Tuesday's Tip

How to care for your sweaters.

With time flying by and the cold weather coming in quickly, here are a few tips to help keep your sweaters looking new.

1. Fold your sweaters. Don't ever hang them because hanging sweaters will result in a larger sweater than the last time you put it on, or a misshapen profile.

2. Remove pills from your sweaters regularly to keep them looking presentable. Pilling is caused by rubbing during wear and is more apparent around the elbows, under the armpits and on sleeves but can occur anywhere on the sweater. You can use a pumice stone, an electric depiller or even by hand.

3. Remove dandruff, hair & lint regularly. Purchase a baby's or child's soft hairbrush from a supermarket or drugstore. The softness of this brush will enable you to quickly brush off these sorts of unattractive sweater companions.

4. Repair the sweater quickly. If a button falls off or a small hole appears, repair the sweater the moment that you discover it. If not, the hole may get bigger or you might just shove the sweater to the back of the wardrobe, dismissing it as unwearable for its minor fault.

5. Wash most sweaters by hand. Unless the instructions tell you to machine wash a sweater, never do so. Woolen sweaters should always be washed by hand in a gentle soap solution. You can either run lukewarm water and turn a favorite scented soap around and around in your hand under the water to make the water soapy, or you can add soap flakes. If possible, turn sweater inside out to wash and try not to wring a sweater; let it drip dry or roll excess water off in a towel. Wringing can cause it to lose its shape. Be extra careful of sweaters with attachments such as beads, embroidery work etc.; use cool water to prevent the colors from embroidered labels running.

Share with us your tips to keeping your sweaters looking new...

With Love From the East Coast,

XO