Winter Stains
Winter is descending on us in most parts of the country. For all of you in the sunbelt, east and west, I am not jealous because I love winter and look forward to the ski season! Either way, winter does bring challenging weather, be it rain or snow.
Rain, snow, salt and street splash can cause some nasty stains on clothing, including outerwear. In fact, "splash" is some of the worst and hardest of the stains to remove. It contains impurities of all types, so don’t be self conscious about tucking in long hems and such.
My Tips for Protecting Your Winter Wardrobe
Winter weather can bring many clothing care problems; walking down sidewalks, crossing streets, traipsing through parking lots, exiting from subways, getting off buses and dashing from taxis. We figure that the trip from the cab to the curb or the trudge up the subway stairs can’t be that taxing, on our clothing, right?
Reality Sets In
Long hems are the worst offenders in foul weather; pants, skirts, and coats. Loose-fitting clothing and scarves flap around in the wind and get caught on all kinds of stuff.
In the winter, every surface harbors some clothing-damaging soil; stairs, escalators, outside elevators, sidewalks, streets, and even the floor mats inside cars and cabs: Stains waiting to happen. These menacing concoctions may include water, mud, salt, street debris, spilled drinks, discarded food, oil slicks and car grease. Each one of these stains poses a challenge for drycleaners or home washing machines, but when the stains are blended together, the removal often becomes insurmountable.
When it comes to stain removal, there is no magic wand. Each stain needs to be treated and removed, from the cuffs, linings and outer shells of our clothing, one spot at a time. Large splashes can be unmanageable, but splatters require even more skill and attention. So, for the time being, try to be aware of all these issues when you bundle up to out. I’ll write more about this in the next few weeks!
My Best,
The Clothing Doctor
