Household Hacks: Removing Pilling

I'm sure we've all dealt with those nasty fuzz balls on our clothing. I can try my very hardest to keep a piece of clothing nice but somehow my knits always end up pilling. I almost decided it would be easier to hand wash and dry everything that might possibly end up that way! Since being a housewife/ mom, I've realized the importance of reading labels and following the original washing instructions, as it is entirely up to me to ensure our clothing is washed properly. Okay. I confess. I don't follow the instructions to a T, because I prefer washing with cold water and there's no way I'm dividing up my clothes into several itty bitty loads just to comply with manufacturer recommendations. But as far as hand washing, line drying, or laying flat to dry, I pay attention. Sure there are times I miss a certain piece while digging through the dirty laundry pile, but ya know, that's life, sometimes unfortunately.

Maxi skirts are the worst. My husband officially decided he didn't like them because after a couple wears they look like trash. I've had a few in my day and have tried several different washing methods, but somehow after a couple wears, they do end up looking like trash! I have one maxi dress and one skirt that somehow have been spared thus far, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they stay nice. I think there are some cheaper versions of the maxi skirt, and some more high end, and the more expensive "higher-end" ones that I own are the ones that have stayed nice. Anyway.

 

I also have a sweater. It's one of the few pieces of non-maternity clothing I've bought in all the years being married (I admit... but there really aren't good clothing stores here!). Aaron loves this sweater, and he compliments me on it every time I wear it! But it had the same problem when I bought it (yes, second-hand), in that it was all pilly. I ignored it for awhile but then one day decided it indeed looked nasty and I was going to do something about it. 

There are several methods to removing the lint balls, but pulling them by hand really doesn't leave you with a neat looking outfit, plus it takes a lot of time and frustration. So the method I used - which totally makes sense - was a razor. I mean, what else do you use to remove unwanted fuzz? Just sayin'. 

Because of the tool involved, I'm going to include a disclaimer: please test in an inconspicuous area first. And work slowly. Just in case. Certain materials may be more prone to snagging than others. Now that my hands are free from blame if you happen to cut a hole in your garment, I'll also add I've never had tears happen while using a razor to remove pills. But be careful. 

I found that it worked best to run the razor across the material with the grain. It was more efficient that way, and left much neater results. After shaving off the pills, I used my lint roller (which was invented in my birthtown of Flint, Michigan, by the way), to pick up the shavings. It's much easier to use a lint roller or something sticky than trying to brush them off with your hands.

I couldn't believe the difference it made having the pills removed. It's so smooth it almost looks new again. I'm very happy with the results, so I'll call this household hack a success. 

Household Hacks: Getting Wax Out of Fabric

I like the look of a tablecloth, but rarely take the time to actually put them to use. A few weeks ago however, I pulled one out in an effort to step up the class of our in-home anniversary dinner and provide a more romantic feel. I decided this was going to be one time I didn't mess up a tablecloth, and tried extra hard to be neat. It sure is difficult to pay attention to a piece of material on the table though (especially when you have such a hunk of a man sitting beside you!), and after the first scoop of lasagna ended up leaving some behind (I cringed), and then a forkful of my food didn't quite all make it into my mouth, I quickly abandoned the idea and relaxed for the remainder of the meal. But at the end of the evening when it came time to blow out the candles, I saw that one of them had just started dripping wax. Onto the tablecloth. Now that, I knew, wasn't the least bit washable. I figured I'd better at least check and see if there was any way possible to take the wax out after I scraped the majority off, because it was an automatic ruin if I stuck it in the washer as is. Google to the rescue! I tried the first suggestion I found. 

Here's what it said to do: Heat your iron to the warmest setting your fabric type can handle. Place a brown paper sack over the wax spot and iron over top of the sack. The grease from the wax will transfer onto the paper! Keep moving the sack until you don't see any grease when ironing. After that you can just plop it into the washing machine, launder as normal, and you're good to go!

So that's what I did. I examined the tablecloth after pulling it out of the dryer. I knew the wax was in the corner with the tag, so I figured it'd be a fairly easy find. After some searching I located a slightly darker spot and assumed that was where the candle had been. It was satisfactory. Not too noticeable in my opinion. This morning going through my before and after pictures I realized that darker spot didn't match up with where the wax had dripped, so I spent a few more minutes in detective mode and I still can't find the greasy wax spots. What I thought was leftover wax before I realized today was actually a lasagna stain. In my excitement to see if I could successfully remove candle wax residue, I forgot to use stain remover on the bits of food. Oops. 

I'd say this method works. Just don't forget about the other stains before sticking your material in the washer.

Whats for dinner tonight: I don't know yet. Going to be out of town with the husband later this afternoon.