Taboo Topics by Fashion First Aid Podcast Tuesdays at 10AM PT

Honest Kim and Annie the Psychic Sidekick, tips for taking care of your sweater and avoiding the time suck & money waster of the dry cleaner.   They will announce the ‘Dick of the Week” winner and give their weekly psychic prediction. Tune in at 10:00 am PST. #podcast #sweaterweather    #drycleaners

Podcast Summary:

Please don’t tell me (and my now dress-length favorite sweater) that sweater care is best left to the dry cleaner. Think it is easier? I beg to differ. Add up the time it takes to drop them off, wanting to wear them while they are gone, remembering to pick them up, forking over HOW MUCH? for them, filling up your bins and landfills with a sea of plastic and pathetic hangers, all to find something wrong 20% of the time versus taking 2 minutes of preventative care and 10 minutes of cleaning activity. Honestly, taking a little care of your own sweaters will help them take care of you all season long, and it is very easy.

Avoid Sweat: Keep you off your sweaters by wearing an undershirt or placing underarm shields, like Garment Guard, in the pits to keep deodorant and sweat from getting onto the sweater in the first place. If you do get sweaty in your sweater, clean it as soon as possible instead of letting it sit. Also, choose wool over synthetics like nylon because wool is hard to get stinky, especially if you air it out after wear instead of cramming it into a dark drawer.

Avoid Shrinkage & Stretching: I normally buy natural fiber-sweaters, whether cashmere, merino wool, or cotton, which means I can wash them myself- in cold to warm water. Washing them in hot water or accidentally throwing them in the dryer is a recipe for shrinkage, which can be a good thing when an overzealous dry cleaner stretches them out. I avoid this by keeping them separate from the rest of my laundry.

To wash merino wool & cashmere, watch our step-by-step instructional video. Use Soak Wash in a basin of water to passively soak them clean for 15 minutes. Never wring out the water, but roll each one in a clean towel and press to absorb the excess water (aka do the jelly roll). Then lay flat to dry to avoid stretching. I prefer to do it in a sink or basin instead of the gentle cycle in the machine so there is less pilling due to less friction.

Get Rid of Balls: Generally, the fuzzier a sweater is at first, the more balls (or pilling or fuzz) you can expect. As you probably guessed, pilling happens with friction. Major culprits are heavy mouse use (forearm), bags and backpacks (hips), and extreme chair dancing. But de-pilling is quick and easy with simple devices like Sweater Comb. Spend about 2 minutes brushing your sweater with the mesh screen to pull off all the fuzz balls, resulting in a sweater that looks like new.

Are you ready to take care of your sweaters? Do you have other tips people would like to know? Need the supplies mentioned above?

Dick of the week winner: ungrateful people

Weekly prediction: Each day this week, remind yourself of three things you are grateful for. Give a stranger a hug and pick up trash. Lucky numbers are 4174, 3, 1, 5, 28, and 75.

How to care for your sweater video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCbf0utqCzU

Cashmere Care Kit: http://fashionfirstaid.com/cashmere-sweater-soak-clean.html