BlogHer - trench coat - Comments

If you search around online

sassymonkey — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:51:51 -0500

You can find ones that actually hang from the shower rod. I've seen some stackable ones that dry a couple of sweaters at a time too.

And yes, they dry faster. I find they smell fresher too.

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

Ooooh sweater dryer . . .

Susan Wagner — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:32:34 -0500

That sweater dryer is FANTASTIC! I need one of those.

I'm willing to bet that your sweaters dry faster when you lay them on that than they do when they're laid out on a towel, too.

Thank you!

Friday Style | The Working Closet | Friday Playdate

Soak & Sweater Dryers

sassymonkey — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:10:14 -0500

I use a product called Soak for all of my delicates and wools now (got some for free after spending a small fortune on bras as a small boutique and got hooked on it) but before that I used to use baby shampoo.

Living someplace where we hit -40C a couple of times a year wool sweaters are important. I love my sweater dryer - similiar to this one. While I admit that it does seem a bit silly to have something for this purpose alone my last apartment was so small that I really didn't have any surface area to lie a sweater out flat (especially one where my cat could not lie on it). I used to extend this one across the tub and presto! I had a sweater drying surface.

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

yes, baby shampoo! really!

Susan Wagner — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:57:54 -0500

I am entirely serious about the baby shampoo for washing cashmere. Dry cleaning is actually VERY bad for cashmere fibers; the chemicals dry them out and make them more prone to breaking, which shortens the life of the garment AND makes it less soft and cozy.

I use the same Johnson and Johnson shampoo that I use on my children (the "no more tears" formula, which has the fewest surfactants). To wash one medium size sweater, I fill my kitchen sink about half way with cold water (clean the sink out THOROUGHLY first, of course) and add about a tablespoon of shampoo. Very gently squeeze the soapy water through the sweater and let it sit for about three minutes (I use an egg timer because I am easily distracted). Rinse until the water runs clear and gently squeeze out the excess (do NOT wring). Lay the sweater flat on a clean towel and roll the towel up to absorb more water; lay flat on ANOTHER clean towel to dry. Don't hang, as that will stretch the sweater.

I usually put mine on top of the dryer, on a towel; the heat from the dryer speeds the drying a bit. It doesn't take all that much time.

Also! One more tip! To prevent pilling, wash cashmere BEFORE wearing it. Seriously--bring it home from the store, wash it, and THEN wear it. This is especially important for lower end cashmere sweaters, which are more prone to pilling than their more expensive counterparts.

Friday Style | The Working Closet | Friday Playdate

Fantastic list

shoegal302 — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:30:33 -0500

Great collection of wardrobe basics; I especially love the red trench.

One question though, baby shampoo for cleaning cashmere? Not that I'm doubting your advice, I've just never heard of such a thing. How much shampoo do you use, and should it line dry afterwards? I don't wear cashmere often because I don't like to get things dry-cleaned, so I would adore more specifics on this.