Its that time of the year. Football games, leaves changing into beautiful colors, hot chocolate, and breaking out our warm sweaters. From evenings spent at the county fair to beautiful drives along the parkways enjoying the awesome fall colors, along comes chilly weather. With that change in temperature most of us are scrambling to get out those warmer sweaters.
Unfortunately in our hurried, very busy lives we often accidentally toss our much beloved….and expensive sweaters into the dryer where they shrink to a size not even the family cat can wear! Yikes! Can anything be done or is it a toss? We are happy to say if you work quickly you may still be able to save you favorite sweater with the following tips! The key here is to get the fibers in the sweater to relax.
Supplies | Coin-Op Laundry Raleigh NC
- Several large bath towels
- Clothespins or some type of clips
- Hair conditioner or baby shampoo any brand
- A foam poster board or bulletin board
- Your sink or a plastic bucket any type
Loads of PATIENCE | Coin-Op Laundry Raleigh NC
First fill your sink or bucket 1/2 full of room temperature water and add 2-3 tablespoons of your baby shampoo or hair conditioner. Allow the sweater to soak and then knead it gently. This will help to relax those fibers. You will want to give it a good soak for about 30 minutes.
Once it has soaked you can drain the water but DO NOT rinse the sweater. The fibers must remain coated to help them not stick together again. PRESS the sweater to remove excess water. You can use the sides of your container if needed to help you press. It is vital that you do NOT twist or wring the garment.
Put your large towel down and place the sweater flat onto it. Place a second towel on top and then roll your sweater up and press down. Now you will need your board. Take the sweater and very gently arrange your garment back to its original shape and size. Use your clothespins or clips to hold it in place on the board. Once you have it attached you can place it upright against a wall and be sure to put another towel under it then simply let the sweater air dry!
Once you see it is COMPLETELY dry (this step is important) you can remove it. Does it look good as new? If not you can repeat this process again. Sometimes re-pining during the drying process helps. Just always remember to be gentle! This method does not always work but it is successful most of the time. Patience is the key word here.
No one wants to shrink a favorite sweater but it does happen. This is just a reminder to us to slow down and be careful with our beloved but fragile laundry items.
Laundry Express | Coin-Op Laundry Raleigh NC
This time of year as we bring out colder weather items out of storage and put up the warmer ones we can get a bit frazzled with all the extra laundry. If you find this to be the case for you check out Laundry Express! We offer state of the art washers and dryers. Our laundry services include dry cleaning, and a great wash-dry-fold service to get you back on track and enjoying the season. Come by and visit us soon!
