I suppose I should preface this post by saying that no, this trick will not remove that ketchup stain from that silk-cashmere-ascot-thing that you ruined at that barbeque last summer. Sorry. This is more of a dry way of freshening up things that shouldn’t be washed too often. Like my down sweater. I love it dearly, but it’s started to take on a bit of a funky… funk. Guess that happens when you wear something seven days a week for four months. Whoops. Anyhow, you definitely can wash down, but you shouldn’t do it too often because it causes the down to break down.
All you have to do is mix a bit of baking soda (USA / Canada) with a few drops of essential oil and sprinkle the mixture on top of the offending areas of the item. For my down sweater, this was the inner underarm area (sexy, I know). Let it sit overnight. Then, shake it out (I recommend over the bathtub/in the shower), and wipe off any remaining dusties with a slightly damp cloth. Voila!
This is a good idea–but as for your down sweater, it’s actually a good idea to wash it a lot! This is a big misconception about down (I work at an outdoor retailer and have spent a lot of time educating people about outerwear.)
In order to maintain its natural loft, you want to keep the down from getting weighed down by dirt and oil. If you’re wearing it a lot, this will naturally settle into the feathers and reduce the loft.
Wash your down garments/sleeping bag/etc. in a front-loading washing machine with down wash (http://tinyurl.com/7jkcrsh) and dry them on low with a couple of clean tennis balls to fluff them up. Believe me, regular washing *extends* the life of down items.
Thanks, Ellen! I did a bit of extra research and it sounds like I was taking the “don’t wash too frequently” a bit too seriously. I think the person that told me that meant “don’t wash it every week” not “only wash it when it smells so bad it is unwearable”! I think I will go give the ol’ Nitrous a good washing now. Thanks for the correction 🙂
My mother was ‘thrifty’ and would rarely let my dry clean my clothes, so she made me do this, something I’ve been doing for many years to freshen woolens and jackets that are not really dirty. Put them in a dryer with a wet, wrung-out washcloth. But don’t use a hot setting, only warm, and only for 20 minutes. Hang them up immediately so you don’t have any wrinkles!
Fantastic tip, Sylvia! I’ll be sure to give this a try 🙂 Not only is dry cleaning expensive, but the chemicals they use are all kinds of suspicious. Yuck!
I’m a bit concerned about the essential oil… Does it not leave any type of oil stain?
You can definitely skip the essential oil if you’re worried about it 🙂