How To Care For Fine Clothing And Accessories Like An Expert

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Whether it is a lovely cashmere, a beautiful silk skirt, or a specialty piece of jewelry, when you have invested in a luxurious piece of clothing, you want it to last. Even your favorite pair of designer jeans or sneakers are items you want to enjoy for a long time. One wrong move during cleaning or storing, and it could be ruined forever. Extend the life of your luxurious clothing and pieces of jewelry as well as other accessories with this expert clothing care guide.

Cashmere

Cleaning cashmere should always be done with hand washing. Always turn your cashmere inside out and then gently run water through the fabric. Never twist or wring cashmere, even while rinsing, or it will lose its shape. Instead, wrap it in a towel and gently squeeze to remove excess water and then let it dry flat on a clean towel. When storing cashmere, moths are your worst enemies. Put the cashmere inside a zip-shut plastic bag and put it inside a freezer to kill moth larvae. To store cashmere, never hang it. Always lay it flat.

Silk

Even though the label will read Dry Clean Only, it is usually perfectly fine to hand wash silk. Just be sure to turn it inside out first. Be careful to never wring out silk, and if possible use a detergent that is specially formulated to be used on silk. Before hanging your silk for storage, steam it to decrease wrinkles.

Jeans

While denim is made to stand up to a lot, when you find a comfy fitting pair of jeans, you don’t want to part with them anytime soon. Keep them looking as fresh and new for as long as possible by washing them only after about every ten wearings. If this makes you cringe, keep in mind that most jeans really don’t need to be washed as often as you think. If you happen to spill something on them in between washings, simply take a damp cloth and do a little spot cleaning. When it is time to wash them, turn them inside out and wash with cold water or hand wash if they are raw denim fabric. Never wring them out to dry. Allow them to drip dry on a hangar. A great spot to do this is over a bathtub if an outside line is not available. Store your favorite pieces of denim on a hangar to allow gravity to naturally smooth out creases.

Keep Jewelry Beautiful

While diamonds are very durable and lovely, they do require some care to maintain their beauty. Gently clean them by filling a small bowl with warm water and dishwashing liquid. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to carefully clean around the diamond.

Pearls require a delicate cloth and never any harsh chemicals or detergents. Always keep your pearls away from liquids of any kind. A genuine pearl is going to love being worn against your skin so they can absorb natural oils. When you are not wearing your pearls, store them in a dry place.

Clean your gold jewelry with a gentle dishwashing liquid and warm water. Let them dry on a paper towel. Silver jewelry will require using a silver dip to clean up the tarnish. If there are stones set in the silver jewelry, use a specialist silver cloth and then run warm water over it and leave to dry on a paper towel.

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