IT'S RAINING AGAIN.......

Where oh where is the Summer? This is supposed to be 'Flaming June'! I'm really fed up with this weather now and I'm someone who doesn't like the Summer! Come on give us a break and let's have some sun and blue skies! And for longer than a week please! I haven't even put away my Winter clothes yet and the majority of my Summer clothes are wondering why they haven't seen the light of day yet! Well this week I am determined to get all my Winter clothes packed away and am confident that when I have done that the sun is going to show it's face for the rest of the Summer!!! So with that in mind here are some tips for those of you who will be doing the same job as me this week....


BEFORE YOU PUT IT AWAY......

BOOTS

Ideally any repairs that need doing should be done before you put your boots away for the Summer! Another good tip is to coat them in polish, but do not rub it off, as the polish feeds and protects the leather during the Summer months. Another must is to store them with wooden boot trees or stuffed with newspaper in the foot and plastic trees for the legs,as this keeps them in good shape and stops horrible creases around the ankles!


SHOES

Leather shoes that get a lot of wear will benefit from being stored for the Summer with untreated shoe trees. Untreated shoe trees will absorb sweat and dampness from the leather but plastic or varnished shoe trees are not absorbent. If your shoes have a watermark line on the leather, rub it with a cut potato and then polish to remove the mark. Hairspray will take pen marks out of leather items.


HATS

Hats can be stored one inside the other with the widest brim at the bottom inside a big hatbox. Be very vigilant for moths as they love felt and fur hats! If a hat gets out of shape, reshape it over the steam from a kettle.


KNITWEAR

Shave bobbles off knitwear with a sharp razor or buy one of those special battery operated de-bobbling gadgets. Handwash your cashmere before storing for the Summer, I find dry cleaning it can make it go hard! The best way to get excess water out after washing is to roll it up in a towel and press down on it really hard and then to dry flat. If you add a capful of vinegar to your final rinse for woollens it will make them more fluffy!


BRAS

Remember to put your bras inside the leg of an old stocking before you pop them into the washing machine, as this protects them from being twisted. Underwired bras are finished with little plastic caps, so don't wash or dry on high temperatures as the caps will melt and the wires will poke through the fabric!


HANGERS

If you store your clothes by hanging rather than storing flat, remember to use the correct hanger for the garment. It is always a good idea to store all knitwear flat, hanging will cause stretching and the shoulders to become misshapen, if you must hang then use a padded hanger. For coats and jackets use hangers with wide, shaped shoulders. For heavy skirts try and use padded clip hangers as these will not make horrible marks on the fabric. For suits always use a proper suit hanger with padded clips.

I know all this seems a lot of trouble to go to but your clothes will always look better if they are stored correctly. And also if you have spent a lot of money on something you want it to last!


So next week will be sunshine all round!!!!!! Here's hoping!!!! Fingers crossed!!!!!