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10 Clever Hacks to Save Your Sweater

3 · Dec 9, 2021 · Stephanie Gerber · 6 Comments

Sweaters may just be the best part of winter: they’re like a beloved fluffy teddy bear that you get to wear. But, as is the case with regular teddy bears, you need to take care of them if you want them to last.

Sweaters can be many things: cozy, warm, trendy – but also a bit hard to maintain. From accidental shrinkage to annoying shedding, these 10 clever hacks will save your sweater!

10 Clever Hacks to Save Your Sweater - Hello Nest

1. Repell moths with a DIY natural moth sachet

Skip the potentially carcinogenic moth balls and make a DIY natural moth repellant sachet instead. Lots of lovely scents will keep the pests away, such as cedarwood, lavender, eucalyptus, cloves, dried rosemary, dried thyme, mint, lemon or bay leaves.

Combine 1/4 cup of dried herbs and spices in small sachet bag. Or if you have old sweaters with holes or that don’t fit, cut off a piece of the sleeve and sew up one end. Pour in the herbs, close the top and keep in your closet or drawers.

Refresh sweater with vodka | Hello Glow2. Kill odors with vodka

Sweaters, especially vintage ones, can develop stale odors. To get rid of the stench, spritz a treasured sweater with a bit of vodka to kill bacteria without leaving a scent. Then hang it up to dry in a well-aired place. Don’t forget to test it on a small, unexposed area before spritzing the whole sweater.

Pumice stone to depill sweaters | Hello Glow3. Depill with a pumice stone, comb or even Velcro

If your sweater is showing its age with plenty of pills, don’t throw it out just yet. A pumice stone works like a charm if you gently run it across the surface of your garment. You can do the same thing with a comb or even Velcro!

Hair dryer to shrink cuffs | Hello Glow4. Shrink stretched cuffs with a blow dryer

You can shrink loose, stretched-out cuffs back to their initial shape with a hair dryer or even a steam iron (be careful of the heat level though!). When the fabric comes in contact with the heat, it shrinks! Alternatively, you can also dip just the cuffs in hot water.

Dry sweater in salad spinner | Hello Glow5. Speed up dry time with a salad spinner

After hand-washing a sweater you wouldn’t think of throwing it in the dryer (right?). But instead of waiting forever for it to dry you can speed the process by using a salad spinner. It takes out excess water without harming a delicate sweater.

Fluff sweaters with white vinegar | Hello Glow6. Make sweaters fluffy again with vinegar

More than just giving flavor to your salad, vinegar can also bring life back to your sweaters! Add a few caps of vinegar to the rinsing water to make a sweater fluffy and new.

How to fold a sweater | Hello Glow7. Fold sweaters properly for easier storage

Hanging sweaters can stretch them out and create ugly hanger bumps. Fold them instead to save space and reduce wrinkles. With the sweater face down, fold each arm straight across. Fold over each side to the middle so that the sleeve edges meet at the center. Fold up and flip over.

Tighten loose sweater brooch | Hello Glow8. Sweater too big? Use brooch to tighten

If an oversized sweater is feeling a bit too roomy, use a brooch to pin it at the back. It creates a narrower waist and gives a touch of sparkle too!

Baby shampoo for shrunken sweaters | Hello Glow9. Revive a shrunken sweater with baby shampoo

Losing a beloved sweater to a dryer can be tough! Turns out, you can revive a shrunken sweater if you soak it in a solution that’s made of 1 teaspoon baby shampoo (conditioner also works) and 1 pint of water. This will relax the fibers and make them more malleable.

Remove excess water and place your sweater on a piece of paper, then gently stretch it to the size you want to achieve. Use paperweights or other heavy objects to keep it in place while it dries.

Sweater in freezer to prevent shedding | Hello Glow10. Stop shedding with the freezer

Fold your sweater in a zip-lock bag and keep it in the freezer for 3-4 hours. You can wear it immediately, shed free. This works especially well for Angora. Stick your sweaters in the freezer if you see moths too. The cold temps will kill any moth eggs.

What’s your favorite sweater-saving secret? Let us know!

3

Green Cleaning 7, home remedy, natural remedy, nest

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  1. Ruth McAllister says

    May 28, 2022 at 5:21 pm

    Wash with a glug of ammonia. Smells terrible but makes your woollens fluffy. Also works for sheepskins!

    Reply
  2. Flore says

    July 18, 2014 at 12:58 pm

    ideas excellents!!!!
    gracias desde Colombia!

    Reply
  3. Susanna says

    February 7, 2014 at 9:58 am

    love the idea about how to stretch out a sweater–hate it when they shrink!

    Reply
    • gerbermom says

      February 7, 2014 at 12:09 pm

      And I shrink mine all the time! Because who can remember to presort and read labels and all that??

      Reply
  4. Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says

    February 6, 2014 at 6:52 pm

    I love this post! All these years I’ve been folding my sweaters wrong. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • gerbermom says

      February 7, 2014 at 12:11 pm

      Don’t they look all neat and fancy folded like that? I kinda get a thrill from folded laundry ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply

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