An early Easter Egg – LR’s Guide to Removing Chocolate Stains!

Easter is here, LaundryRevolutionaries! Chocolate bunnies abound, Easter eggs are all round, and the Lindt chocolate rabbit will be there with bells on.

Chocolate child

She looks cute now, but wait til she’s polished off that basket…

But picture the scene: You’re enjoying a chocolatey feast on Easter Sunday, but you look over at the little ones and – Disaster! In the time it took you to savour a dark chocolate praline, your precious cherubs have smeared chocolate all over their clothes!

So how do you get chocolate stains out of fabric? Never fear – here at LaundryRepublic, we’ve got the skinny (although it might not stay skinny for long…).

To remove chocolate stains:

First, scrape off as much as you can with a spoon or a blunt knife, being careful not to spread it The faster you can get at the stain, the better, as the stain will set quite rapidly.

Rinse the stain from the over side of the fabric with cold running water, to flush out as much chocolate as possible (don’t use hot water, as heat will set the stain).

Chocolate stains

Oh dear…

Resist the temptation to scrub at the stain! Again, this can set it more permanently in the fibres of the stained material. Instead, put a little laundry detergent in a bucket of water, and gently rub the detergent into the affected area. Let it sit for 5 minutes, rub it again, then let it sit for another 15 minutes. If the stain persists, rinse and repeat!

Make sure you’ve fully removed the stain before you put the item in for a warm wash in the machine, and especially before tumble drying or ironing it. If any traces of the stain remain, ironing will set them permanently.

And remember, if your clothes are delicate or dry clean only, send them to us, and our experienced professionals will take care of it for you.

So there it is. All that’s left is to wish all our LaundryRevolutionaries a very Happy Easter!

That chocolate is MINE!

That chocolate is MINE!

Photo credits: USACE, ShellyS, Jonathan Oakley

Guide to Washing Symbols (so you can do your mum’s laundry for a change!)

Gallery

This gallery contains 4 photos.

Mothering Sunday is this weekend, LaundryRevolutionaries! Originally an important event in the Christian calendar, now it’s become a day for honouring our mothers and showing them how much we love them. And if you’re anything like us, your mother may … Continue reading

Holi Moly! Dealing with Paint Stains

White tshirts holi

Get ready to paint the town red, LaundryRevolutionaries!

And also blue, green, yellow and all the other colours of the rainbow, because this week, powdered paint will be flying all over London. Across the capital, events are taking place to celebrate the Hindu festival of Holi, building up to the day of Holi itself on Monday 17th.

holi painting

Originating in Northern India, Holi is traditionally a festival that celebrates the end of Winter and the arrival of Spring.

It’s a festival of love, colour and togetherness, and it’s celebrated by the Play of Colour – a mad free-for-all of paint throwing, water spraying and general festivities!

dad and son holi cropped

Celebrated by rich and poor, young and old, men and women alike, Holi brings everyone together in a celebration of Spring’s return.

Everybody has a riotously good time covering each other head-to-foot in brightly coloured paint – but what do you do when the festivities end and your clothes are completely covered in paint stains?

Luckily, you needn’t worry – here’s LaundryRepublic’s handy guide to removing paint stains from clothing.

Paint stains can be water-based or oil-based. The good news is, Holi usually involves throwing Gulal powder paint and water, which is a little easier to deal with than oil-based paint.

girl tshirt holiThe most important thing is to rinse the stain as quickly as possible. Brush off any dry powder paint before you begin, then flush the stain from the other side of the fabric with a forceful stream of warm water. Next, dissolve a little laundry detergent in some water, and work it into the stain, soaping and rinsing until the stain has gone.

You might need to repeat this a few times – if any patches are particularly resistant, put a little nail-polish on an absorbent cloth and dab on the offending area.

Don’t forget, if the stain has dried into the fabric, or if any of your clothes are delicate or dry-clean only, just send them to LaundryRepublic for a speedy, professional service!

Image credits:

rudresh_callsgreeno777Alam Singh

Shoe Care Tips

Hello Laundry Revolu-shoe-naries!

Polished shoes

That’s right, today we’re talking all about how to take care of your shoes. With a few crucial bits of equipment and our simple care tips, you can double the lifetime of a good pair of shoes. We might even be able to save your soles…

Firstly, invest in a good shoe tree. Don’t be tempted by the shiny varnished versions. They might look great, but only an unvarnished wood (ideally cedar) will draw out all the moisture from your shoes, helping them contract and dry out to their ideal shape.

No, not that kind of... Oh, never mind

No, not that kind of… Oh, never mind

Try to keep your shoes on the shoe tree for the first couple of hours after you take them off your feet – that’s really all the time your shoes need to return to their natural shape. The best shoe trees have a split toe and a fully shaped heel to ensure a really close fit between shoe and tree – highly recommended.

Using an unvarnished cedar shoe tree can also help prevent smelly shoes, as it absorbs the moisture from the shoe. But if you’re still having odour issues, try replacing the insoles.

If your shoes get really wet, stuff them with newspaper, and avoid the temptation to put them near a direct heat source. Heating too quickly can cause the leather to crack, which can permanently damage your shoes.

Continue reading