Tools You Need to Keep Your Clothes and Shoes New
I don’t buy clothes or shoes often. When I do, however, I want to ensure that my hard-earned money does not go to waste, so I take care of my clothes and accessories.
Some of the tools I use to keep my clothing, shoes, and accessories at their best are:
Clothes Steamer
I hate to iron. I don’t have the patience to iron collars and sleeves. I also hate to take the iron and ironing board out — it’s a cumbersome job. I’m one of those people that likes to take stuff right out of the dryer and hang immediately. I used to dread when I would discover that I’d left a load of laundry in the dryer overnight — groan.
For my birthday, my mother-in-law gave me one of the best gifts ever — a portable clothes steamer that I can either plug in or take with me in the car and use because it’s also battery-operated. Wrinkles are foiled and I didn’t even have to take the ironing board out.
Slim Hangers
Our previous house had these outrageously large his and her walk-in closets. I used part of it for clothes and the rest for storage. It was wonderful and I miss those closets. In our current house, the husband and I share one meager closet. Our clothes used to be stuffed into the closet, which was problematic when either of us needed an item of clothing; we’d reach into the closet and try to pull off a dress or shirt, only to pull down other pieces of clothing or wedge the hangers into the neckline of another shirt.
I saw an infomercial for these very slim hangers covered in colored velvet material. These hangers were supposed to create more room in your closet and keep your clothes from slipping off the hanger. I was skeptical, but I ordered them anyway. Why had I not ordered them sooner? I emptied the closet rod and took off all the plastic and wire hangers we’d accumulated in the past six years and replaced them with the new hangers. Our small closet was instantly transformed; we actually had quite a lot of room in it.
Lint Brush
There have been many times when I’ve gotten dressed thinking I look pretty good, and then as I’m driving to a luncheon or meeting I discover, to my dismay, dog hair, lint, and other particles that I’ve picked up walking around the house. What I thought was a perfect outfit has become dirty looking.
I started leaving a lint brush in the car a few months ago. Dog hair and lint disappear and my clothes look clean and crisp.
Jewelry Case/Tree
In college I used to put my small collection of jewelry in a small, carved, wooden box I received as a high school graduation present. Unfortunately, I outgrew it and developed a terrible habit of just placing my bracelets, necklaces and rings on top of the dresser drawer or in small decorative trays I found at Nordstrom and Pier 1 Imports. I could never find the jewelry I needed for an occasion and was constantly frustrated by the fact that my bracelets and necklaces were always wrapped around one another; it took quite a while to distinguish where one piece of jewelry began and where another one started.
I finally got my jewelry together, got rid of the items I never used, and bought a jewelry case and jewelry tree. Now my jewelry is organized and I can find my necklaces quickly and keep them from intertwining around other pieces of jewelry.
Shoe Tree
I use shoe trees with the husband’s shoes and decided one day that I should use them with my own shoes. Shoe trees are a fantastic way to preserve your shoe by keeping its shape and from preventing it from cracking. You can purchase shoe trees in plastic or cedar. I prefer the cedar because of the subtle scent it gives off, and it also absorbs any moisture within the shoe.
Stain Stick
Being a mom of two children under the age of five, it’s difficult for me to have a meal without getting some unidentifiable stain on some obvious spot on my outfit. My son has a habit of hugging me or putting his hand on my leg without wiping his hands, and I’m left with a ketchup mark on a white shirt.
No worries, however, because in my purse I always carry a stain stick. These are miracle workers. Just apply to the stain as quickly as possible and watch the stain(s) disappear. Don’t leave home without it.
Be kind to your clothes and shoes!