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Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

A 'greener' approach to drycleaning would be to experiment at home .You can always tell a garment that has come back from the dry cleaners. There’s that faint smell that seems to linger on the item, and in the closet. The smell comes from the solvent used in the dry cleaning process and, chances are, it’s not particularly good for you or the environment. Correct clothes care will help avoid frequent dry cleaning. Brush clothes to remove lint and surface dust and occasionally air them outside.

Storing Clothes
 
Before putting clothes away for long-term storage, or to store until next season, follow this checklist:
 
Wash or DIY eco-friendly dry clean. Dirt is more likely to attract pests such as insects, and encourgae mildew.
 
Going natural is the only the way to go and using the age-old method of actually drycleaning your garments DRY! ...Salt, vinegar, bran and clay are just four cleaning agents used in the past to care for garments that could not be laundered.
 
Clothes can  be wet cleaned - your “dry” cleaners may offer that option. Another option to dry cleaning with perc is using liquid carbon dioxide as the solvent, along with detergent. This is a relatively new technology that uses high pressure to convert carbon dioxide gas to liquid form. It then becomes a carrier of biodegradable soaps, the same way water does in a washing machine. Minimal carbon dioxide is lost into the air.

Another idea is to wash the garment by hand - despite what a label might say, many clothes can be washed this way. Always wash and rinse handwashing in blood heat water. If you change the temperature a number of things will happen. You can set the soap in the fibres or if the water's too cold then the fibres will stiffen and if it's too hot, they'll go soft and fluffy. Use a mild biodegradable detergent, like dissolved castile soap or soap nuts.  Be sure not to twist or wring out wool or silk.

For stains in wool or silk, try spot cleaning with vinegar or lemon juice, testing for dye color fastness first. For mold stains, oil of cloves kills the spore and you only need the tiniest amount. A quarter of a teaspoon per litre of water. Carefully press water from the fabric. Lay wool items flat on a towel and shape before drying. Silk and rayon garments should be hung up.

Air items, especially ones you have steam ironed or damped down before ironing.
 
Use muslin or canvas storage bags, or clean white or undyed sheets.
 
Place items on wire racks, not shelves, so air circulates properly.
 
Don't starch items to be stored, as starch attracts meal-seeking silverfish, which do not discriminate between the starch and the clothing fibre.
 
Don't store clothes in dry-cleaning plastic or other gament bags that do not breathe, as moisture may be trapped inside. In additon, dry-cleaning bag plastic may cause yellow streaks over time.
 
Don't put clothes or shoes away while still damp.
 
When packing a suitcase or putting away valuable clothes, placeing tissue paper (acid-free for storage) between fabric the layers of the garments themsleves will help reduce creasing and wrinkling.
 
Old laundry baskets can be used for storing toys or out of season clothing. If you do use them to store clothes be sure to place clothing in clean white sheets or simliar (as above) first.
 
Luggage, either new or old, can be used to store off season clothing and extra blankets. This saves on having to buy cardboard boxes. If you want your clothing to stay fresh, add a sprig of lavender or a cedar block to the luggage interior.
 
National Toxicology Program’s designation that moth balls are potential carcinogens, have removed moth balls from their home, and can’t rid their clothes or furniture of the toxic smell of moth balls.

Removing the moth ball smell from vintage clothing, thrift store clothing, or consignment store clothing is a big concern.  Expose the item to as much fresh outdoor air as possible for several days (bring it in at night). It is best to hang the clothes in the sun on and off for at least a week. This seems to work especially well if the clothes are hung dry, before attempting to wash them even once. White vinegar works as an odor remover. It works well on mothball odor, mildew smelling towels, body odor, and other offensive odors. Put about 1 cup in the wash cycle at the beginning of the cycle. You may need to run the load more than once. (This method only recommended for machine washable items.)
 
Moths
Natural Moth Balls (Repellent Sachets)

2 ounces each of dried rosemary, mint or lavendar
1 ounce each of dried thyme and ginseng
8 ounces of whole cloves

Combine the ingredients in a large bowl. Blend. Make sachets by choosing a 4 x 4 inch piece of natural fiber with a tight weave, such as silk. Sew three sides together, then fill with the herbs and sew the fourth side shut. You can adapt this pattern to any size you want (2 x 2 is the traditional size for the undergarments drawer, for example). A good idea for small sachets is to fill cotton teabags sold for making your own tea (these are often sold in health food stores). If you are really in a rush, just tie the herbs up in a cotton bandana or handkerchief; place the herbs in the middle, gather the edges together, and tie with a ribbon.

Variation: Other herbs that are good for repelling moths include lavender, lemon, sweet woodruff, and tansy.

Completely seal clean woolen items in bags, boxes, and chests. Cedar chests help repel moths, but they must be sealed.

If you see moths, freeze the item of clothing for two days in the freezer.

Wool Moth Spray
If you have wool moths already, the best spray is to make one of neem oil, adding 1/4 cup of neem oil to 1/2 gallon water, with a dab of liquid castile soap, in a spray bottle.

When you make orange pomanders, there are a couple of things you can do. Make sure there are cloves on the bottom of the orange, so there's air circulating underneath. You can also use lemons, limes or apples.

Another way to make sure the orange doesn't leak is to roll it in orris root powder (this smells good too!)