Guides & garment-care know-how
Practical, no-nonsense advice on caring for, repairing and getting more life out of your clothes.
DWR vs. Membrane – What's the Difference?
What is the difference between water repellency (DWR) and the membrane in a jacket? They do different jobs. Here is what each is, and why your jacket needs both.
How to Remove Berry Stains – Blueberry and More
Berry stain from blueberries? Rinse cold from the back before you use soap. How anthocyanin stains behave – and when to use a cleaner.
How to Remove Ink Stains from Clothes
Ink stain on clothes? Ballpoint dissolves in alcohol, water-based ink in cold water. How to lift it without spreading – and when to use a cleaner.
How to Remove Blood Stains Without Setting Them
Blood stain on clothes? Cold water is everything – heat 'cooks' blood in. How to remove fresh and old blood stains, and when to have the garment cleaned.
Colour Run in the Wash – How to Save Your Whites
A red sock turned your whites pink? Don't dry it – heat sets the dye. How to wash the colour back out, and how to stop a dye run happening again.
Grease and Oil Stains – How to Get Them Out
Grease and oil stains do not come out with water alone. How to draw out the grease, what works on fresh and old stains – and when the fabric should be cleaned.
How to Remove Grass Stains – Step by Step
Grass stains are dye and protein in one. How to lift both with an enzyme detergent and a dab of alcohol – what sets them, and when to use a cleaner.
How to Remove Hair Dye Stains From Clothes and Towels
Hair dye is an oxidative colour reaction – once dried, it sets. How to act fast on towels and collars, and when to send the garment in.
Removing Mud and Soil Stains from Clothes
Let mud and soil dry first – don't rub it wet. How to brush off most of it, clean the rest, and when the garment should be professionally cleaned.
Coffee Stain on Clothes – How to Get It Out
Spilled coffee? Act fast and with cold water. How to remove fresh and old coffee stains – and why milk and sugar make the stain a little worse.
How to Remove Tomato and Ketchup Stains
Tomato and ketchup stains are colour, acid and a little grease at once. Learn why to rinse from the back, skip heat – and when to send it in.
How to Remove Nail Polish from Clothes
Nail polish on clothes needs a solvent, but acetone can melt fabric and strip colour. How to spot-test, lift it safely, and when to have it cleaned.
How to Remove Pilling from a Sweater
Remove pilling from a sweater safely: what pills are, which tool works (comb, fabric shaver, razor), the right technique, and how to prevent them.
How to Remove Red Wine Stains – Fresh and Old
Spilled red wine? Here is what actually works on fresh and dried-in stains, what is just a myth – and when to have the garment cleaned professionally.
How to Remove Rust Stains From Clothes – Without Bleach
Rust comes out with acid, never chlorine bleach – bleach makes it permanent. How to use lemon, vinegar and sun safely, and when to send it in.
Removing Self-Tan Stains from Clothes
Self-tan on a collar, sheet or towel? How to lift both the bronzer tint and the brown DHA stain – and when the fabric should be cleaned instead.
How to Remove a Chocolate Stain the Right Way
A chocolate stain is grease, protein and dye at once. How to treat it in the right order on fresh and old stains – and when to have it cleaned.
Removing Make-up Stains – Foundation, Lipstick and Mascara
Foundation on the collar, lipstick or mascara? Almost all make-up is pigment in oil and wax – how to dissolve the binder and lift the colour out.
How to Remove Sunscreen Stains from Clothes
Sunscreen stains are grease plus a rust-like orange mark from UV filters. How to treat both – and why chlorine bleach makes it worse.
How to Remove Super Glue from Clothes
Super glue on clothes cures into hard plastic. How to dissolve it with acetone or freeze it off – safely for the fabric, and when to have it cleaned.
How to Remove Marker Stains From Clothes
Permanent or water-based marker? That decides the method. How to lift marker with alcohol or a wash without spreading it – and when to send it in.
Removing Chewing Gum from Clothes – Freeze, Don't Pull
Chewing gum on your clothes? Don't pull it – freeze it hard so it turns brittle and lets go. The step-by-step method, and what to do with the residue.
Zipper Won't Close – the Slider or the Whole Zip?
Zip not closing or sliding open? Often only the slider is worn – a quick fix. How to check what is wrong, and when the whole zip needs replacing.
Down Jacket Zipper Repair Without Losing Down
Down jacket zipper snagging or won't close? How to free trapped lining, when a new slider is enough – and how the zip is swapped without losing down.
Yellow Sweat Stains on Your Shirt – How to Remove Them
Yellow underarm sweat stains are not just sweat – it is aluminium from deodorant binding into the fabric. How to remove them, and what you must never do.
How Often Should You Re-proof Your Jacket?
Is there a set answer for how often to re-proof your jacket? No – it depends on use, washing and wear. How to know when, and how to make the proofing last.
Re-proof a Down Jacket – Shell and Fill
A down jacket needs water repellency on two levels – the outer fabric and the down itself. How to re-proof a down jacket so it keeps you dry and warm.
Re-proof a Rain Jacket So It Beads Water Again
Rain jacket no longer keeping you dry? How to wash and re-proof it so water beads off again – and when to leave the job to professionals.
How to Re-proof a Shell Jacket the Right Way
Shell jacket no longer beading water? Learn why, how to wash and re-proof it correctly, the drop test – and when to leave the job to professionals.
Re-proof Ski Gear – Ready for the Ski Season
Wet ski gear is cold ski gear. How to re-proof a ski jacket, ski trousers, gloves and bibs before the season, so you stay dry and warm in snow and sleet.
Re-proof a Softshell Without Clogging Breathability
A softshell breathes through the whole fabric, so proofing must be done a little differently from a hardshell. How to do it without suffocating the breathability.
Jacket 'Soaking Up' Water at the Shoulders? It Has 'Wetted Out'
Does your jacket go dark and clammy at the shoulders in the rain? It's called 'wetting out' – and it doesn't mean the jacket is leaking. What happens, and how to fix it.
Shrunk Your Wool Sweater? How to Rescue It
Wool sweater shrunk in the wash? You can often stretch it back out. How to soak and reshape it – and when to leave it to professionals.
Hole in a Down Jacket – How to Repair It Without Losing Down
Hole in your down jacket? Stop the feather loss first. How to patch small holes, tape vs sewn fix – and when to have it repaired professionally.
Hemming Jeans – With or Without the Original Hem
Jeans too long? How to hem them – and how to keep the original faded edge so they still look like real jeans.
When Does Your Jacket Need Re-proofing? Do the Drop Test
Not sure if your jacket needs re-proofing? The drop test takes 30 seconds and gives the answer. How to do it, what the answer means – and what to do next.
Repair or Replace? How to Think About It
Is it worth repairing the garment, or should you buy new? An honest checklist: cost per wear, how much life the garment has left, quality, sentiment and the environment.
Repairing a Tear in a Shell Jacket
Tear in a shell jacket? Why you can't sew it, how to patch small tears with a self-adhesive patch, and when the tear needs a sewn, seam-sealed repair.
How to Sew On a Button – Step by Step
Loose or missing button? How to sew it on so it stays, build a thread shank on thick fabric, and what to do when the button is gone entirely.
Two-Way and Separating Zippers on Jackets
Separating jacket zipper that won't close? Learn how the pin, box and slider work, what you can fix yourself – and when the whole zip needs replacing.
Reactivate Water Repellency with Heat – Before You Re-proof
Sometimes a jacket just needs heat, not fresh proofing. How to reactivate the DWR with a tumble dryer or iron – and when that's enough.
Wash a Down Jacket in the Machine – Step by Step
Dare you wash your down jacket at home? Yes, with the right method. How to wash and dry a down jacket so the down stays lofty and doesn't clump.
Always Wash Before You Re-proof – Here's Why
Proofing does not bond to a dirty jacket. That is why you must always wash before you re-proof. How to do it right, step by step.
How to Wash Gore-Tex Correctly – Wash, Dry and Re-proof
Afraid to wash Gore-Tex? You actually should – dirt and body oils clog the membrane. How to wash and reactivate the water repellency correctly, and when to leave it to professionals.
How to Wash a Wool Sweater Without Shrinking It
Afraid to wash your wool sweater? Wool does not shrink from heat alone, but from agitation and temperature shock. How to wash and dry wool safely – and when to have it cleaned.
Care Symbols Explained – How to Read the Care Label
What do the symbols on the care label mean? The guide to washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and professional cleaning – and what the circle really means.