The lazy launderer

A sponsored post for Vanish Napisan

Vanish NapiSan have created a new online platform known as The Tip Exchange where you can enter your own stain queries or help others solve their tricky stains. 

Every single day I wash. I suppose it just comes with the territory when you have a family, kids, visitors and life. The basket gets filled, and emptied and usually all with a pretty tight turnaround time. But there are some areas of my laundry that are a little, ahem, behind. Like my wedding dress. That is STILL sitting in its bag from my wedding night covered in red wine stains and chocolate gelato. I think I missed that window, seeing as it was, oh, 8 YEARS AGO. But there’s other things, mostly my good stuff, that is neglected in my wardrobe.

Let’s take for example this frock I wore to our Winter Ball in JUNE. It looked fab on the night, but 3 months later it was looking a little, shall we say, unfresh.

Ball

And that’s no one’s fault, but my own. I left it in an unwashed heap at the bottom of my wardrobe and life got in the way. One trick I got from one of my good friend’s Mum was to throw your fancy, unwashed gowns into a bath and let it soak for a good 24 hours in Vanish NapiSan. And you know what? It works! Every time. Even after 3 months. Here look!

Unfresh indeed. Red wine down the front. Long story, but let me tell the other person was far worse off than I. Moving floral arrangements off a table with a full bottle of red nearby was NEVER going to end well. Poor Arthur and his crisp white shirt…

L1

More stains. So classy like.

L2

And then on the back an unidentified mud stain from when I walked into a ditch on the way home and promptly landed on my bottom.

L3

And then what I like to call miscellaneous stains at the bottom of the frock as it dragged around on the old floorboards in the hall.

L4

I draw my fancy frock a deep, hot bath with a good couple of scoops of Vanish NapiSan in the water.

L5

And then I throw that frock in there to marinate in that stain removal goodness for a good 24 hours.

L6 L8

Here it is a day later.

L9

Check out the stains and if there are any still there I usually just give it a good rub together and they will lift easily. After a good rinse and wring out, it’s out into the sunshine for another full day. This frock has to be hung off the guttering because it’s so long!

L10 L11 L12 L13

And look! No more red wine. Mud or miscellaneous! Pretty good hey?

L14

Obviously check whether your fabric can get wet without being ruined, but I haven’t looked back since I was taught it. Yes, even 3 or 6 months later!

You can read other stain tips on The Tip Exchange and from now you could win $100 just by submitting your tip!

What’s your lazy laundry item?
Tablecloths? Fancy frocks?
Anyone else still not cleaned their wedding dress?

Comments

  1. Yep, my wedding dress is in a bag in the cupboard too. Shoved in there the day after, but it was only two years ago so I don’t feel so bad now! Plus, it only cost $160, and I plan on never needing another one ;0)

    • BabyMacBlogBeth says

      Exactly! I just can’t believe I spent as much as I did on my frock and didn’t bother getting it cleaned…silly girl!

  2. Lisa Mckenzie says

    You are so lucky that gorgeous Frock came clean Beth .No I am the opposite of the lazy launderer I am the OCD of washing I wash everyday ,normal clothes I don’t really care about but my good ones ,no siree they get lovingly handwashed and hung on a hanger,dried in the shade and put away quick smart 🙂

    • BabyMacBlogBeth says

      Good on you! I should do this considering the amount you sometimes pay for a fancy frock…my wedding dress is the worst!!

  3. Wow, that’s impressive! I am also a lazy launderer, so excited to try this technique. Love your dress, Beth 🙂

    • BabyMacBlogBeth says

      Thanks Sally! It’s an old school Studi Baker Hawk! Remember that label from the 80’s?! Good luck with your frock 🙂

  4. Linley Simons says

    I’m so glad I’m not the only person with an dirty wedding dress years later. I’ve been married 8 years too and it’s been hidden in a bag ever since. I’m almost afraid to look at it, it’s possible some of the dirt included on mine is seaweed attached to the bottom…

    I wonder if the bath soak would work on it?

    • BabyMacBlogBeth says

      If the fabric can handle a good wash then I reckon this could be the answer. I am going to test a part of mine and see how it goes and then have a crack. Can’t be any worse than scrunched up in a bag at the back of the wardrobe can it?! Let me know how you go if you do try…

  5. Bree Di Mattina says

    Woolen items. I feel like I need to accumulate a few before putting on a load. My mum took my wedding dress off for the royal treatment the day after the wedding. Awesome lady.

  6. My wedding dress is still not cleaned, it’ll be 9 years in December :-O The cost put me off at first, then we moved a couple of times and I didn’t get around to it. I tried it on last year on our 8th anniversary, it was a little too big! My girls loved seeing me in it 🙂

  7. Annaleis Topham says

    I had my Mother in Laws wedding dress cleaned for her for their surprise 40th wedding anniversary. Surprisingly the red win did come out and only left a small faint spot where it was. She was so happy I’d had it cleaned for her. I’d give yours a go – they have specialist wedding dress cleaners just for this.

  8. I am another with a most definitely Not Clean wedding dress – 13.5 years later (kinda glad I am not the only one!) I am ok at keeping on top of machine wash items, but the depths of my laundry basket holds hand-wash only clothes from last summer…some of which I actually washed today!

  9. Thank the Wedding Gods – I was feelng so guilty for having my wedding dress shoved up the top of our wardrobe for the past 8 months un-drycleaned. I’ve got so much other shiz to pay for, I can’t justify another $250+ to dryclean a dress I’m never going to wear again!
    Meanwhile, everything else I can seem to get clean with a sprinkle of NapiSan on a cycle longer than my usual ‘Quick30’ on my LG front loader…!

Leave a Reply to BabyMacBlogBeth Cancel reply

*