This is what the water tray in my refrigerator door looked like after I cleaned it with soap and water. Sooooooo gross.
But they can get clean! The trick to getting these clean is to use vinegar! Pour a little vinegar in the tray and let it soak for a minute. You can scrub it a bit with a toothbrush or cotton swab.
Ta-da!
This is another vintage dress that Chris got me for my birthday this year… isn’t it adorable? Unfortunately, this one smelled too! Do all vintage dresses stink? This one smelled more chemical-y than body odor though. Since it is silk (!) I took it to the dry cleaner, but it only helped a little. It was so overwhelming, I decided I would hand wash it as a last resort… I am glad I did! It worked! No more smell!
Here’s how I did it:
- First, I washed the tie in warm/cool water to make sure this wasn’t the worst idea ever. The tie did well, so I decided to do the entire dress.
- Also very important: I then gathered all the materials since time was of the essence with silk. Necessary materials: woolite, baking soda, vinegar, towels, and a hanger.
- Since the smell was more acidic than basic, I thought baking soda would be best. Eventually I used both vinegar and baking soda (but not at the same time, since they cancel each other out). I added a couple inches of warm/cool water in the kitchen sink with some woolite and then added the dress. I handwashed it in the sink, rinsing with vinegar and then water… and then baking soda and then water… until I couldn’t smell the chemical smell any more.
- I laid a towel out on the table, and then laid the dress on top. Then I rolled the dress up in the towl to soak up as much moisture as I could.
- I slipped the dress onto the hanger and hung it from the light fixture under the ceiling fan in my living room - this worked out really well because it dryed quickly. Then I ran it in the dryer for a few minutes.
Voila! Let me know how it works out for you!
Check out this vintage dress that Chris got me for my birthday! To be honest, I wasn’t in love with it (I had it turned into a sweater jacket that I LOVE though) – but I was so impressed by Chris’ thoughtfulness. However, on the first day I wore it I noticed something… um… stinky. And it wasn’t me. I needed to get the body odor out of my wool dress ASAP.
Here’s how I did it:
- First, I consulted my mom. Because she knows lots of things about lots of things.
- Then, I had to determine if the odor is basic or acidic. Most clothing odors are basic, but the only way to closely determine what type of odor you have is to give it a good wiff. If it doesn’t smell acidic-y or metalic-y (read this post instead), it’s probably a basic odor.
- To remove basic odors, you have to use an acid like lemon juice, vinegar or Coca-Cola (the regular kind, not diet) – I used Coca-Cola
- I washed a regular load of similar colored clothing and towel, and then dumped half of a 2 liter bottle of Coca-Cola in the rinse cycle. I can’t guarantee that this won’t discolor your clothes, but it didn’t discolor mine.
- Dry as usual (which in the case of this WOOL dress, should have been to hang dry… but I put it in the dryer! Learn how I “un-shrunk” it here)
There you go! Please let me know how this works for you!
