DIY Fabric Refresher

I have quite a lot of clothes I love, but don't hold up to washing vigorously too well. Specifically, I have about 4, thick, warm, knitted sweaters that, as I learned the hard way with the first one, will shrink and be totally awful if I wash them too often. 

Thankfully, for my favorite sweaters, I nabbed 4 more online to replace the one I washed to death, (on sale, at that!) before they were discontinued, and I came up with a solution to keep them fresh and crisp with minimal damage. Some at home dry cleaning, if you will.

The same concept applies for fabrics that don't wash so well. Curtains, the armchair in my bedroom, even some throw blankets for the couches that aren't dirty, per-se, but I want to have that freshly laundered smell.

It's simple:

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Washer Whiffs

1 Cup Hot Water

You can  use any washer whiffs. Because I'm addicted, as I'm sure you can tell, to my Scentsy Whiffs in Black Raspberry Vanilla, I use those, but in the past I've used Downey Unstoppables, Bounce in wash scent boosters, any brand you prefer, any scent you prefer!

I brewed 1 Cup of hot water in my Keurig, and dumped the Whiffs in. Stir often  until dissolved, and pour the mixture into a spray bottle. The mixture doesn't really dissolve totally, it usually separates, so before using give the bottle a good shake to combine.

The use is easy, mist over any fabric you can't wash. For around the house, I use it the same way as Febreeze, as that's essentially what it is, only a fraction of the cost.

To save my sweaters, I'm pretty gentile with them. Of course if there's any spills or I have a sweaty day, obviously they get washed (on hand wash setting). But, for average days, I'll take them off and run a lint brush over them. If there is any small spots, I'll spot treat them with a damp cloth. For the "dry cleaning" I'll mist them with the fabric refresher, inside and out, paying special attention to sleeves and armpits. 

Once they're damp, I'll put them in the dryer. I have a "sanitize" setting on my dryer, and I let the sweaters tumble on sanitize for 15 minutes. Then I'll dial back the heat and let them tumble dry for the rest of the cycle.

If they do need to be machine washed, they go on the hand wash setting and I hang them to dry. Only once they're dry and past the danger of shrinking, I'll toss them in the dryer to soften up the stiff fabric.

And that's it! That's how I keep my sweaters fresh and looking new, and keep hard to wash household items smelling fresh.

Give it a try!

xoxo - Court