How To...

Washing clothes can be so tricky these days! You wash a favorite sweater and it comes out looking like it was made for Barbie and not you. Or maybe you accidentally washed it with something it was not suppose to wash with (thanks for the post, by the way). Well my fashion darlings, welcome to Sweater Dress Washing 101!

After explaining how important it was to take care of suede (my love, the gray boots), a post on "Sweater Dress Perfect for a Snow Day" made me think how important it is to take care of sweaters and especially the ever stylish sweater dress. Think about it, us Chicagoans wear winter clothes the majority of the year, pack 'em up for a few months and it starts all over again. It's only the smart thing to do to make sure your sweater dress lasts.

Sweater dresses, whether the fibers are man-made or natural, require special care:

1) Always, always fold your sweaters and sweater dresses! Hangers stretch the fibers. Which then will result in a larger sweater dress than the last time you wore it (sorry you did not lose a few pounds!) and it actually will be misshapen. Not flattering!

2) Remove pills (those pesky little balls that form on sweater dresses and sweaters)regularly to keep sweater dresses looking amazing and not over-worn. If your wondering how pilling is caused, I am there with you. It is caused by rubbing when you're wearing the sweater dress (or sweater). You will usually find them around the elbows, under the armpits, or on sleeves (but in reality, can occur anywhere on sweater dress!). It will be a great idea to buy a hand-held depiller or electric sweater shaver made for depilling. I have seen them at craft store like Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Joann Fabrics, etc. Or if you are bored and not venturing out to get a depiller, pick them off by hand.

3) Remove bodily stuff like hair, dandruff, and lint often. Find a baby or toddler's hair brush (the one with super-soft bristles) and give the sweater dress a nice brushing.

4) Make sure to repair the sweater dress as soon as possible (like if a button falls off or if a small hole emerges). If not, this may make the sweater dress unwearable.

5) Make sure to give the amazing sweater dress (or sweater) a break. I know how much you want to wear it but, the sweater dress will eventually lose its shape or sweat stains will occur (EW!).

6) WASH SWEATER DRESS BY HAND!!! Unless the instructions advise otherwise, always hand wash a sweater dress. Even if the tag says that machine washing is okay, I would still hand wash. You know how evil washing machines are! Wool sweaters and sweater dresses should ALWAYS be washed by hand! You can run lukewarm water and use a gentle soap solution. Swish soap around and around until it looks like a bubble bath (this is being done in the sink or bathtub dears). Or you can use soap flakes. Whichever is fine. If you can, turn the sweater dress inside out to wash. Use cold water to rinse, that way colors will not bleed. Do not wring the sweater dress, squeeze it. Wringing the dress will make it lose its shape. Let the rest of water drip out or roll off in a white towel. Be super careful of any embellishments on the sweater dress (or sweater, cardigan, etc.).

7) Dry-Clean Sparingly. The chemicals used in the process can weaken the fabric. Even if the sweater dress states "Dry Clean Only", you usually can gently hand wash the sweater dress. Avoid fabric softener which speed up the aging of any garment!

8) If sweater dress is cashmere be very, very gentle. Use Woolite, please. Do not wring out, and lye flat to dry on an absorbent towel.

9) Store sweater dresses carefully when not in season. Do not use mothballs, those suckers stink and are really bad for you! Use cedar balls instead. They are natural and work much better. Put little satchels in between every few layers (you can make your own by using mixed herbals or bay leaves).


10) Make sure to wash sweater dresses before storing. Bugs feed off of human stuff (Ick!).

11) Please store sweater dresses dry. I don't care if you think a little damp is okay, because it's not! You just invited mildew and mold to start growing on your favorite sweater dress. FYI: that smell will never go away, not matter how much perfume, body spray, or Febreze you may use!


Hope this helps keep your sweater dresses looking new for many seasons to come!
Happy Washing!

P.S. Check out the "How To" washing video.
http://video.about.com/fashion/How-to-Hand-Wash-a-Sweater.htm