I’ve got two reason to post this Blog. One is selfish. And one is because I got so depressed reading the front page of The Age today about methane gasses leaking from the Artic’s melting permafrost that I’d like to offer something in the way of environmental advice. Something, anything… even if it does seem trivial. Because now it really DOES feel like the sky is falling in, Chicken Licken.
What sparked the inspiration was a visit to the dry-cleaners just then. I handed over a pale blue dress with a few make-up stains and as I walked away, checked the docket. TWENTY-TWO DOLLARS FIFTY! FOR ONE DRESS!!! Okay, yes, the dress IS silk, but seriously – twenty-two dollars fifty?? Prices are going up plus I’m supporting a business that uses highly toxic chemicals. I was fuming with the dry-cleaners and myself as I drove off.
Then I remembered. I’d conducted an experiment several weeks ago and hadn’t found time to Blog it. Now is the perfect opportunity. Here’s a way to SLASH your dry-cleaning bills AND do the environment a favour. (By the way, did you know there are also reports that wearing clothes with dry-cleaning chemicals can contribute to infertility problems?)
I’d heard a tip that spraying vodka on clothes eliminates the smell of body odour. So I thought I’d try it out. After all, how many times do you take clothes to the cleaners purely because of a foul stench rather than actual dirt stains? So I bought a cheap one dollar plastic spray bottle from the supermarket, along with two other commercial detergent sprays to conduct a home test and compare results.
Here are the three test bottles:
I picked a heavy sequined cocktail dress that would normally cost a fortune to refresh at the dry-cleaners and a black jacket that is worn frequently so is a bit whiffy, but unstained. Once sprayed, you can just hang items on the washing line or in the laundry to dry and take a sniff the next day… And you’ve guess the result – right?
YES, THE VODKA WINS HANDS DOWN!!
YIPEE!!!!!!!
The other two commercial products did not neutralise the smell of body odour nearly as effectively as the vodka. As well, they left a residual smell of something floral or chemical that was a little unpleasant. Since then, I’ve tried the vodka spray on other family members clothes. Sometimes you may need to dish out a second dousing of vodka if the whiffy smell is particularly strong]. But hey, that’s a helluva lot better than a visit to the dry-cleaners. It’s just a shame the vodka doesn’t also clean off make-up spots…
Still, I’m thrilled I remembered my little vodka experiment and hope this saves you some dosh on your dry-cleaning bills. And I’m not at all unhappy if it means a couple of extra trips to Dan Murphy’s to stock up on vodka. That’ll beat a visit to the dry-cleaners any day.