Archive for the “Tips and Tricks” Category

Cuppa, Cuppa, Cuppa – voila, it’s aged

Published on October 28, 2009 in Tips and Tricks. View Comments
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Cuppa, Cuppa, Cuppa ingredients

Cuppa, Cuppa, Cuppa ingredients

You’re on the wardrobe truck when word comes “from on high” – those college students in tomorrow’s big scene have been changed to construction workers. Next, a shopper arrives with “Dickie” coveralls and a “Carhart” jacket, both new and so stiff they almost stand on their own. There is no time to send them to the “Ager” or, ideally, a stonewasher. Okay, now what? Well, I have conjured up a little recipe summoning my inner Dolly Parton. In the film Steel Magnolias, she shared a dessert recipe she dubbed Cuppa, Cuppa, Cuppa. Here, instead of diabetic shock inducing ingredients we use harsh chemicals and abrasives which will soften and fade the cotton. No, unfortunately, this won’t let you buy an inexpensive pair of jeans and transform them into the uber-fashionable aged and faded designs, but for heavy work clothes it is magic. Now, my little recipe:

1 cup – rock salt

plus two of the following,

1 cup – trisodium phosphate

1 cup – soda ash

1 cup – Cascade dishwashing powder

Dissolve the above in the hottest water available. Add clothes to the washer and proceed as usual. This process may have to be repeated.

After removing the garments you should run the washer through a cycle to insure the ingredients are rinsed away.

You can add some touches to the formula to enhance the result. Lightly sanding the entire garment before the wash will give you a head start. My favorite finishing touch is in the dryer; I take a small rubber shower mat and add it to the dryer with the work clothes. The rubber in the mat grabs hold of the clothes and “bashes” them about further breaking down and softening the fabric. Please remember the mat must be rubber, not a petroleum based product.

Now, except for the dirt, you’re all set. I hope this little bit from my “kit” works in yours.

Cheryl (with Roger Kimpton)

Thinking outside the Tub. The many uses of Wet Ones.

Published on September 12, 2009 in Tips and Tricks. View Comments
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Here’s something almost every Film and TV Wardrobe person has in their bag of tricks, if you’re a Mom or Grandma you probably have it in your bag as well: Wet Ones. Yes, those towelettes you use to clean and sanitize your children’s face and hands can also get that grease stain out of your blouse. The secret lies in the active ingredient Witch Hazel contained in the product. My Mom always had a bottle that she used as an astringent for those minor scrapes my sisters and I got as well as other little household tasks. Though it is a low growing shrub native to North America, our British cousins have long recognized the plant’s efficacy as a cleanser and spot remover.
Wet Ones 40-Count Tub

Wet Ones 40-Count Tub

When using you should gently rub the spot as soon as possible, but I have had success applying it within two hours. My husband stopped for a grilled cheese sandwich on his way to the gym and saw that he brought some of that bacon fat with him on his new tee. It was over two hours before he got home and successfully got the grease spot out with the towelette; obviously, the sooner the better. While Witch Hazel has anecdotally been proven to help with everything from hemorrhoids to the kids booboos, it isn’t a panacea. Do NOT use it on silk, it will “ring” (wardrobese for that ugly circle left behind); It is, however, effective on cotton, tencel, wool, rayon and polyester.

Playtex does not acknowledge this use in its’ literature, my colleagues, and the British Empire, however, have seen it work. I’m waiting for a company representative to return my calls. I’ll update as soon as I here from them. (CHERYL with Roger Kimpton)