Last year I shared five tips to keep you looking fit for business. Here’s another five to keep you looking good because first impressions count in business.
- Coffee stains can be sneaky stains.
Our love affair with coffee means our business clothes often end up with a few coffee stains. Some stains, such as coffee stains, are made up of compound elements beyond the obvious presumed cause of the problem. Your cup of coffee often contains milk or other additives so you have a tannin stain (coffee) and protein- based stain (milk). Such stains need to be treated individually, even though the staining occurred at the same time. So when you drop off an item with a coffee stain for cleaning, tell your dry cleaner how you take your coffee.
- Be wrinkle free.
We’re not talking botox, we’re talking wrinkle free clothing, fast. The trick? Use your shower. While you’re showering, hang up wrinkled garments inside your bathroom and close the door. In about 10 minutes the steam will smooth out the wrinkles.
- Caring for wool.
With a nip still in the air we still have the winter woolies out. But wool is durable, comfortable, and an excellent insulator making it a part of any corporate wardrobe, in any season.
If your woollen item gets damp, hang it to air dry at room temperature. Do not hang it near a heat source as this will promote mildew. A gentle brushing of wool sweaters after each wear helps remove surface soil. If the care label suggests hand washing, use cool water with mild soap or bleach-free detergent. Squeeze out excess water; never wring or twist a woollen garment. Dry wool jumpers and other items flat, away from sunlight or heat.
- Keep acrylics looking good.
Acrylic garments can be difficult to distinguish from other fibres, so some of those jumpers may not be wool. So it is important to check the label to know what you are wearing. Because acrylics have a low moisture absorbency and dry rather quickly, never hang them to dry. Tension from the weight of the water may cause your garment to stretch. Lay them flat or put them in the dryer on a cool, short cycle at temperatures no higher than 40C. Avoid handling acrylics while warm. Acrylics have a greater tendency to permanently stretch if tension is placed on them while they are still warm.
- Dry clean to prolong the life of your clothing.
A common myth is that frequent dry cleaning shortens the life of a garment. On the contrary, frequent cleaning prolongs your business suits and jackets. Stains set with age, making the garment unwearable. Ground-in dirt and soil also act as an abrasive, like sandpaper, causing rapid wear of fibres. Insects are attracted to soils such as food, beverages, perspiration, and oils from hair on your clothes and will cause further damage. American research has shown that various dry cleaning processes have no negative effect on the properties of wool in men’s suit fabrics.
