcum powder. |
| How to apply: | For metal zippers, apply some vinegar to the zipper then rub the metal with a lead pencil or apply graphite powder. Work it up and down. Graphite isn’t as effective as a lead pencil, because it doesn’t contain clay, but it will work with a little persistence. For nylon zippers, apply some glycerine, working it up and down. Then sprinkle with talcum powder. |
| Problem: | Loose zippers. |
| What to use: | Salt. |
| How to apply: | To make zippers stick, add a little salt to them. This works with metal or nylon zippers. |
Q: ‘The zipper on my sailing jacket has salt build-up on its,’ says William. ‘Can it be fixed?’
| Problem: | Salt on metal zipper. |
| What to use: | Cloth, vinegar, lead pencil. |
| How to apply: | Wipe the zipper with a cloth dipped in vinegar first, then rub it with a lead pencil. |
The great thing about a bag is you don’t have go on a diet to wear one. They really are ‘one size fits all’! I love handbags that can store as much as possible, the bigger the better and the more the merrier. Store bags in a cool dry place covered in a calico bag or old pillowcase.
| Problem: | Smelly leather handbag/suitcase. |
| What to use: | Tea leaves, leather dew. |
| How to apply: | The bag may smell because it wasn’t tanned properly or is made of goat or kangaroo hide. To get rid of the smell, wipe the leather with damp tea leaves. This will cure the leather. Then treat it with leather dew. If the interior of the bag is made of leather and also smells, empty a packet of dry tea leaves into it and leave for a couple of weeks. |
| Problem: | Dirty handbag lining. |
| What to use: | Washing powder; or dry-cleaning fluid, cotton ball. |
| How to apply: | Some bag linings can be removed. Others are attached but can still be pulled outside the bag. If the lining is cotton, clean it with washing powder and water. If there’s lipstick, make-up or ballpoint pen marks apply dry-cleaning fluid with a cotton ball. Then clean in washing powder and water. To dry, put the leather part of the bag in the shade and the lining in the sun. If you can’t do this, dry the whole bag in the shade. The lining must be completely dry before you put it back inside the bag. |
If you’re feeling lazy about looking after your shoes, just think about how much it will cost to replace them.
Store very good shoes in a shoe bag or calico bag to stop them from going mouldy. After wearing leather and vinyl shoes, dust the insides with a little bicarb. Wipe the outside with a cloth that’s been smeared with Vaseline. Bicarb reduces the amount of sweat your feet produces and the Vaseline makes shoes waterproof. Just don’t forget to dust out the bicarb before you wear the shoes again.
Dust bicarb into cloth and running shoes and vacuum it out before wearing them. Most cloth shoes can be hand or machine washed.
Sprinkle talcum powder on rubber soles and the outside of rubber boots to stop them perishing.
Clean suede shoes with a brass wire brush (not aluminium or steel wire) and dry-cleaning fluid. Spray suede and cloth shoes with Scotchguard to keep them clean for longer and waterproof. For nubuck or super suede shoes, purchase a small proprietary brand sandblock for cleaning.
Keep the ankles of boots unwrinkled and firm by putting an old paper towel roll inside them so they don’t flop over.
Make sure you use the correct shoelaces on shoes. If they’re too thin, you place strain on the holes. If they’re too thick, you place strain on the front of the shoe. The lace should move through the hole with a light resistance, not a drag nor a run.
If you get a hole in the sole of your shoe, put newspaper on the inside of the sole and use a product called Spread-a-sole. Apply it in several thin coats and it will form a new sole.
If nail heads are coming through your shoes it means your heels may need to be replaced or boosted. Hammer the nails back in, making sure you cover the head of the nail with a small piece of wood.
Serious scuff marks can be removed with leather dew or boot polish rubbed on with the back of a hot spoon. For suede shoes, use dry-cleaning fluid applied with a cotton bud. Sprinkle with talcum powder and brush off.
Q: I was in a busy pub and someone’s drink landed on my expensive new leather shoes. What can I do?
| Problem: | Rubber soles are perishing. |
| What to use: | Salt, stiff brush; or cloudy ammonia, water, salt, stiff brush. |
| How to apply: | Scour the rubber with salt and a stiff brush. This will rejuvenate them. Alternatively, use a combination of 1 part cloudy ammonia, 5 parts water and 1 part salt and scrub with a stiff brush. |
Q: ‘My wife was filling up the car with petrol and she got splashback all over her leather shoes,’ reports Brian. ‘She loves those shoes.’
| Problem: | Petrol on leather shoes. |
| What to use: | Dry-cleaning fluid, cotton ball, talcum powder. |
| How to apply: | Apply dry-cleaning fluid with a cotton ball to the affected area. Then sprinkle talcum powder over the dry-cleaning fluid to absorb it. Leave the shoes until they’re dry then brush off the talcum powder. |
| Problem: | Velcro not working. |
| What to use: | Fine-toothed comb. |
| How to apply: | Damp the velcro with water and comb it on both sides with a fine-toothed comb. This gets the fluff and dust out. |
Q: ‘I was at the supermarket and a woman dropped a jar of cucumbers on the ground and the oil splattered onto my shoes,’ reports David. ‘Can I fix them?’
| Problem: | Oil on shoes. |
| What to use: | Dry-cleaning fluid, cotton ball, talcum powder. |
| How to apply: | Put dry-cleaning fluid onto a cotton ball and wipe it over the stain on the shoes. Then cover this area with talcum powder, which will absorb the oil. When it’s dry, brush the powder off. |
You wouldn’t bother doing this with cheap stockings, but it’s worth it with expensive ones. Put soap in one toe and your hand in the other toe and then rub them together as though you’re washing your hands. This stretches the fibres and removes more dirt. To prevent ladders and catches in stockings, spray them with hairspray and leave them on a hanger to dry. You’ll need to reapply the hairspray each time you wash them.
I collect hats in many different styles, from Georgian to contemporary. I even have a pop-up silk top hat! Special hats should be stored in a hatbox or on a hat block and kept on a flat surface. If the hat has a high crown and you don’t have a hat block, pack it with acid-free tissue paper. Great-aunt Letitia loved wearing berets and taught me how to clean them through her amazing notes. Hand wash woollen berets in woolwash and dry them over a dinner plate so they retain their shape. To bleach a straw hat, rub it with dry-cleaning fluid and a little salt then rub the mixture off well.
| Problem: | Straw hat has gone floppy. |
| What to use: | Pastry brush, egg white, towels, clingwrap. |
| How to apply: | Dip a pastry brush in egg white and wipe both sides of the hat with it. Put towels in the crown of the hat, cover a flat surface with clingwrap, sit the hat on top and allow it to dry hard. |
Q: ‘I’m a fan of felt hats,’ says Simon, ‘but mine seems to have shrunk. Can it be stretched?’
| Problem: | Felt hat has shrunk. |
| What to use: | Fuller’s Earth, hat block or damp newspaper. |
| How to apply: | Mix Fuller’s Earth and water to the consistency of peanut butter. Spread it over the areas that need to be stretched and leave for about 5 minutes. Then force the hat over a suitably sized hat block or pack the inside of the crown with damp newspaper until it’s the right size. Leave to dry in the shade, not the sun. The drying time will depend on the thickness of the hat. |
Use nothing more than a little water to clean absorbent precious stones such as jade, opal, some agates, cloudy quartz and emerald.
Pearls should only be cleaned in a mild salt solution—1 teaspoon of salt for 600 millilitres of water.
Ivory can be cleaned with sweet almond oil on a cotton bud. Other jewellery should be cleaned with a proprietary product.
Always wipe earring hooks with methylated spirits and a cotton ball to remove bacteria.
Never use heat or chemicals on jewellery. If in doubt, take it to a jeweller.
Clean jewellery boxes as you would other furniture. The easiest way to clean the inside is to vacuum it. Just make sure you cover the vacuum cleaner tube with an old T-shirt just in case you suck up a stone! I came up with this solution after dropping a small box with about 30 small gemstones in it that had all been collected from old pieces of jewellery. I dropped the box on a multicoloured, long-pile carpet. The stones are now a gorgeous necklace!
