Clothing Care

Rollasoles Remedy High Heel Pain

August 29, 2009 07:35 AM | Comments (2) | Posted in shoes, advice, clothing care

What: The excruciating pain from walking home in heels after a late night out might finally be a thing of the past. Or at least that’s the hope of a new UK shoe company called Rollasole, which has produced a rolled-up ballet flat sold in vending machines at bars across England for just $8. The shoes aren’t for sales in the States just yet, but the company’s founder says he plans to start stocking the flats in Los Angeles nightclubs sometime in September.

What They Say:
“He [Rollasole founder Matt Horan] came up with the idea after one too many nights out which finished with him giving his girlfriend a piggyback home to save her soles.”

What We Say: We’re fans of anything that promises to save our feet from pain, and the $8 price tag makes Rollasoles an even better deal. The shoes themselves don’t look too bad either, although we can’t help but wonder: Would you wear shoes that came out of a vending machine?

Transform and Re-purpose

April 27, 2009 06:00 PM | Comments (0) | Posted in look for less, do it yourself, clothing care

The Budget Fashionista gets crafty, and wants to inspire you to mend, transform and re-purpose your old blah and broken clothes.

Invest in a glue gun: for less than $5, this handy tool helped us make floral hair pins, pasties, brooches, and fix anything from shoes, hems, missing sequins, and mugs. (This Stanley HotMelt Glue Gun is only $3.99, and this low-temp glue gun with 3 sticks of glue is only $4.99.)

Floral pins, eh? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make a surprisingly trendy flower pins for your hair.

Change your shoes: We all have old shoes that’re getting way too boring to keep wearing. All you need are old clip on earrings, or a hunt through the bargain bin at your craft store.

Get some ideas on what to do with an old table cloth.

For a slightly more complicated project, consider updating your old winter coat. Check out the awesome reader suggestions, such as adding a belt, replacing buttons, and sewing or cutting shoulder pads.

Learn More About Your Clothes: Clothing Terminology, Symbols on Tags, International Sizes

April 15, 2009 06:59 AM | Comments (4) | Posted in international clothing size, clothing care

In case you missed it: ever feel like clothing terminology is all gobbledygook? What do all the technical terms, symbols and numbers mean? Learn a little more about the clothes you own, so you can put a name to your favorite style top, understand how to take care of your best silks, and more.

America, France, the UK, Japan and Italy all use different numbers to identify sizes, and there are three different shoe size charts across the globe. We posted our own version of the International Size Conversion Chart - simplified.

Need the perfect word to describe your favorite top? Maybe its a chemise, jewel neck top, surplice top, or tunic. What’s a column skirt, or a bouffant gown? Check out our huge glossary of different style tops, and different style bottoms.

Don’t be puzzled by the symbols on your clothing tag: we have a cool link to a guide to common household and drycleaning symbols.

Dry Cleaner’s Secret, Around $20 for a 14-Count Box

October 3, 2007 08:23 PM | Comments (0) | Posted in product review, clothing care, Product Review, dry cleaning, dry cleaner's secret

What: Angela takes the “Dry Cleaner’s Secret” home dry cleaning cloth for a spin (in the dryer, that is).

The Lowdown: We all have it - that pile of clothes in dry cleaning limbo, that need to be taken in but don’t quite make it because A) we don’t have time, or B) we don’t want to spare the extra arm or leg required to cover the cost. Even so, home dry cleaning products seem risky - what if it doesn’t work or worse, ruins your favorite blouse?

Fortunately, that didn’t happen here. The product is simple - a cleaning cloth that you toss in the dryer with three or four garments, 20 minutes on medium heat, and you’re done. Spot cleaning is easy, too - dab with the cleaning cloth until the stain is gone, then proceed as directed. My clothes came out clean, fresh-smelling, and mostly wrinkle-free (ironing might still be necessary for some items). One caution: the spot cleaning worked best on light stains - I’d still only entrust heavy spots and smudges to the pros.

Yea or Nay: For weekly, general dry cleaning needs it’s a definite yea, and at about a buck and a half per cloth, way cheaper than the dry cleaners.

Buy It: @ Wal-Mart, Walgreens, CVS, RiteAid. Want to snag a free sample first? Click here.

How to Clean Thrift Store Clothing

September 21, 2005 08:16 PM | Comments (6) | Posted in salvation army, clothing care, thrift store, used clothes, clothes washing

There’s nothing I like more than a shopping spree at my local Salvation Army. I never really paid much attention to disinfecting the garments, until I learned that a fashion editor friend of mine received a nasty infection from not cleaning her thrift store purchases properly. This tool gives you tips on cleaning and disinfecting your thrift store purchases.

Never, ever, wear a thrift store purchase without first cleaning the garment(s). In most cases it’s best to send the item to the dry cleaners for cleaning. The to dry clean garments kills pretty much every germ imaginable.

If the garment can’t be or your just too broke to afford a high cleaning bill, then wash the garment once in the hottest water possible, with a cap full of Pine Sol or other disinfectant and then a second time with a table spoon of baking soda (to remove the Pine Sol smell). Test the disinfectant on the garment prior to washing to make sure the chemicals don’t stain or otherwise damage the clothing. Dry the garment in your dryer at the highest possible heat.

For shoes, jewelry, and other accessories, wipe the piece down with rubbing alcohol (test a small area to make sure it doesn’t damage the piece) or spray with Lysol disinfect spray. This might not completely disinfect the garment, but it will kill some germs.