Caring for Your Delicates

The new year’s just days old, but I’m still puffed up about my success with my resolutions. I’m taking better care of my delicates. Sounds deliciously naughty, huh? Sorry, my resolution is actually fairly mundane, but definitely worth sharing. I’m taking a tiny bit of each Sunday to spend a little time of my clothes, my makeup brushes and my bras. The investment of some time and elbow grease will prolong the lifetimes of these pieces in which I’ve invested.

Washing My Cashmere

I do love my cashmere sweaters, and it broke my heart when I pulled my favourite J Crew cashmere out for its first Fall outing and found two little holes chewed into the front. Cashmere is beautiful, soft, delicate….and a favourite meal of moths everywhere. The best way to prevent such damage is to wash your cashmere when needed (especially when any food products have spilled on your clothes).

Dry cleaning will leave your cashmere a little stiffer, a little weaker and is not very environmentally friendly, so try hand washing your cashmere using these easy steps…

Step 1

Fill a sink with cool water and baby shampoo. Soak your cashmere for five minutes

Step 2

Drain the sink and gently (very, very gently) squeeze out the soapy water. Rinse under cool running water for a few minutes until all of the soap is gone. The key here is not to wring, not to twist, but just to squeeze.

Step 3

Lay your sweater out on a clean towel, doing up any buttons, and adjusting its shape. Roll the towel up and squeeze (again with the gentle squeezing!).

Step 4

Unroll and place the slightly drier sweater out on another clean towel. Leave this out over night and in the morning you will have a clean, dry cashmere sweater that is even softer than before your started this process.

Wash Your Brushes

While you’re busy being all Domestic Diva,  fill the sink again with warm water and a squirt of baby shampoo and give your makeup brushes a wash. I was having some nasty breakouts, and started washing my brushes semi-weekly, resulting in fewer zits. It’s so simple, takes only 10 minutes and really makes a difference.

One tip; lay your brushes flat to dry (rather than sticking them standing up as you might). They’ll end up with a better shape, and the caps will be less likely to rust if they’re made of metal.

Wash Your Bras

Yo, good bras are not cheap, and good bras become more and more important as we age. If I want to continue to wear my lovely cashmere sweaters (see above), I need some quality support. I make annual pilgrimages to the bra boutique in my neighbourhood and am fitted each year (bra size is as fickle as waist size and weight!), and drop a not-insignficant chunk of change on my bras, so I’ve resolved to take good care of them.

At my last fitting, the sales associate told me that to ensure the longest possible life for my brassieres, I should be washing them after every wearing. WHAT?? Turns out our body’s oils start eating away at the elastic and lace right away, and should be rinsed out asap. It’s a simple little new year’s resolution, but I’ve started hand washing the week’s bras every Sunday afternoon, and it has surprised me how much easier Monday is with a drawer full of pretty underthings.

For these delicates, I use 2 capfuls of Forever New in my bathroom sink (I imagine you could use baby shampoo for this, too, but I’ve been using Forever New for years and love the scent). Soak five minutes, rinse under cool water and air dry. I throw them over the shower curtain rod overnight (which absolutely mortifies my kids, so there’s that for a fun added bonus!) For the love of all that is lacy and pretty, never put your bras in the dryer.

Three little things, but they save me money, make my skin better and let me tackle Monday mornings feeling organized and pretty. What more could I ask for?