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Home & Garden

10 ways to save clothes you thought were ruined

Disaster. You’ve ripped, scuffed or stained your favourite item of clothing. But before you throw it out, try one of these easy hacks that could just save the day.

1. Stubborn grime can be buffed off suede shoes or handbags with a soft nail file. The stain will simply buff right out.

2. It’s easy to leave a smudge of makeup on the collar of a shirt as you take it off. But stains can be removed with shaving foam. Simply squirt on a dollop before you put it in the washing machine.

3. Water can easily mark leather shoes. Get the stains out by gently rubbing on a mix of water and white vinegar with a soft bristled toothbrush.

4. Underarm sweat stains can be removed with a paste of lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda. Leave the paste on the stain for a few minutes as a pretreatment before putting it in the wash. It will also remove odours.

5. Bleach stains can ruin any item, but don’t throw it away. For a quick fix colour in the spot with a permanent marker. Otherwise you can dye it a whole new colour with an easy supermarket dye or apply a cute patch to cover the spot.

6. Patent leather shoes lost their shine? Bring it back with a quick spritz of glass cleaner and a polish with a soft cloth.

7. Is there anything worse than sitting in chewing gum? Put the pants in the freezer for around 30 minutes and the gum should scrape off easily.

8. An oil stain is one of the quickest ways to spoil your clothes but can be treated, as long as you catch it quickly. Apply talcum powder to the stain while it’s still wet and it will absorb a lot of the oil. Leave for anywhere up to 24 hours before putting it in the machine.

9. Left deodorant marks on a shirt or dress right before you walk out the door? They can be quickly removed by rubbing with baby wipes or (a bit bizarrely) the foam from a dry cleaning coat hanger.

10. If your favourite underwire bra has started jabbing you in the chest, you can fix it quickly and easily without a needle and thread. Thread the wire back in, get a piece of moleskin padding (like the kind used in corn and callous plasters), apply a little superglue and stick it over the hole. Good as new!

Related links: 

9 cleaning tips for streak-free car windows

13 hidden uses for household items

12 cleaning tricks for hard-to-clean areas around the home 

Tags:
at home, clothing, clothes, style, home, lifestyle, Lucy Jones