10 Cleaning Hacks from Fashion Industry Insiders

Photo courtesy Mazzali

Think your refrigerator is only good for storing food? False. This article originally published in Elle Magazine (via House Beauty) takes you through some insider tricks to keeping your most coveted fashion and beauty items looking their best. Your momma didn’t teach you these tips growing up!

1. An employee over at a luxury brand that houses one of the most enviable handbag lines out there taught me this tip for getting scratches out of leather:

“Rub a tiny bit of moisturizer into the scratch using a Q-tip until the scratch is gone. It's gross, but literally it's like rubbing lotion into cracked skin. I recommend Nivea unscented moisturizer.”

2. One A-lister told me to turn my leather pants inside out and store them in my freezer to help them keep their shape. Another swears by machine drying leather leggings on low heat, again inside out, to reduce stretching. I’ve tried both techniques and can say both work like a charm.

3. A jewelry designer to the stars offered up this household tip for cleaning brass, gold, and diamond jewelry:

“Ketchup cleans brass and Fantastik shines gold and diamonds like a mofo.”

4. A friend of mine swears by the powers of the fine-tooth comb to de-pill her most luxurious cashmere sweaters.

5. One of the most famous perfumers in the world instructed me to always keep my perfume in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.

6. Try to never wash your jeans. If they start to smell, put them in a gallon zip lock bag with a dryer sheet over night and leave them in the freezer. Once they thaw, they will feel fresh and clean but still fit perfectly.

7. To get deodorant stains out of pretty much any material, rub the fabric together. It even works (really well) on black clothing!

8. ELLE.com contributing editor, Faran Krentcil, got this useful tip from her grandfather, who ran a leather factory in the Garment District in the '60s and '70s: “If your suede shoes get wet, ball up newspaper inside them and wrap them up in newspaper too. They'll keep their shape and texture, and dry out fairly quickly.”

9. For those of you wearing fur this winter (or eyeing all the colored furs on tap for next fall), here’s a tip to keep yours from shedding. Keep your fur coats (or scarves) in the freezer to keep from them shedding. Sure, it requires an extra large freezer, but don’t you think it’s worth the investment?

10. One of our favorite street style stars taught me to use a hair dryer as a steamer to get wrinkles out just before you’re running out the door (or, if like us, you live sans iron). If you have an entire dress that needs ironing, try hanging the garment outside of the shower while running hot water to steam creases out.

via ELLE.com

Get Your Closet Under Control

Whether you’ve worked in a clothing store in the past or just have a clothing addiction, you know that it can be difficult to restrain yourself when you see something in a store window. Sometimes clothing just calls out to you “buy me,” right? Let’s face it though, if we bought things every time we saw something cute, we would go bankrupt. Here are some tips from Apartment Therapy on keeping your closet (and credit card) in check.

Photo courtesy Rubbermaid Products

Evaluate what you have. Pull everything out of your closet and drawers and spend an afternoon playing dress up. Do you really wear all of these items? Donate anything that doesn't fit, or that simply doesn't suit you any longer, and separate out anything that's in need of repairs for a future trip to the tailor.

Identify your "basics". We've all seen lists over the years which claim every wardrobe needs a foundation of basics like a white button down, a blue button down, a black dress, a pair of black pants, and so on. It's a great idea, but everyone's "basics" are going to be different. Whether it's jeans and striped t-shirts or pencil skirts and button downs, or even floral dresses and bright blazers, determine what items you wear day after day, and invest in high-quality versions of these items.

Make a list. I carry a list in my wallet of clothing items that my wardrobe is lacking and allow myself to buy anything from the list at any time. These are typically items that are replacing older "basic" garments in my wardrobe that have either worn out or no longer suit my style. Right now my list consists of thin black pants (I've been without black pants for over a year, I can't seem to find any I like!), non-skinny jeans, a white t-shirt that is not transparent, tan heels, white tennis shoes, and a dark color knit dress. I keep this list with me to remind myself when I'm out that these are items that I decided I needed while at home, actually looking at my wardrobe. There is a reason these items are on my list and a tangerine silk cocktail dress for an as yet unknown event is not.

Allow for fun purchases. Set a limit for yourself of how many fun, non-basic items you're allowed to buy. I tend to allow myself 2-3 non-basic purchases for each season (summer/winter), but I don't invest the same kind of money in these purchases as in my basics. While I love the new floral sundress I purchased last month, I am simply not going to wear it with the same frequency as my basic navy shift.

Follow the "one in, one out" rule. Full disclosure, I hate this rule, I hate it with fiery passion, but it's a good one and I try to force myself to stick to it. Whenever you buy something new, something old needs to go. This is easy when you're buying replacement basics from your list, but a bit harder when one of your fun purchases means getting rid of something that isn't directly being replaced. I certainly struggle with this rule, but I try to follow it at least 80% of the time. I have to admit that the idea of having to get rid of something has stopped me from making a purchase more than once!