The instruction to dry-clean items is often put there by manufacturers purely as a precaution to protect special garments against careless and ignorant laundry. In fact, you´ll sometimes find that the English language label instructions tell you to dry clean while those in French give instructions for a careful cold or cool hand wash! The chic French know how to care for fine fabrics in a way we have simply lost.
 |
| Source: fotos.lainformacion.com |
By woolens, we tend to mean all materials of animal origin, so including cashmere, angora, mohair and silks. A deep flat-bottomed Belfast sink is by far the best for handwashing, and for so many other tasks. Bear this in mind for the next time you remodel your kitchen! Prepare a lukewarm, cool or even cold washing solution using a proprietary liquid wool wash, or by sprinkling a small handful of flaked white laundry soap into a little very hot water, leaving is for the minutes of so to dissolve, and then adjusting the temperature down to the required level by adding cold.
Add a dash of ammonia for very dirty woolens as long as they aren´t black (it may spoil the color), or to restore the color of faded silks. You could also add a little borax in the washing water to aid the cleansing action of the soap, and this will also help to guard against shrinkage. Lay the garments as flat as possible in the bottom of the sink, and gently squeeze the soapy water through it leaving before to soak for ten minutes to half an hour. Return to the sink and squeeze through more thoroughly, but again without rubbing, agitating, or excessively swishing the garment about. Run the water out, and then rinse thoroughly using cold water.
A splash of white vinegar in the first rinsing water will purge soap residue beautifully, further enhancing the body and softness. A tablespoon of methylated spirits in the last rinsing water imparts a lovely smooth gloss and enhanced body to silks. Gently press out most of the surplus water, then roll any particularly delicate garments up in a towel, squeezing gently to remove as much of the remaining water as possible, and then lay over an airer or similar, pulling the garment back into shape, and then leave it to dry flat. Stockings and tights, and any sturdier woolen items, may be hung to drip dry without too much ceremony.
(Claire Leavey)
No comments:
Post a Comment