Category Archives: Clothing Care and Stain Removal

How to Care for your Clothing and Tips, Ideas, How-to Remove stains from your t-shirts and clothing

How to Get Bubble Gum Out of Your T-Shirt or Clothing

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Getting bubble gum out of clothing can look like a difficult prospect. But, without making an attempt to remove it, the bubble gum will ruin the article of clothing. Bubble gum creates such a mess in clothing that it would be difficult to wear any item while it still has gum on it. There are a number of ways to get bubble gum out of clothing, so if one method doesn’t work for you, simply try another.

One of the most popular methods for removing gum is to use the freezing method. This requires the use of ice cubes and a knife in order to get the gum out of the fabric. To use this method, hold at least one ice cube up to the gum for several minutes. Keep applying the ice until the gum is frozen all the way through. Then, it is just a matter of breaking apart the frozen gum. Once the gum has been frozen, it will act like any other frozen substance and should be easy to break apart.

If there is a large area of gum on the t-shirt or piece of clothing, you might try shattering the gum against a hard object and then using the knife to scrape away the remaining gum from the fabric. If the area of gum is fairly small, jus t use the knife to break away the gum. This can take some time to get all of the particles scraped away, but it is generally a very effective method.

Another way to get the gum out is to use peanut butter to separate the gum from the fabric. This has the potential to stain the garment, however. To use peanut butter, use a knife to scrape the gum while pressing peanut butter into it. This will cause the bubble gum to lose its ability to stick to the fabric. It will begin falling off as it becomes affected by the oils in the peanut butter.

Vinegar can also be used to get the gum out of the article of clothing. To use vinegar, pour some into a cup and heat it up in a microwave. Get it good and hot through not boiling. Use a small brush or a toothbrush to apply the vinegar to the bubble gum. Dip it straight into the vinegar and use it to brush the gum with the substance to remove the gum. Keep dipping the brush into the vinegar and brushing it into the gum. If the vinegar cools off to room temperature, reheat it again in the microwave.

Some people apply liquid laundry detergent to bubble gum and then rub it into the gum. This can be done with a brush or with the fingers. Once the liquid has mixed with the bubble gum, scrape the mixture away from the fabric. This will be a slow process but it will not stain the fabric the way that bubble gum can. Using a fingernail or a pair of tweezers may make it easier to remove the last few pieces of bubble gum when using this method.

How to Sew a Patch on Your T-Shirt

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A patch can be used for any number of different things on a t-shirt. It may be a way to add a little bit of visual interest to the t-shirt. It may be required in order to make the t-shirt ready for a club meeting or a sports match. It may also be needed in order to fix a hole in the t-shirt. A patch can be sewn on using a sewing machine, or it can be done by hand.

For a small patch, it may be easier to simply use a needle and thread than to drag out the sewing machine. To get started, choose the exact spot that your patch will occupy and choose how it will be oriented. This will save you from having a crooked patch later. To keep the patch in its proper position, tape it in place until at least part of it has been sewn onto the t-shirt. Putting some double stick tape between the patch and the t-shirt will hold it in place easily.

Once you have it oriented correctly and held in place, thread your needle. The thread color should match the color of the patch. If the patch has many colors, match the thread to the color of the patch around the edges. Many patches have thread around the edges to keep them from fraying. That is the area that you will be sewing, so the thread should be the same color as this edging thread.

Start from the back and push the needle through the t-shirt from the inside and then through the patch. Keep the stitches small and even and at the very edges of the patch in order to get the best-looking results. If you have double-sided tape between the t-shirt and the patch, remove it before you sew the final stitches through the patch. If it’s left behind, the patch it could bunch up and create a rumpled look for the patch.

If the patch is large or it’s very thick, you may find it easier to use a sewing machine. When using a machine to attach the patch, make sure that the arm of the machine has only one layer of the t-shirt together. It is possible to sew two portions of the t-shirt together, such as closing up an armhole, if the shirt isn’t arranged carefully. When using a machine, just about any type of stitch will do as long as the stitches are close to the edge of the patch.

If you are using the patch to cover a hole in the t-shirt fabric, taping the hole closed from the inside of the t-shirt will make it easier to keep the fabric flat and the t-shirt from warping. If the fabric is left gaping under the patch, the entire t-shirt will look slightly warped and the patched area will have ripples around it. If the hole is large, it may be necessary to apply tape to the hole from the inside and then to make a few stitches right through the tape. The tape can be removed later by cutting it away from the thread.

How to Remove Mold From Your T-Shirt

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Mold spores are always in the air, and they are always searching for ways to begin growing on any surface. When something is wet for a prolonged period of time, those spores start to infiltrate the item and will soon begin growing mold. Mold can be extremely dangerous for those with mold allergies, and it can plague the sinuses and noses of those who aren’t. It also leaves unsightly stains on t-shirts that can be difficult to remove. But, with a little work, many moldy t-shirts can be made free of mold and ready to wear.

There are a few easy-to-find, inexpensive substances that are extremely useful for getting rid of mold. One of these is vinegar. Specifically, white vinegar is a strong chemical for getting rid of many types of stains, but it will not stain your clothes. It is one of the best and most natural substances for killing mold and restoring a t-shirt.

White vinegar can be used in the washing machine to get rid of small amounts of mold. It can be poured directly into the wash along with the detergent, or it can be added on its own during the rinse cycle. It will also get rid of the smell that mold can leave behind on clothes even after the mold has been removed.

If there is a lot of mold on the t-shirt, getting rid of as much mold as possible before the t-shirt is washed can help the vinegar to be more effective. To do this, use a small scrub brush outdoors to brush away the mold. If this is done inside, it can adversely affect the health of those in the home by putting the mold into the air. Once the mold has been scrubbed away, you can leave the t-shirt lying in the sun. This will allow the heat of the sun to kill the spores that remain on the shirt.

Once this has been done, the t-shirt can be put into the washer and washed with vinegar. It may take more than one washing cycle to completely get rid of the remaining mold stain and the moldy smell. If any of the mold persists, you may have to choose a harsher substance to get rid of the mold.

Ordinary laundry bleach is another effective substance against mold, but only if the t-shirt is white. If the t-shirt is another color, it will likely be ruined by using bleach.. If the mold is heavy, it should be brushed away outdoors before using the bleach. To use it, just let the t-shirt soak in bleach for about 10 minutes. Then, rinse the t-shirt and let it dry outdoors in the sun. Once it has dried, add it to the laundry and wash it as usual. Use a little white vinegar in the wash if the mold smell remains on the shirt.

If the mold spot is small, try soaking just the moldy portion of the t-shirt in bleach before it’s washed. This will cause less damage to the t-shirt but will remove the offending mold from the fabric.

How to Salvage Smoke Damaged T-Shirts and Clothing

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There are many items that simply can’t be saved from smoke damage. Luckily, t-shirts clothing doesn’t have to be one of them. Depending on the degree of smoke damage to an item of clothing, it may be able to be salvaged by giving it some special care.

The first thing to do is to figure out which items of clothing can be salvaged and which ones can’t. There may be a few pieces that are so heavily damaged that no amount of care can save them. If the entire garment is covered in soot and it’s difficult to tell what the item originally looked like, it may be too late to save that particular garment.

Clothing that has light smoke damage may benefit from a spray with a fabric odor spray. These are often made with cornstarch and lift odors out of the fabric and allow them to evaporate along with the liquid in the spray. Try spraying lightly-damaged items and then washing them with a color-safe bleach to remove the odor of smoke.

Some clothing may have a little more smoke damage but may just need a vigorous washing in hot water to make it look the way it did before. A garment that has a strong smoky smell but that doesn’t have a lot of soot on it may be salvaged by washing the item on the fastest washing cycle in hot water. Use a heavy-duty detergent and use a pre-treatment soak before putting it into the laundry.

For items that are in worse condition, try pre-treating the item for a longer period of time and then rinsing the items several times before washing them. It may be necessary to wash these items three or four times to remove the soot and the smell of smoke from them. To help the smell come out of the clothing more easily, add a half a cup of baking soda in with the washing detergent. This will help to absorb some of the smell and to wash it away. Don’t dry the clothing until you’ve gotten out all of the soot that you can.

Chlorine bleach is helpful for whites that have smoke damage. This is an effective way to get both the smell of smoke and the residue of it out of white clothing. Soak the items in bleach in the bathtub or in a sink. After a few minutes, rinse the bleach from the garments and make sure that most of the soot has been rinsed away. After this step, the items can be put into a washing machine with a little more bleach added to the load if needed.

If the clothing has severe damage to it but you want to try to salvage it, try a fire restoration service. These services specialize in restoring smoke and fire damaged items to their best possible condition. There are also some dry cleaners that can provide smoke-damage care to clothing. There is an ozone treatment process that can get small particles of smoke out of clothing without damaging the fibers. Call local dry cleaners and find one that can provide this treatment.

How to Care for Vintage T-Shirts and Clothing

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Vintage clothing requires special care for many reasons. Because vintage items are older, they may have fabrics that have been weakened over time. This means that the standard way that you care for your other clothing may be too harsh for your vintage items. It’s also hard to replace vintage items, making it even more important to take care of the ones you have.

To keep your vintage items in their best condition, practice preventative care. This means being careful when you wear them and wearing them to the right occasions. An outdoor occasion or one where there will be a lot of children may not be the best place to wear your vintage items. You should also take care not to wipe your hands on your vintage clothing. You may have unconsciously done this with newer clothing, but vintage clothing requires more deliberate care.

The seams of vintage clothing are their most vulnerable areas, so you should be prepared to sew up the occasional seam or hem on these items. Carry some thread with you if you are wearing vintage items, and always make sure you have plenty of thread colors if you love to wear vintage pieces.

After you have worn your vintage t-shirt or other item, take it off and turn it inside out. This will allow you sweat to dry from the garment before it has a chance to set into the fabric. This will minimize the staining that can be done by sweat and will allow you to treat the garment more delicately when it’s time to wash it.

Once your sweat has dried from the garment, wash it. Don’t leave the item of clothing lying around for any longer than is necessary. This will mean that if any stains have been left behind, they will be easier to remove than if they had days to settle in.

Always use the gentlest detergent you can and use the gentlest washing cycle possible. A slow washing machine cycle is best to use for vintage clothing, but hand washing the clothing is an even better idea. If you do use a washing machine, make sure you wash it with clothing that is colored as much like the vintage item as possible. This keeps the colors of different items from migrating on to the vintage item and discoloring it. If you can wash the item by itself in the machine, this will keep any competing inks from getting onto the vintage piece.

If an item has been worn once for a short time or even a couple of times for short periods of time, it might not need to be washed at all. If any sweat has evaporated and the item isn’t stained and doesn’t smell bad, it may not need washing. If possible, go without washing it and evaluate the need to wash it each time it has been worn. While a newer garment might be thrown into the laundry each time that it’s been worn, a vintage item will get a little weaker each time it is washed.

How to Remove Hair Color From a T-Shirt?

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Hair color can be extremely difficult to remove from any kind of surface. And unfortunately for t-shirt lovers, cotton is a particularly absorbent fabric and will soak up hair color very quickly. To be able to remove any of the hair color from a t-shirt, it will be necessary to move quickly and to keep attacking the stain until it’s gone. For some stains and with some t-shirt colors, it may not be possible to remove all of the hair color from the fabric.

The stain should first be blotted to remove as much of the hair color as possible. Once the hair color soaks into the fabric and dries, there will be little that can be done about the stain. Use a little rubbing alcohol to blot the hair color to remove it more easily. The hair color should be blotted until no more of it is coming away from the fabric.

If the t-shirt is white, some bleach can then be applied to it. If the shirt is a different color, bleach will only create a worse area of discoloration. A colored t-shirt can be treated by soaking the shirt in cold water and using a pre-treating liquid to try to lift the stain. If this doesn’t work, a little turpentine may help the hair color to come out. Before using turpentine on the t-shirt, test it on a small, out of the way spot of the fabric to make sure it will not strip the color out of the shirt.

A colored t-shirt may also respond well to nail polish remover to remove the stain. If the remover is applied with a cotton swab directly to the stain, it could lighten it enough to make it blend in with the rest of the shirt. This will not work well, of course, with a dark-colored t-shirt. This method should also be color-tested before being used.

If the t-shirt is black and the hair color was blonde or a color much lighter than the black of the shirt, there is no way to remove the stain and restore the black dye of the t-shirt. What needs to be done is to color over the stain to make it black again. This can be done easily with a permanent marker.

Color-safe bleach should be used to wash a colored t-shirt with. This will keep the color of the shirt while applying the maximum cleaning power to the stain. A white shirt will probably have to be washed in chlorine bleach to fully remove the stain.

Hydrogen peroxide or dye removers may work in some cases. Peroxide can be poured through the stain after a color-safe test has been done. It can also be dabbed in small amounts directly onto the hair color. Color removers are available in many drug stores and in grocery store laundry aisles, but they may leave a worse color behind. If a dark t-shirt has been stained with hair color, a color remover may cause more discoloration. These removers may work well with white or very light colored shirts. To use these, follow the directions on the box.

How to Get Rid of Static Cling on your T-Shirt

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Static cling is an unattractive and uncomfortable side effect of dry air. When an item is washed and dried in a drier, this can create the type of dry air that is perfect for static cling buildup. Sometimes, the dry air outdoors or in the house is what causes the static cling, and sometimes it’s a combination of environmental effects. But, there’s no reason to keep static cling in your clothing when there are many ways to be rid of it.

One of the easiest ways to eliminate, or to at least reduce, static cling on your t-shirt is to use dryer sheets. These are used for two purposes- to make clothing feel softer and to reduce the static cling that often results from using the dryer. These sheets are simply added to the laundry when the clothes are put into the dryer and then removed after the load of clothing is dry.

If you don’t want to use a fabric softening sheet, there are also liquid fabric softeners that can be added to the wash, and they sometimes have a similar effect of reducing the static cling. These are added at a specific time during the wash cycle as is directed by the label.

Apart from fabric softeners, there are other substances that can help to keep the cling away. One such item is talcum powder. A small amount of powder applied to the body or to the inside of clothes can keep the clothing from clinging to you or to other items of clothing. It also adds a fresh smell and can help keep clothing from being discolored by sweat.

Moisturizer is something that can be used in small amounts to stop static cling. A tiny dab of skin moisturizer can be rubbed on the inside of clothing to keep it from clinging. Or, it can be rubbed along the outside of an article of clothing to keep it from clinging to itself. To keep it from clinging to you, moisturize your skin with lotion just before putting on clothing.

There are a few products on the market that are made specifically for getting rid of static cling off your t-shirt or other clothes.. These work very quickly and are easy to use. A static cling spray can be sprayed directly onto the clothing while you are wearing it and the cling should cease immediately.

Hairspray is another inexpensive method of removing static from clothing. Spray clothing lightly with hairspray to get rid of static cling. For the best results from hairspray, use an aerosol spray and hold the can about two feet away from the garment when spraying it. Otherwise, too much hairspray will make your clothing too stiff for comfort.

Another spray to use to get rid of static on your t-shirt or clothes is spray starch. This is made to make clothing stiffer, and one of the side effects of this stiffness is less cling. It washes out of clothing easily and it will not stain the item. Follow the directions on the starch can for the best results.

How to Remove Rust Stains From Your T-Shirt

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Rust stains are the perfect way to ruin clothes- they are unsightly, difficult to get out and they are extremely noticeable on most t-shirt colors. It may be tempting to throw out a t-shirt that has rust stains on it, but there are ways to remove those stains and keep the t-shirt.

If the t-shirt is white, the stain is especially noticeable. But, it is also easier to get rid of. There are quite a few substances that will get rust stains out of a white t-shirt without staining the fabric. One of these is lemon juice. This ingredient is highly acidic and should be used in the smallest doses that will get the stain out. If a t-shirt is allowed to sit in large amounts of lemon juice for long periods of time, the fabric will be weakened and it may become stained.

To use lemon juice correctly, put the t-shirt into extremely hot water and then sprinkle the stained area with lemon juice. Rinse the t-shirt and then sprinkle it again if needed. This should remove any rust marks from a white t-shirt. It may also work for rust on a colored t-shirt, but it should be tested against the color to make sure it won’t change the color first. To do this, apply a few drops of lemon juice to the inside part of the hem and watch for any color change.

Lemon juice can also be used along with salt for rust stains that are more stubborn. The salt is sprinkled over the rust stain and the lemon juice is them rubbed into the area. This gives the lemon juice some friction and will remove larger, deeper stains that water and lemon juice alone. Once this has been done, rinse the stained area in hot water and use the salt and lemon juice again if any sign of the rust remains.

Another common household item that can be used against rust stains is called cream of tartar. This is a powdered substance found in the spice aisle of grocery stores. Usually used in dessert recipes, it can also be used to raise rust out of fabric. To use it, mix about a cup of water and three teaspoons of the powder together. Boil this mixture to create your stain fighter.

Place the stained area of t-shirt into the boiled mixture. You can also pour boiling water over the stained area and then sprinkle cream of tartar over it. Then, rinse it away with more boiling water. Try the colorfast test on a colored t-shirt to make sure it will not stain the shirt before using this method.

Another method is to use hydrogen peroxide on the stain. This can be done by dipping a cotton swab into the solution and then dabbing it onto the stain. You can let it sit for a few minutes or you might try brushing it into the fabric with an old toothbrush. Once the rust starts to fade, rinse the peroxide away and wash the t-shirt as you normally would.

At What Temperature Do T-Shirts Shrink

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Shrinking T-shirts is a fact of life. We have all done it at one time or another. If not, our turn to shrink a T-shirt is coming. In fact, all T-shirts, when they are new, will shrink a certain amount. That is a fact of life and something to keep in mind when you are purchasing a new T-shirt. Never buy a T-shirt that just fits or fits perfectly because after that first wash, it no longer will. Expect shrinkage from 1 to 5 percent of the original size for 100% cotton T-shirts. If your T-shirt is a blend of different types of fabric, there will be much less, if any, shrinkage.

T-shirts shrink more extensively at higher temperatures. In fact if you want to shrink a T-shirt, wash it in the hottest water setting on your washer and dry it at the highest heat temperature of the dryer. This combination will ensure maximum shrinkage. Hot water for the purposes of shrinking a T-shirt is 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything below this is simply considered warm water. In fact the optimal T-shirt washing temperature is 110 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Most people use higher temperatures while doing laundry to try and get out stains, however treating stains individually is much more effective.

If you want to avoid shrinkage, use cold water for washing and low heat for drying. If you must use hot water for stain removal, opt for warm instead of hot. You may also want to consider hanging T-shirts to dry instead of using the dryer too as it is even better for those wanting minimum shrinkage. The sad part about it is that if you shrink a T-shirt, it is practically impossible to unshrink it. You may be able to regain a little of the size but for the most part, the damage is done.

If you happen to be unfortunate enough to shrink a T-shirt that you did not want to shrink, you can replace it quickly and easily. By ordering a custom-made T-shirt, you can recreate the exact design in the size, color, weight and style that you want. Your new T-shirt will even be better than the original one, because you can change anything about it that you want. Just be sure you opt for a good quality pre-shrunk cotton when ordering your new custom-made T-shirt to avoid shrinkage issues.

The great thing about custom-made T-shirts is the versatility of choice you have in them. You really can replace a favorite T-shirt that you inadvertently shrunk without anyone being the wiser. You can even have T-shirts made about shrinkage. You can have them printed with sayings like:
–    Shrinkage sucks
–    Shrunken T-shirts are hot
–    I heart shrinking tees
–    I’m working on shrinking
–    Just add hot water for a tighter tee
–    I am 5% smaller than I was one wash ago
–    Pre-shrunk T-shirts rock
–    Don’t shrink me
–    Honey, I shrunk the T-shirt

Get your custom-made T-shirt today and solve the problem of shrinkage at any temperature.

How To Remove Odor From T-Shirts

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Odors appear in fabrics for a number of reasons. If a person sweats profusely in a T-shirt, that shirt can hold the odor of the sweat. In certain workplaces, there are a variety of chemical odors, food odors or other scents that seem to weave their way into the fabric of a T-shirt and stay there. There are even times when you buy a T-shirt and notice a chemical odor on it that worries you. Unfortunately, you can wash these items over and over but still smell the offending odor, especially when the T-shirt is dry.

Therefore it is very important to many people to be able to remove odors from T-shirts. Luckily there are a variety of techniques that you can try in order to accomplish this goal, all of them being rather easy to do and inexpensive. These techniques however are much more than simply using a nice smelling detergent and fabric softener. Removing odors from T-shirts can take time and multiple steps like when you are removing stains.

When you first discover that your T-shirts have an odor, hang them outside to air out. Just doing this alone can make a huge difference to the smell of your clothes. This is also a good technique to do with new clothes that have a chemical smell. Afterwards, wash them with a cup or more of vinegar added to the wash water in addition to the laundry detergent. To dry, hang them outside again. A pre-soak in sodium bicarbonate and water is also another good odor remover. Another odor booster to add to your wash cycle is a cup of Borax and regular washing soda. Let the clothes sit for several hours or even overnight before washing. This is great on odors but not on the stains that are often the cause of them.

Sodium bicarbonate and vinegar are very effective at getting rid of odors because they do not mask the odor, as a scented laundry detergent might. The chemical reaction caused by their use actually neutralizes the odor. You may use either of these laundry boosters to deal with odors or you may use one at the beginning of the wash cycle and the other during the rinse cycle. However, if you try to use them both at the same time, they will counteract each other.

If you happen to be unlucky enough to get an unpleasant odor in your T-shirt that you cannot get out, the best thing to do is to toss out the shirt and get a new one. If you order a custom-made T-shirt you can get one identical to the one that you cannot get clean. People will never know the difference. They’ll just think you managed to get the funky odor out of your shirt. If you happen to have a job where you are cursed with fabric-permeating odors, use it to your advantage and have a funny T-shirt made up that says “This T-shirt smells just like my workplace.”

Get your custom-made T-shirt today for the optimum odor removal altogether.

How To Get Nail Polish Out Of A T-Shirt

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Of all the stains out there, nail polish is probably one of the most difficult to deal with. This is simply because nail polish removal products are very harsh chemicals that can damage a T-shirt or any garment that has such a stain on it. If you are unlucky enough to get nail polish on a T-shirt, there are a couple of ways to treat it.

If the stain is fresh, you may be able to use non-oily acetone nail polish remover or pure acetone to successfully remove. However, it is essential to test the fabric with a little of the solution before using it on the stain to make sure the acetone does not damage the fabric. Keep in mind that acetone will damage certain types of fabric like acetate. If you use acetone to remove the stain, place a folded paper towel under the fabric to make sure the stain does not transfer to another part of the fabric and so that the acetone does not come in contact with the counter, table or other work surface you are using.

Dab at the stain with the acetone, rubbing gently to remove all of it. Move the paper towel as it becomes stained to ensure it remains an effective helper in the stain-removal process. When the stain is gone, rinse out the excess acetone under running water, then apply a commercially made pre-treatment to the area and wash the T-shirt as usual.

If you happen to have a dried on, older nail polish stain to contend with, you may want to try using a bug repellent spray like “OFF”. Follow the same stain fighting technique as outlined above and in no time your favorite T-shirt should be as good as new.

If you are stuck with a T-shirt with a super difficult nail polish stain that simply refuses to come out, there are still options of what to do. You can relegate that T-shirt to certain tasks only, like painting your nails, working around the house and gardening. You can then work on replacing the T-shirt you have ruined with nail polish.

Luckily, by having a T-shirt custom-made you can recreate the T-shirt you have ruined easily. By going with a custom-made tee you can choose the color, weight, style and design of the shirt. You can have fun with the idea of getting nail polish on your clothes by having a custom-made shirt printed that says something like this:

–    Nail polish rocks
–    This is my “getting beautiful” shirt
–    Flying nail polish – watch out
–    I heart nail polish
–    Nail polish stains show you are serious about good looks
–    Beauty takes hard work
–    What we have to go through for the sake of beauty
–    No stains, no gains
–    Eat, Sleep, Paint my nails
–    I’d rather be painting my nails
–    A little nail polish never hurt anyone

Get your fun nail polish stain T-shirt now and show that you can deal with anything.

How to remove dirt stains from a white T-shirt?

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Stains are the bane of all T-shirt wearers’ existence. In fact, removing dirt from a white T-shirt can become a weekly chore that easily becomes old. However, if you really want your white T-shirts to look their very best, stain-fighting will be one of those things you probably do often.

The key to removing any stains is speed. The faster you get to the stain and treat it, the more success you will have with getting rid of it completely. Therefore, as soon as you notice dirt on your T-shirt, remove it and start the appropriate stain treatment. If this is not possible, your stain-removing efforts may not be as successful as you’d like or you may have to dedicate more time to it than previously thought. The only exception to this is if your T-shirt has wet mud on it, you need to wait for it to dry before attempting stain removal, because otherwise you will make the stain worse.

To get started with removing dirt stains from a white T-shirt, brush all the excess dirt off. If it is caked on, take a plastic knife and gently scrape off as much as possible. Then, mix dish detergent or liquid laundry detergent with a little water and gently work it into the stain. Use a brush and circular movements for the best results. Continue this process until the stain is gone. Apply a commercially made pre-treatment and launder the T-shirt as usual. When the wash cycle is completed, double check to make sure the stain is completely gone. If it is not, you will need to repeat the stain removal process and rewash the shirt. If you put it in the dryer before the stain is out, it will be set in by the heat of the dryer.

Another great way to attack stubborn stains on white T-shirts is with bleach. Check the laundry instructions on the garment’s tag to make sure you can use bleach. If so, add bleach to the wash water, let the stained clothes sit in the bleach mixture for 15 minutes or more and then wash as usual. If you have a T-shirt that says no chlorine bleach, use bleach for unbleachables instead. The major difference in use is the soaking time. For maximum results, let your items soak overnight in color-safe bleach.

If you have tried and tried and simply can’t get rid of certain dirt stains, you can designate that shirt an official working around the house tee. Luckily you can easily replace any T-shirt you have irreparably stained by getting one custom made. Shirts that come from companies that specialize in custom-made tees are ideal because you get to choose not only the size and color, but the weight, style and design. You can design a T-shirt to exactly replicate one that is stained. You can also have a tee customized for your activities that cause dirt stains. Such a shirt could say something like Official Soccer Shirt or Dirt Biking Tee.

Get your custom-made T-shirt today for the best way to deal with dirt stains.

How To Remove Grease From Your T-Shirt

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Stains are so annoying, but they happen to everyone sooner or later and you have to know how to deal with them. One of the most common stains is grease. I’m not just talking about the kind of grease used in mechanic work, although the same stain removal process applies. Grease stains happen to most everyone through the everyday act of eating. If you happen to drop a little food on your T-shirt, chances are it contains grease of some kind. This means you have a greasy stain to deal with. It is not simply enough to put a little commercial stain spray on your T-shirt and throw it in the wash. That will not take care of the grease stain. It requires more care than that.

There are numerous ways to remove grease from your T-shirt. However, you should remember that it is important to get to the stain quickly. By doing so, you will improve your chances of successfully removing the grease stain. Treat it as soon as possible after you notice the stain. You should also use the hottest water that is safe for your T-shirt when washing it

Apply a liquid dish detergent that is known for its grease-fighting properties to the stain and let it sit for at least 15 minutes before washing it. You may also apply bar soap, liquid laundry detergent, shampoo or a paste of powder laundry detergent and water to the grease stain and carefully work it in before letting it sit. For really stubborn stains you may want to try using WD-40 followed by dish detergent. Just be sure to test a small inconspicuous area of the shirt first to be sure it is safe for your tee.

For excess grease stains, apply talcum powder or chalk in order to absorb the excess grease before applying another product like dish detergent to it. Scrape off the any excess grease, apply the powder or chalk and let it soak up the grease. Shake the excess off the clothing before applying other pre-treatments. For heavy duty grease stains, applying a mechanic’s hand cleaner to the stain is another great solution. If you have a large amount of grease-stained clothing, adding ammonia to your wash will go a long way in getting rid of such stains.

If you find that you have tried everything and you are still left with unsightly grease stains, you can throw in the towel and use your T-shirt as your official cooking shirt or for whatever you do that usually leaves you with grease stains. Then you can get a new T-shirt to replace the old one. In fact, by having a custom-made T-shirt made you can completely recreate the old tee that you stained. That is the advantage of custom-made tees: you can choose absolutely everything from the color and style to the exact design.

Get your custom-made T-shirt today and deal with impossible grease stains in the best way possible.

Will A Drawing On My T-Shirt With A Sharpie Last In The Wash?

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Permanent markers are just that – permanent and Sharpie markers are well known for being high-quality permanent markers, used in a variety of situations. Therefore it is realistic to expect that drawings made with a Sharpie will stand up to some abuse and still last. In reality, it is very hard to remove permanent marker stains from clothing even when you try hard to do so therefore, if you try to not remove such markings, you should have lots of good luck.

If you have a drawing on your T-shirt made with a Sharpie brand permanent marker, you can easily make sure it lasts by taking certain precautions in the care of the shirt. First of all, make sure you do not use any type of bleach or stain remover on the drawing. It would probably not entirely remove it, but such solutions will fade it faster and you may loose some of the details of the drawing. In addition, avoid getting hairspray or rubbing alcohol on the drawing, as these substances are both often used to remove ink stains.

When washing T-shirts that have been decorated with a Sharpie, use regular laundry detergent only in cold water and dry them as you usually would. Avoid washing rough textured things with the T-shirt, like towels that may have an abrasive effect on the shirt and the drawing. Avoid hanging the T-shirt outside to dry as the sun often has a bleaching effect on clothes. Expect some minimal fading with time, but you can even slow this down by wearing the T-shirt infrequently so that it doesn’t have to be laundered so often. This is especially good advice if the T-shirt has sentimental value and you would like to preserve the T-shirt for the future.

For anyone who wants to adorn a T-shirt with a drawing, there is a much more effective and permanent way to do so. By scanning a copy of a drawing and submitting it to a company that specializes in custom-made T-shirts you can have the drawing you want on a T-shirt permanently. The T-shirt customizing company can even add little touches like adding a date, artist information or putting other types of information on the other side of the T-shirt. You can also choose the color, style, weight and quality of the T-shirt that bears the drawing you want to display.

Customizing T-shirts with permanent marker drawings is a great idea for good-bye parties, bachelor parties, showers, milestone birthday parties, graduations, school trips, end of the school year and much more. Having T-shirts made up to commemorate the event or activity, but leaving space for drawings, messages and signatures is a great way to have a unique souvenir for everyone who attends. Proud parents and grandparents can also have their little one make them a special piece of “art” of a T-shirt that they can show off in a unique way. Have fun T-shirts made for every child in the family that say something like “My child drew this” or “My grandchild’s work of art”. The possibilities of drawings on a T-shirt are endless.

Get your custom-made T-shirt today and doodle in up with a Sharpie to make it unlike any other tee out there.

What Does Fabric Softener Do To A T-Shirt?

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Fabric softener has been around for about 100 years and is a very popular product in many homes. Many of us use fabric softener on our T-shirts and other clothes to eliminate static cling, to make clothes softer and to give them a great scent. In fact nothing smells as good to some people as the smell of freshly laundered clothes that have treated with fabric softener. Whether or not you are a lover of fabric softener, you’ve probably asked yourself exactly how it is that fabric softener actually makes clothes softer. It is all a matter of chemistry.

Fabric softeners are a combination of water, oily conditioning agents, fragrances, dyes, emulsifiers to hold it all together and preservatives to maintain it. This combination coats the fibers of the T-shirt material with a type of lubrication, which causes it to feel softer, smell better and reduces static cling. Without this lubrication, the fibers of a T-shirt are rougher and feel more uncomfortable to the touch and for the person wearing it. The most important part of the fabric softener is the conditioning agent. This substance is positively charged and therefore adheres well to fabric that is negatively charged and subsequently makes all the difference to the feel of the item of clothing.

Newer versions of fabric softener even offer extra bonuses for your wardrobe. They can provide stain protection. They can reduce wrinkling that occurs in the washer and dryer. They can even facilitate ironing. Fabric softener can solve problems we didn’t even know we had.

Fabric softeners do a great job of making a T-shirt extra soft, however there are some downsides to their use. Their environmental impact is questionable. Some of the chemicals in them are even known to be dangerous. Therefore, it makes many people wonder about the wisdom of putting such chemicals next to their skin all day, every day.

Luckily there is more than one way to ensure that you have a nice soft T-shirt next to your skin. By buying higher quality T-shirts you will have softer more luxurious cotton in what you wear. Cotton grown in certain parts of the world, like Egypt and Arizona, is known for its softness and high quality. In addition, combed cotton, another high quality product, is cotton that is combed through more than usual before being made into fabric. This ensures that the harder parts of the cotton fiber are removed, leaving touchably soft cotton only.

If you want to minimize the use of fabric softener and still have irresistibly soft T-shirts, invest in custom-made T-shirts of high quality. By choosing to go with custom-made T-shirts you can choose the design, color and style you want in the quality cotton you want too. In fact, you can even get a T-shirt made that educates others on the use of fabric softener.

Get your super soft custom-made T-shirt today and be free to choose whether or not you want to use fabric softener.

How To Remove Tomato Stains From Your T-Shirt

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Stains are one of the most annoying things to deal with when it comes to T-shirt care. Often we find that a perfectly nice white or light colored T-shirt can be ruined by things like tomato stains. So many different dishes are tomato based and therefore it is a very common stain. Luckily T-shirts can usually withstand heavy duty stain fighting, so you can get rid of almost any stain, even the pesky tomato stain.

First and foremost, try to treat the stain as soon as it happens or as soon as possible after you notice it. Remove any excess tomato on your tee by scooping it off with a spoon or gently scraping it with a knife.  Flush the area with cold water from the back of the stain to force as much of it out of the fabric as possible. Timeliness in getting started on removing the stain is the biggest factor in how successful you will be with stain removal.

When as much of the stain is out as possible, it is time to get serious. You should apply liquid laundry detergent to the stain and gently work it in from the outside inward. If you have a T-shirt that can be safely bleached you can add a touch of bleach to the stain also. If you want to avoid using something this harsh, applying lemon juice, white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide to the stain can also have a bleaching effect. Continue rubbing the stain alternating the use of laundry detergent with the bleach until the stain is gone. Rinse the T-shirt well and check it in good light to make sure all traces of the tomato stain are truly gone. Apply a commercially produced stain treatment and let sit for 5 minutes, before laundering as usual.

After your T-shirt is washed double check it to be sure that the stain is out. Once it dries in the dryer, it is most likely set for life. Therefore it is important to check clothing as it comes out of the washer to minimize the possibility of permanent stains. If you catch it before it hits the dryer and the stain is still visible treat it by rubbing more laundry detergent into the stain and soaking it in warm water for no less than a half-hour.  Rinse, then apply stain remover and wash your T-shirt in the washing machine again.

If after all these steps, you find that you are left with a stained T-shirt, you do have options. Have a new T-shirt custom-made to replace the one you have stained. You can recreate your old T-shirt exactly by having one customized to your own design. You can opt for a more tomato-friendly color like black. You can also make fun of tomato stains, by having a tee made that says “Official Tomato Eating T-shirt” or Official Spaghetti Shirt”. By doing so you can get away with any tomato stains that may come your way.

Get your custom-made tomato stain T-shirt today and show that you can creatively deal with any stains.

If I Cut My T-Shirt Will The Ends Fray?

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Cutting up T-shirts on purpose to make them look different has been done for years. Many people cut T-shirts and then add parts and patches from other items of clothing to make something completely different and unique. Some even use collars and sleeves from other shirts. Some people just like the look of the unfinished ends and cut the finished hems. Other people simply make holes in their T-shirt or cut it strategically for the sake of style, without adding any new pieces to it. This deconstruction and reconstruction of clothes is very popular, especially with teenagers and certain other groups.

For anyone who is into any type of reconstruction or deconstruction of T-shirts, it is important to know about fraying and how it will impact the changes you have made to your tee. T-shirts are made of cotton that typically will fray just a little. It does not unravel, but does need extra care because not only will fraying occur if you cut your T-shirt, but the ends may curl also. By sewing or gluing another replacement piece of material to the cut end, it will solve this problem.

In addition there are a variety of different products, usually referred to as liquid seam sealants, on the market which are made to stop fraying, like Fray Check. By applying this type of liquid to the cut end of the T-shirt or any other type of material, you will be able to make sure that ends do not fray once the cuts have been made. Another way to prevent fraying is to sew a row of stitches just above the area you cut. This will halt fraying at that point. Remember that during the washing and drying process, T-shirts get the roughest handling. Therefore you need to remember to wash a deconstructed or reconstructed T-shirt on the gentle cycle of your washer and hang it to dry.

If you cut your T-shirt and it starts to fray or look bad, the best way to solve your problem is to invest in some more T-shirts. By getting tees from a company that specializes in custom-made T-shirts, you will be able to choose the color, style, weight, design and quality that you want. You can even have a shirt made to replace the frayed ones that are no longer wearable. Custom-made tees can recreate any T-shirt design that you want.

For those who love the frayed look, you can even get a custom-made T-shirt made just for that. You can have a T-shirt printed with lines like these:
–    I love the frayed look
–    For the frayed look, cut here (arrows pointing in different directions)
–    Frayed T-shirts are hot
–    I heart deconstructed tees
–    Reconstructed T-shirts rock
–    Happiness is a frayed T-shirt
–    Frayed on purpose
–    This is a deconstructed T-shirt
–    Yes, I like this look

Get your custom-made T-shirt today, grab your scissors and some liquid seam sealant and customize your very own look.

How to Remove Blood Out of a White T-Shirt?

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Blood is one of the hardest stains to get out of clothing. Because of its deep red color and its relative thickness, a blood stain is harder to get out than most simple food stains. Blood will ruin a white t-shirt, even if the blood stain is small. For that reason, saving the t-shirt means getting rid of the stain.

To get rid of a stain quickly and without damaging the t-shirt, the blood stain has to be treated immediately. Once blood has touched the t-shirt, every second counts if you want the blood to come out completely. If it’s at all possible, take the t-shirt off immediately. If you can’t take the t-shirt off, you can hold the stained portion away from the rest of the t-shirt so that the stain will not spread.

Run cold water through the shirt at the point of the blood stain. This is far easier if the t-shirt has been removed. If it hasn’t, hold the stained area under the tap as best you can. Continue running the water through the fabric for a minute or two. If the blood has been on the fabric for a few minutes, you will have to run the cold water through the fabric for several minutes. Rub the fabric together under the running water to help the blood dissipate if it seems to be lingering on the shirt.

If the stain is fresh, this should get most if not all of the blood out of a white t-shirt. If there is still a light residue left over, fill a sink or a tub full of cold water and let the t-shirt soak in the water for at least an hour. Then, drain the water and run the t-shirt through fresh, cold water for another minute. This should loosen the remaining blood from the shirt.

If the stain is older, it can still be removed from the t-shirt, though it may take more time. If the blood is dried or the t-shirt has already been washed, the stain will not respond well to cold water. The blood stain will probably need to be bleached out of the fabric. This must be done very carefully, however, because bleach will drain the color out of any clothes it comes into contact with- including what you’re wearing. It can also damage clothing and cause holes in the fabric if too much of it is used.

Pour a small amount of bleach into the cap from the bleach bottle. Then, dip a cotton swab into the bleach and apply it to the blood stain. If the stain is very large, place the t-shirt flat on a hard surface and pour the bleach from the cap onto the stain. Let the bleach sit for at least 10 minutes to break up the color. When this is finished, put the t-shirt directly into the washer by itself or with other white items and wash the bleach from the fabric. This will result in the least damage to the shirt.

T-shirt highlighter

How To Get Highlighter Out Of A T-Shirt

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T-shirt highlighter

Removing stains from any item of clothing is typically a tough task, with certain stains more difficult than others to remove. One of the first things to remember when dealing with any stain is that speed is of the utmost importance. The quicker you can treat a stain, the more success you will have in removing it. In addition, you must make sure that the stain is completely removed before you put the T-shirt or the item of clothing in the dryer. The heat from the dryer will set the stain permanently, making it practically impossible to remove.

If you happen to get a highlighter stain on your T-shirt, the first thing to do is touch it lightly with paper towels to soak up any extra highlighter ink that has not soaked into the tee, if the stain is really fresh. Then you will have a variety of options to choose from in terms of how to treat the stain. The most common solution is to apply a commercially made pre-treatment to the stain and let it sit for 15 minutes before laundering.

For many highlighter stains you may even be able to remove them by simply washing them in cold water with laundry detergent as you normally would. This water-based ink is typically very easy to remove. However, every once in a while you come across a tough highlighter stain that needs a little extra something. In such cases, you can use rubbing alcohol. You need to do so with caution though, so remember to test an inconspicuous area first. Then use minimal amounts as it is rather strong. Another great stain remover for any type of ink is hair spray. Place a cloth or paper towel under the stain, spray hair spray on it and blot with another towel until the stain is completely gone.

If by some chance you can’t get highlighter stains out of your T-shirt, you can simply designate it as your official study T-shirt. Then you will need to replace the T-shirt you have ruined. However, it seems like the shirts we get permanently stained are always favorites that are practically impossible to find again. Luckily, by having a T-shirt custom-made you can recreate your favorite tee, only better. You not only get to choose the design, but you can choose the color, style, weight and quality of the T-shirt. You can even get one that is made from organic cotton if you are concerned with the environment.

Another fun type of T-shirt to have made is one that is okay to get highlighter stains on. To create such a shirt, have a custom T-shirt printed with a line like one of these:
–    Official Highlighting Team
–    Official studying shirt
–    I highlight, therefore I study
–    Highlighting stains are the sign of a genius at work
–    Student at work, watch out for highlighter stains
–    Highlighters are a student’s best tool

Get your custom-made T-shirts today for the best way to deal with highlighter stains.

Hangers

Do Hangers Stretch Your T-Shirt?

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Hangers

Knowing whether or not hangers stretch your T-shirt is an important piece of information to know. It can change the way you store your clothing. It can also help you to get more use from clothes you already have. Knowing why certain clothing storage methods are advisable or not is useful to practically everyone.

How to properly store T-shirts so that they remain in the best possible shape with the fewest wrinkles is something many people want to know. Most people tend to belong to one camp or the other, in regards to storage. They either swear by folding T-shirts and laying them flat or they swear that hanging T-shirt is the only way to have them looking great when you want to wear them. One thing often heard, especially from those who fold their tees is that hangers will stretch your T-shirts. This is partially true and partially false.

T-shirt cotton is slightly stretchy, but not too much so. Therefore the length of time you hang the T-shirts will make a huge impact on whether or not the tee stretches. For T-shirts that you wear often, hangers will definitely not stretch them. They will be hung for relatively short periods of time, therefore they will not have time to stretch. For T-shirts you wear infrequently or ones which are seasonal, you may want to store them flat during their off-season. Hanging for long periods of time will cause slight stretching, shoulder dents from hangers and even a tell-tale collection of dust on the shoulders following the outline of the hanger.

Another thing to keep in mind when hanging T-shirts is to refrain from hanging wet T-shirts. The additional weight of the water in the material will encourage stretching. T-shirts should be dried in the dryer and then hung if that is your chosen method of storing your tees. If you happen to choose to hang your T-shirts to dry, be sure the water is spun out well, so there is no excess weight in the material to cause stretching. You can also hang your clothes to dry, until they are just a little damp. Then put them in the dryer to finish drying them and so that they keeps their shape.

You may also want to consider changing the type of hanger that you use. A padded hanger will work best to keep from stretching your shirt. A wire hanger will do the most damage. Plastic and wooden hangers are somewhere in between, but look for wide ones.

If you have left some of your favorite T-shirts hanging around for too long and they have stretched to a point where washing and drying won’t fix them, it is time for a new shirt. You can have a favorite T-shirt perfectly recreated by having it custom-made. You get to choose the color, style, weight, quality and design, so your favorite tee is back and looking better than ever. When your new T-shirts arrive, make sure you use these common sense T-shirt storage tips to make sure you don’t suffer the same result again.

Get your custom-made T-shirt today for the most efficient way to deal with T-shirts that have been stretched out by hangers.