In case I haven’t mentioned it recently, I am absolutely smitten with my Jeter. Seriously, I don’t think I would trade him for the real Jeter, if the opportunity came my way. He is an absolute love. I’ve never had a white dog before though, and his fur, beautiful as it may be, is freaking me out. It’s kind of everywhere, regardless of how often I vacuum.
So, Jeter’s fur and my leaning-heavily-toward-the-dark-side wardrobe don’t really combine for the best look. I’ve learned that lighter colored lounge wear and denim are my best bets for around the house and I consciously avoid donning my blacks and blues until I’m walking out the door, but, I still feel like I’m waging a losing war. My only consolation comes from the knowledge that Jeter, who loves his bath, is one clean dog.
Speaking of clean, specifically dry cleaning, am I alone in thinking it is outrageously expensive? I do my best to avoid buying “dry clean only” garments, but still find myself with some items which I’ve been afraid to tackle on my own. To offset the expense of my dresses and cashmere and/or wool sweaters, I took advantage (or so I thought) of a recent Groupon offer for Best Cleaners. Last week, I dropped off 2 simple cashmere sweaters, 1 sleeveless silk dress and 1 sleeveless gabardine sheath.
When I went to pick my clothing up, I expected the total bill to be approximately $40, to which I intended to apply one of my $20 vouchers. I was shocked to learn that my balance after the $20 Groupon was applied was $48, meaning the total was originally $68. Is that normal? Is that really the cost of maintaining a wardrobe?
What do you all do? Handwash? Are there special settings on your machine at home which you utilize? I just bought my first lint brush, but I don’t think it will erase much beyond Jeter’s presence from my clothing. Help!
DelSo 
Oh my!!! I own gobs of cashmere and NEVER take it to the dry cleaner. Ick. I use something called Eucalan No Rinse Wool Wash and it’s fantastic. I do the sweaters in my washer, too. I fill my washer to whatever level I need to let the sweaters move freely with tepid water, put in the Eucalan and then agitate. I add the sweaters, agitate them for just a minute or so, and turn the machine off. They sit there for an hour or so (more if they are dirty) and then I just advance the timer to spin, which empties the water and spins the sweaters out. You can dry them however you like. Some people have drying racks, but I have four foot pieces of cheap plastic pipe that I run in through one sleeve and out the other. Let the whole assembly dry with the ends of the pipe between a couple of dining room chairs and you are good to go.
Ooooh! That sounds amazing. I have a front loader, though. I’ll have to check to see if I can modify this…thanks!
You can do it in the sink, then squeeze the sweater out and roll them up in a towel to squeeze out as much water as possible. Then dry.