Three Things to Know about the First Friday in February
Will he or won’t he…oh, the suspense!
Groundhog Day is here! Punxsutawney Phil will do his thing and half of us will groan about the outcome while the other half of us will be delighted – you know who you are.
Today is also a day of other celebrations we’d like to take a moment to note. Two of them are related to issues we hear about over and over again here at the dry cleaner – a Groundhog Day-style issue relating to laundry and garment trouble, if you will. One celebration is a (sort of) workable solution to the previous two. These national celebrations are:
We don’t need to delve too deeply into that last one. After all, it’s simple. It’s a day created to “discover how to work at peak productivity while at your most comfortable state.” Started more than 20 years ago, it is about freedom and flexibility far more than it is about working in the buff.
If you are still working remotely or in a hybrid style, though, it can be a great solution if you run into the same problems we so often encounter at the shop, and which relate to the other two celebrations. These are clothing that has been damaged by wearing and washing red garments and clothing that has met a sticky end thanks to bubblegum or other sticky substances.
After all, working while wearing only a smile means that once white shirt that is now a mottled pink, or that blazer that now has a strange dark and sticky glop at the hem can just stay where they are (or come to visit us for an attempt at fixing them). You can work in your “most comfortable clothing to wear while sitting down for work,” even if that means nothing!
If you do want to celebrate these other holidays AND suffer a wardrobe malfunction or two along the way, keep reading.
National Wear Red Day
The first Friday of every February is a sort of kick-off to American Heart Month. It is a day to wear red garments to “raise and spread awareness in hopes to help eradicate heart disease and stroke in millions of women all over the nation.” You might opt to wear lipstick or shoes in a bright red hue, too. The point is to head out in that bold and bright shade and make others aware of cardiovascular disease.
And when you’re done wearing that red, you might find you’ve ended up with a color transfer, a lipstick stain, or accidentally allowed that one red sock to slide into your light load of laundry.
What to do?
Let’s start with that lipstick or makeup. You’ll need to:
Gently scrape away any solids remaining.
You can then use a few different methods. This can include a stain remover, a few dabs of liquid laundry detergent, or a paste of oxygen bleach (NOT regular bleach) made into a paste with a few drops of water. Leave this on the stain for 15 minutes and rinse to see if the stain is gone.
If it remains, you can try to apply isopropyl alcohol and tamp with a soft brush before flushing with the fluid until the stain is removed.
Always let it dry fully before washing. We always suggest an enzyme detergent to help eliminate the stain.
Alternatively, just head quickly to the dry cleaner and let Travis take care of it as soon as possible.
*Never wash and dry anything with lipstick or makeup stains as this sets the stain permanently.
What about the color transfer issues? That too is super common and does not always mean the end of your garments. Whether it was that red sock or that red sweater rubbing up against a white top all day, you might end up with some pink colors or dye staining. You simply use the same approach we follow, as well as that of the team at The Spruce, and use:
“…oxygen bleach to eliminate the dye's chemical bond on the fabric when oxygen is released and mixed with water. Oxygen bleach can be used on all colored materials and washable whites but never on silk, leather, or wool.”
Begin by ensuring the guilty culprit is out of the wet load. Look over the items and pull out any that didn’t capture the fugitive dye.
You will eventually rewash the load using detergent AND an oxygen bleach, but first will soak in cool water either in a machine or a large tub:
If your machine has a soaking cycle, it is a great idea to first use that along with the oxygen treatment and then run the full wash cycle with the combination detergent/oxygen bleach. Enzyme-based detergents are mightily helpful for this issue, too.
When soaking in a tub, be sure you are using cool water and give everything a swirl to ensure it is soaked fully. An eight-hour soak (yes, that seems like a long time, but it is the one way to ensure you’ve done your best to get at the stains) is the minimum.
Once a lengthy soak is done, you can do that rewash. If there is still some color on some items, it might be permanent.
*There are also color capture sheets you can always use in white loads if you live in fear or the dreaded red socks or blue jeans bleeding color issue.
If you want an expert to attempt a color removal, do not machine dry it. Bring it to the cleaners and explain the situation. We’ll see what can be done!
National Bubblegum Day
I don’t know about you, but my parents wrinkled their noses at gum chewing. This forbidden pleasure remains something that I’m not often found enjoying, but when I do, I am very careful about where I toss the remnants when my jaws have gotten their workout. Why? If you have never experienced the sticky, gross mess of chewing gum stuck to a shoe, garment or even your hair, count your blessings.
Why celebrate it, then? Bubblegum Day is also a “first Friday in February” event and it was started only back in 2006. As one expert on the day wrote:
“Bubblegum Day was first celebrated…by author Ruth Spiro. She decided that the world needed a day that highlighted the importance of education, philanthropy, and most importantly, bubblegum….[It] encourages children to be generous and motivates schools to support a charity that aligns with their beliefs…Children pay 50 cents for the privilege of chewing gum at school on this day, which is then donated to charity.”
Many businesses and non-profits also join in and there are even bubble-blowing contests. The largest ever measured, by the way, was almost two feet in diameter. Disgustingly enough, a town in California is home to “Bubblegum Alley,” and it features millions of pieces of pre-chewed gum (ugh!) collected for the past 20 years. While that sounds like a health hazard or a disaster waiting to happen, you don’t need to travel that far to find gum has spoiled your day – or garment.
What do you do if you find a piece of gum on clothing? Don’t bust out the peanut butter as that works only for removing it from human hair or pet fur. Instead:
Use a piece of ice to freeze the gum and then attempt to scrape away what you can.
You’ll then have to bust out a bottle of mineral spirits. Use this in a well-ventilated space and work from behind the stain at the back of the garment to attempt to lift it away.
Then rinse gently with isopropyl alcohol and allow to air dry.
A final wash with enzyme detergent should eliminate the remaining traces of the gum.
If you would rather have an expert tackle the issue, or if the garment is delicate and you are concerned about the steps needed, just pop it into the shop as soon as you can and Travis will make his best attempt at saving the item and eliminating the gum. Don’t worry – there’s no Bubblegum Alley in Scarborough (ick!).
Celebrate today in one or more ways, and while you’re wearing that red, chewing that gum, and/or working au naturel, just remember that we’re here to help with any fashion disasters. You don’t even have to bring items to us…we offer free home pickup and delivery. Just use the link to book a visit and we’ll do whatever possible to fix it.