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Little things bother us
sometimes, don't they? A stocking running on the nail, yellow stain on
white t-shirt, shirt with the stretched neck... It's impossible to solve everything that
bothers us, but here are some tips to make a few of them go away and
make our day a little stress free.
Stretched-out Cuffs
Once sleeve cuffs start to go slack, there's no surefire way to
restore their elasticity. But you can temporarily tighten loose cuffs
on a wool or cotton sweater by dampening them with hot water, then
drying them with a hair dryer. The hot water and the dryer's heat work
together to cause shrinkage. Sometimes just running a hot iron along
the cuffs is enough to contract the fabric for a while.
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Perspiration Stains
These unattractive yellow stains are almost impossible to erase
completely (particularly when they're on light-clored clothing such as
white t-shirt), but there are tricks to making them fade. If the fabric
is washable, apply a 3 percent hydrogen peroxide solution to the stain,
then machine wash the garment in warm water. Bring non-washables to the
dry cleaner.
Hanger Dimples
Clothes hangers, especially wire ones, can leave unwanted puckers at the shoulders of sweaters and other impressionable garments. To work the dimples out, lay the item flat, then give it a blast of steam from a steamer or an iron. Or place it on a towel in the bathroom which you take a hot shower.
Scratched Shoes
Before treating a nick or a scratch on leather shoes or a bag, it's important to test-treat a hidden spot, like the inside of a handle or strap or underneath a bucklet. For the safest form of scratch removal, try dabbing the scratch and the surrounding leather with a little white vinegar to swell the area (think accessory collagen). Let it dry, then buff the item with colorless shoe polish. Feeling bolder? Carefully fill in the scratch using a permanent felt-tip pen in the same color.
Dull Jewelry
The best way to clean and brighten all kinds of jewelry is to scrub them with a soft toothbrush dipped in warm water that's been spiked with a few drops of dishwashing liquid. For plain silver jewelry without genstones or intricate patterns, a quick-shine strategy is to soak the items in a mixture of 1/2 cup of warm water, three to four drops of dishwashing liquid, and one drop of ammonia.
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