When the world is melting and all seems lost, let’s look for small solutions…

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.

Front page of The Age today

Front page of The Age today

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:

Vodka in plastic spray bottle

Vodka in plastic spray bottle

Febreeze spray

Febreeze spray

 

Resolve spray

Resolve spray

Black sequin dress

Black sequin dress

 

 

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.

 

 

 

3 thoughts on “When the world is melting and all seems lost, let’s look for small solutions…

  1. You can’t beat StainGo for removing small spots on clothing (in most instances it is not necessary to wash and/or dry clean after a little spray on the spot – it just magically disappears) you may need to dab lightly with a damp cloth. 🙂

    “Most other stain removers are harsh chemical solvents with a bleaching action. StainGo®, however, is gentle, effective, non-toxic, biodegradable and, most importantly,it is bleach free.

    StainGo® does not contain inorganic alkaline salts, butyl or chlorinated solvents, bleaches, phosphates, borates or nitrates because the scientists who developed StainGo® believe in being kind to fabrics so they last longer and look just as good as the day you bought them. Clever and kind! Effective and gentle!……

    http://www.staingo.com/

    • I would try Baby Wipes! These can remove the most unimaginable stains… They are a TV wardrobe stylists best friend – that’s where I picked up that tip – way back when…Let me know if it works for you! Cheers, Jen.

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