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Here are some surprising and even unusual uses:
Cleaning a burnt pan : a simple piece of well crumpled aluminium foil can quickly remove burnt residue. Simply rub well and the residue will come off more easily.
Move the living room table : has dust accumulated in the living room and are you planning to clean up? Oops, you’re still having trouble moving the coffee table in the living room, which is too heavy for you. No problem: wrap pieces of aluminium foil under the four legs of the table and you’ll notice that it will slide faster.
Shine up your old, completely rusty cutlery : have you just pulled old cutlery out of the back of the cupboard, as well as old jewellery that is completely dull and rusty? Here is an amazing method to make all your silver coins shine. Simply place a sheet of aluminium foil in the bottom of a container, fill it with a mixture of hot water and coarse salt and immerse all your items in it. Leave it for a while before taking them out and drying them properly. The result is impressive: all your rooms are restored to their former splendour!
Cleaning the iron : if it is full of stains and dirt, the iron immediately becomes sticky and much slower than usual. Not to mention that it leaves unsightly marks on your clothes. Jump up, make a big ball of aluminium foil and vigorously rub the dirtiest areas – here it is again ready to use!
More tips on how to care for your clothes
Fading, shrinking, felting… your clothes don’t deserve this fate! Here’s how to extend their lifespan.
Keep the original colours.
Tie & dye is nice, but only when you want to…
White fabrics: to stay white, they must be protected from the light that yellows them. Don’t hesitate to store them in dark boxes or opaque drawers, away from direct light.
Coloured fabrics: To give your coloured garments a boost, add white vinegar to the last rinse water. Or use it as a fabric softener.
Black fabrics: together and inside out is the right way to wash them.
Add white vinegar to the rinse water to fix the colour and never iron them inside out so they don’t shine. To give them a deep black, soak your dark garments in the cold spinach cooking water (without the spinach) before washing.
Respect the shapes
A woollen jumper or a cotton fabric is not meant to be deformed…
Before the first wash: go through the (very) salty bath stage. Soak your cotton T-shirts (respecting the colours) in a basin of cold water with 4 handfuls of coarse salt.
For woollen jumpers: avoid the machine. Proceed by hand in warm water with Marseille soap flakes. Bathe without rubbing or wringing and rinse well, finishing with a rinse in diluted white vinegar. Dry your woollen jumpers flat, between two terry towels.
Despite these precautions, did it shrink?
Only solution : relax the fibres. Not just by pulling it out, but by first soaking it in a solution of cold water and glycerine (or conditioner) and gently stretching the sleeves and edges until your jumper returns to its initial size. Wring it out on a towel and spread it out to dry, stretching it regularly.
Despite all this, is it made of felt?
Soak your jumper for an hour in vinegar, cold or warm water.
fix the colours
No, the discolouration won’t get through!
Will it rub off, won’t it rub off?
To find out, proceed with the damp swab test rubbed on the garment. Is it dyed? The colour of your garment can fade in the wash and stain everything in its path.
To stop the bleeding: wash your garment in cold water with vinegar and liquid Marseille soap.
The basics: Sort your clothes colour by colour to avoid mixing them. Choose the cold wash programme or 30°C maximum. If you choose to hand wash, proceed piece by piece.
Did you rub it? You can repair the damage with soda crystals. Soak your discoloured T-shirt for a day in 1 litre of hot water with a cup of crystals. If the stain is localised, rub with a paste of baking soda and water, then leave on before rinsing.
Erasing imperfections
Time goes by…
Sweating (marks): soak your white cotton T-shirt in a mixture of water and lemon juice. You can also soak it in a bowl full of cold water and white vinegar (1 glass).
Encore perspiration (the smell): melt several aspirin tablets in a bowl and immerse the garment in it.
Shine (for black fabric): iron it with a cloth soaked in household vinegar.
Mouthfuls: shave them off with a razor. Or catch them with scotch.
Yellowing: boil your grey T-shirt in a mixture of water, Marseille soap flakes and lemon juice.
Five techniques for ironing without an iron
Steaming. Place your clothes on a hanger, spray them with warm water and let them dry. You’ll see the wrinkles disappear.
Shower. Take advantage of the hot water steam to hang your outfit of the day on a hanger and straighten it as if by magic.
A damp towel. A wrinkled garment can be smoothed by “ironing” it with a damp sponge, placed flat on the garment.
Over a saucepan. OK, the trick requires slightly high ceilings, but you can place your shirt over a pot of boiling water to enjoy the smoothing effects of the hot steam.
In the hairdryer . Spray with water and dry. Be careful not to touch the nozzle so as not to burn the fabric and use gentle heat.
Grandma’s trick: Washing with netting
My grandmother, who was very chic, collected cashmere jackets.
She gave me some, with very good advice: before putting the cardigan in the washing machine, wrap the buttons tightly in aluminium foil. Wash the cardigans very often because the more you wash them, the softer and more beautiful they get. Wash them only in cold or lukewarm water, or at 30°C. And above all, above all, put them in a net, like a lingerie net.
Did you know ?
The natural or synthetic fibres of a garment do not shrink during washing, but during drying, when the water evaporates from them.
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