the haystack needle

sweater stone

If your sweaters are pilling like crazy from a winter season of wear (I know my one-and-only cashmere sweater needs some love), this is my go-to fix. I've had my Sweater Stone by the Laundress for years, and it really does the trick. I'm pretty sure it's made from some volcanic rock because that detail sticks out in my mind. Wherever it's from — it's magic. And I know they say to re-purpose a comb or stick some velcro on pilled fabric, but I haven't found any of those around-the-house ideas to work all that well when my sweater is covered in an army of fuzz balls. I also use my Sweater Stone on my sofa all the time. The biggest mistake I've made in choosing finds for our apartment was (sadly) one of the most expensive purchases — our sofa. The shape is fine but the fabric I picked was the worst idea ever. At the time, I wanted something soft and velvety, but more practical than actual velvet, so I was sold on some gray microsomething material that feels as soft as felt and guess what — pills like crazy! And don't even get me started on the lumpy dumpy down pillows that never keep their shape. So this little stone is saving my life until I can figure out what you do when you bought the wrong investment sofa.

eco-friendly cleaning cloths + wool dryer balls

Check out what I added to my cleaning caddy. I headed to Green Depot the other day to pick up some eco-friendly paint for a dresser that's in the middle of a makeover. And I walked away with two finds that I'd never seen before: wool dryer balls and reusable cleaning cloths that are the perfect replacement for papertowels.

When I was working on the Green Swap series, I'd definitely heard about replacing papertowels with more eco-friendly cloths that you can wash and reuse again and again. But standard microfiber cloths just don't feel hefty enough to me for handling spills and all those random cleanups where I want a papertowel. So I've been using Seventh Generation papertowels (if I'm going to use papertowels, it's going to be recycled paper.) I'm excited to switch to these Green Depot cleaning cloths. They were affordable, too: you get 8 cloths for $6.95. Not bad, considering one Method microfiber cloth will set you back $5.

And I couldn't pass up a few wool dryer balls. These natural dryer balls shorten your drying time, beat out wrinkles, and make your laundry feel softer. Fantastic — I love the idea of skipping dryer sheets altogether. I always leave with damp towels after the standard 30 minute drying time in my building's commercial dryers. So I'm especially excited for fluffy towels that are actually dry!

If you're in New York, I'd definitely recommend a trip down to Green Depot. Besides all the building materials, paint, and flooring, there are many green houseware finds you just don't see everywhere.

how to handwash sweaters

The start of spring felt like a good time to give some winter sweaters a wash. Dry-cleaning is just about the worst thing you can do for your cashmere (more on that soon) and handwashing is way more economical than sending knits out to be cleaned. So I brought out my laundry companion — this rubber washing-up bowl by Normann Copenhagen — to work through handwashing a pile of sweaters. Why did I splurge on a rubber tub? I use this rubber basin all the time — it's a storage tub by day for a spillover of makeup and products in the bathroom. I've used it for flower arranging and putting champagne on ice. It's perfect for handwashing delicate glasses. You can flip the folded edge up if you need a deeper tub.

I secretly enjoy the ritual of handwashing delicates. The best way to clean sweaters: warmish water + the Laundress Wool + Cashmere shampoo. Their sulfate, phosphate and chlorine-free cashmere wash cleans delicate sweaters so well, and I love the scent it leaves on my hands.

How to handwash sweaters: Don't leave your sweaters too long in the water. The wash should only take about two to five minutes — anything longer and you'll stress the fabric and fade colors. Wriggle sweater around in sudsy water, then drain and replace with fresh water. Give your sweater a spin in the rinse water. You may need a second rinse for a bulky sweater. Wringing is bad. Instead, cup your sweater and lightly press out excess water. Then, lay your sweater on not-your-best white towel (reshape it on the towel) and roll up the towel to dry the sweater some more. Hanging up a wet sweater stretches out its shape, so lay sweaters flat to dry. C'est fini!

I've often seen the task of handwashing clothes photographed in a glass basin. Pretty for sure, but with my clumsy talent, I'd drop the glass basin with sudsy hands. Another reason why I love this rubber tub — it can't break.

cleaning list

Our apartment's in major need of a deep-down cleaning. How's your chore list looking?
My ambitious weekend list...

1. steam clean the kitchen, bathroom, and hardwood floors

2. clean the windows: the best solution for cleaning windows is actually a couple drops of dishwashing detergent in a bucket of warm water to cut grease and make them shine. Seriously — skip the glass cleaner.

3. vacuum, vacuum, vacuum

4. laundry: We're still in Laundromat mode here in Brooklyn, which is probably for the best since I'm super particular about sorting laundry after researching the best methods for many laundry stories. One sure-fire way to keep your clothes in better shape is to sort by color and type (so heavy jeans aren't tumbling around with delicate camisoles.) Here's how I sort:
whites: just pure whites (towels are separate, because fuzzy towels will lint on clothes in the wash)
light colors: pinks, fluorescents, and light reds move into the dark color pile
dark colors: darker color clothes — except jeans (fleece jackets + sweatshirts go with dark towels)
towels + sheets: separated into two piles, whites and colors, because even light colors can deposit color on your whites (terry bathrobes that need a wash go here)
tea towels + microfiber cloths: cleaning stuff gets separated from clothes for obvious germy reasons
jeans: we're suckers for the fancy dark jeans (bought pre-economic crash), so I take extra special care of our favorite blues. They get washed every so often in a separate delicate cold wash (jeans turned inside-out) — and then they're hung up to line-dry.
delicate bunch: camisoles, cashmere, lace unmentionables and the like are all hand-washed by me.
And yes, I know I'm bonkers about laundry — but our clothes seriously look good longer for it.

5. get myself cleaned up for a sweet Valentine's dinner!

p.s. Don't you love the photo above? This "clean up" shot is one of many cool spring-themed photographs you can find here. And be sure to check out Abby's lovely photo-driven blog.

{photo by abbytrysagain, of course!}

washed your pillows lately?

{photo by yvette inufio}

If you've never washed (or replaced) your pillows, they're probably looking more like pancakes than these lovely, lofty pillows. I'm not sure when a newsletter was sent out saying that washing pillowcases suffices for clean pillows. It does not. Your pillows come in contact with sweat, drool, facial oils, furry felines + lucky dogs, and heavy heads on a daily basis. They need some love.

Assess the situation: if you've never washed your pillows and they're flattened and weighty, your pillows likely have dustmites. After five years of sleeping on a pillow, 10 percent of its weight is dustmites (gross!!), according to Dr. Tierno, author of The Secret Life Of Germs . You don't want to be inhaling that ick in your sleep. Start fresh with new pillows if this sounds like you. If your pillows don't feel broken (their shape is intact), and they're from the 21st century, then read below the fold to find out how to care for them.

dear oxi clean

 

one of many letters running through my mind that I'll never actually send...

Dear Oxi Clean,

I discovered your Oxi Clean Versatile through a press event years ago, and I've been hooked since. I put a scoop in almost every laundry load: colors, light colors, whites, and dish towels + microfiber cloths (I skip towels and sheets.) Growing up, we used a stain stick, and I hated the time-consuming process of pre-treating. The stain stick/spray often didn't work either — the stains just faded.

Nine months ago, amidst the craze of wedding planning, I ran out of Oxi Clean and didn't replenish my laundry booster. The stains started popping up — first my tea towels were not coming out stain-free from the wash, then the inevitable little food splatters on shirts started to show up. Last month, I took myself to Target and picked up a big container of Oxi Clean Versatile. Your laundry booster really works on stains. Now I just need a solution for the yellowing of whites. That is something nothing seems to solve!

Thank you for saving me from pre-treating (laundry takes a crazy amount of time already to have to go sleuthing for stains, too.)

Your fan,

Jen