Taking Care of Your AC Styles

We want the styles you love to last for seasons to come! Here are some helpful tips for taking care of fabrics to extend the life of your wardrobe!

 

Tips for hand washing at home:

1) Always wash like colors together.

2) Fill a bowl/sink with a gentle detergent.

3) Let garment sit in water for about an hour, swirling it around a few times (we know you're busy...set a timer if needed!)

4) Remove garment from water and gently squeeze excess water from clothes.

5) Dry flat on drying rack or hang to dry.

*In a pinch, use the "hand wash" or "gentle" cycle on your washing machine. If using a "gentle" cycle, be sure to turn off the spin part of the cycle. This is key for any pieces that require hand washing! The spin cycle causes the fabric fibers to shrink/tighten...no good.

 

Tips for washing pants at home:

1) Wash pants only when necessary (game changer)! Consider washing them twice each season, plus an additional wash before putting them away when switching out your closet to a new season. 

2) To give your pants a little refresh, toss them in the dryer (without previously washing them) for an "air dry" cycle.

3) Be sure to turn denim inside out prior to washing to preserve the blue dye.

 

Tips for removing stubborn stains:

1) Wet a cloth with cold water and add a drop of dish detergent to the wet cloth.

2) Place a dry cloth under the stain on the garment. 

3) Using the wet cloth with detergent, press on the stain over an over, saturating the stain and encouraging it to lift out of the fabric. Try not to rub the stain too vigorously to avoid damaging the fabric. If the stain is large, apply detergent directly to stain.

4) Allow the detergent to sit on the stain anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight before washing.

5) For stubborn stains (including arm pit stains), consider a mixture of dish detergent and oxyclean/baking soda. For blood stains, hydrogenperoxide works wonders.  

 

Tips for fixing clothes that have shrunk:

1) Fill a sink or tub with lukewarm water and add a capful of hair conditioner. 

2) Soak for at least 30 minutes in order for the fibers to begin to loosen.

3) When the time is up, remove the garment from the water and gently squeeze excess water, but do not rinse.

4) Lay the garment on a towel and roll the towel with the garment inside, squeezing to release additional water until the garment is damp.

5) Lay the garment on a dry towel and begin gently stretching it back to its preshrunk size.

6) Allow the garment to air dry.

 

No two fabrics are the same! Here are some highlights of what makes each fabric unique!

Cotton: easy to wash but can be prone to shrinking; machine or hand wash in cold water and avoid drying it in high heat

Linen: easy to wash but can be prone to shrinking and wrinkling; machine or hand wash in cold water and air dry (never use a dryer when caring for linen)

Nylon: easy to wash but can be prone to static; skip the dryer as air drying can help prevent static

Polyester: easy to wash and can be dried on medium or low heat

Rayon/Viscose: always hand wash or machine wash on cold (if machine washed, be sure to avoid spin cycle!)

Spandex: easy to wash but must be dried on low or air dry; not bleach tolerant