September 8, 2011
The Power of the Jiffy Steamer: Jiffy J-2000 Review For years I’d been hearing and reading about the power of steamers, but I never quite believed what I heard. “What’s wrong with an iron?” was my usual response. Then we moved my office into what had been the master bedroom of our place - a room with its own little bathroom. I figured since I had the space, I might as well give steamers a try. All my research indicated that when it comes to steamers, Jiffy is king. It’s the only brand I’ve ever seen people in the know - like costumers and vintage clothing dealers - use. I read on the style fora that other steamers might get a B-, but the Jiffy was an A. Luckily, I live in LA, the world capital of showbiz, so there are decommissioned stylist and costumer steamers freely available on Craigslist. I drove out to Mid-City Los Angeles, plunked down eighty bucks cash to a man whose wife was leaving the business, and drove home with a Jiffy J-2000. Jiffy makes a few sizes - there’s a travel version, a commercial version (the J-4000) and this one, which is for residential use. This thing was absolutely worth the hype. I just bought a lot of 15 or 20 ties on eBay that came in one huge ball, inside a Five Guys burger box. I thought they were ruined - dry cleaning or pressing ties flattens and destroys them. Then I remembered my steamer. Ten minutes later, they were as smooth as the day I bought them. It’s also helped me avoid the dry cleaner with other clothes. I’ve got some cotton dry-clean-only trousers that I’d much rather clean once every two or three wearings that steam beautifully in between cleanings. My wool jackets and trousers I’d prefer to subject to dry cleaning no more than once a year - now a quick brushing and steaming and they’re good as new. I even used it to help re-size a hat. The J-2000 is big and industrial-looking. If you haven’t got a broom closet to keep it in, you might want to consider the hand-held travel version. Either way, a steamer is a remarkably useful tool, and Jiffy is the way to go.

The Power of the Jiffy Steamer: Jiffy J-2000 Review

For years I’d been hearing and reading about the power of steamers, but I never quite believed what I heard. “What’s wrong with an iron?” was my usual response.

Then we moved my office into what had been the master bedroom of our place - a room with its own little bathroom. I figured since I had the space, I might as well give steamers a try.

All my research indicated that when it comes to steamers, Jiffy is king. It’s the only brand I’ve ever seen people in the know - like costumers and vintage clothing dealers - use. I read on the style fora that other steamers might get a B-, but the Jiffy was an A.

Luckily, I live in LA, the world capital of showbiz, so there are decommissioned stylist and costumer steamers freely available on Craigslist. I drove out to Mid-City Los Angeles, plunked down eighty bucks cash to a man whose wife was leaving the business, and drove home with a Jiffy J-2000. Jiffy makes a few sizes - there’s a travel version, a commercial version (the J-4000) and this one, which is for residential use.

This thing was absolutely worth the hype. I just bought a lot of 15 or 20 ties on eBay that came in one huge ball, inside a Five Guys burger box. I thought they were ruined - dry cleaning or pressing ties flattens and destroys them. Then I remembered my steamer. Ten minutes later, they were as smooth as the day I bought them.

It’s also helped me avoid the dry cleaner with other clothes. I’ve got some cotton dry-clean-only trousers that I’d much rather clean once every two or three wearings that steam beautifully in between cleanings. My wool jackets and trousers I’d prefer to subject to dry cleaning no more than once a year - now a quick brushing and steaming and they’re good as new. I even used it to help re-size a hat.

The J-2000 is big and industrial-looking. If you haven’t got a broom closet to keep it in, you might want to consider the hand-held travel version. Either way, a steamer is a remarkably useful tool, and Jiffy is the way to go.

Posted in Steamers Jiffy Steamers Maintenance Hats Cleaning

University of Illinois Extensions’ Stain Solutions

May 12, 2011

I was reading the Wall Street Journal’s article on underarm sweat stains and came across this excerpt

The University of Illinois Extension Stain Solutions department recommends a daunting regimen to treat a yellow underarm stain. It urges scraping off any excess material with a blunt kitchen knife, soaking the garment for 15 minutes in a quart of lukewarm water, half a teaspoon of dishwashing detergent and one tablespoon ammonia, gently rubbing from the back to loosen the stain, soaking another 15 minutes, then rinsing. 

If it doesn’t go away, soak the stain in a laundry detergent that contains enzymes for at least half an hour, then put in the washing machine. An older stain should be soaked for several hours. Then launder. If the stain remains stubborn, use chlorine beach, if safe, on white shirts and oxygen bleach on colors.

It seems like good advice to keep on hand, in addition to Jesse’s recommendation of vinegar and OxyClean, given that temperatures are about to rise. 

More importantly, I Googled around and found the University of Illinois Extensions’ stain solutions website. I’m not sure it’s a “department,” in the academic sense, but it does seem incredibly comprehensive and useful. Click here to see an index to every kind of stain solution you can imagine. You can also click here to read their general suggestions, as well as here to read a list of products you might want to have on hand in order to deal with stains. 

This might be a good thing to bookmark, and then refer to when you need it. Lord knows I prostrate in front of my washer every time my clothes get stained. It’ll probably be good to employ something a bit more scientific in the future. 

Posted in Cleaning Laundry Stains References
March 11, 2010
From our friends over at StyleForum, a five-step system for getting rid of stubborn stains in shirts using vinegar and Oxiclean.  This isn’t infallible, but you’d be amazed at the results.  I often will take a flier on a great thrift shirt with ring-around-the-collar, and give this a shot.  Usually I end up with a shirt that’s clean as a whistle. How to Clean Shirts Soak shirt in a solution made from one gallon hot water (as hot as it will come out of the faucet) and one cup of vinegar. Let the shirt soak for 30 mins to 2 hours. Rinse shirts, and squeeze out excess water. Empty bucket and rinse. In a cup, prepare a concentrated Oxy-Clean solution. Make sure to use the Oxy-Clean granules that come in the tub. Make the solution about 10 parts HOT water to one part O-C. Usually this amounts to two scoops of O-C (using the provided scoop) per 4-6 ounces of water. You want this to be very concentrated. Apply the strong solution generously to the stained areas. Place the shirts in a bucket (so that the solution doesn’t flow away, or dry) with the stained areas towards the bottom of the bucket so they stay nice and covered in the solution. Allow to soak overnight. It can also help to use an old toothbrush and scrub the stained areas every hour or so, if you’ve got the time. In the morning, remove the shirts from bucket. Fill the bucket with a gallon of hot water, and two scoops of the Oxy-Clean (basically, follow the recipe on the package for a general cleaning solution) and mix well. Place the shirts in the bucket, and soak for 2-24 hours. This just helps to remove any trace of stain. You might want to stir the shirts around with your hands after you put them in the bucket with the weaker solution just to remove some of the stronger solution that is still on the shirts. Remove, and wash/rinse in the regular cycle on your washing machine. Note: I find that this normally removes sweat/dirt stains from the armpit, neck, and cuff with ease. For really strong stains, you might have to repeat the process a few times.

From our friends over at StyleForum, a five-step system for getting rid of stubborn stains in shirts using vinegar and Oxiclean.  This isn’t infallible, but you’d be amazed at the results.  I often will take a flier on a great thrift shirt with ring-around-the-collar, and give this a shot.  Usually I end up with a shirt that’s clean as a whistle.

How to Clean Shirts

  1. Soak shirt in a solution made from one gallon hot water (as hot as it will come out of the faucet) and one cup of vinegar. Let the shirt soak for 30 mins to 2 hours.
  2. Rinse shirts, and squeeze out excess water. Empty bucket and rinse. In a cup, prepare a concentrated Oxy-Clean solution. Make sure to use the Oxy-Clean granules that come in the tub. Make the solution about 10 parts HOT water to one part O-C. Usually this amounts to two scoops of O-C (using the provided scoop) per 4-6 ounces of water. You want this to be very concentrated.
  3. Apply the strong solution generously to the stained areas. Place the shirts in a bucket (so that the solution doesn’t flow away, or dry) with the stained areas towards the bottom of the bucket so they stay nice and covered in the solution. Allow to soak overnight. It can also help to use an old toothbrush and scrub the stained areas every hour or so, if you’ve got the time.
  4. In the morning, remove the shirts from bucket. Fill the bucket with a gallon of hot water, and two scoops of the Oxy-Clean (basically, follow the recipe on the package for a general cleaning solution) and mix well. Place the shirts in the bucket, and soak for 2-24 hours. This just helps to remove any trace of stain. You might want to stir the shirts around with your hands after you put them in the bucket with the weaker solution just to remove some of the stronger solution that is still on the shirts.
  5. Remove, and wash/rinse in the regular cycle on your washing machine.

Note: I find that this normally removes sweat/dirt stains from the armpit, neck, and cuff with ease. For really strong stains, you might have to repeat the process a few times.

Posted in Cleaning Shirts Laundry
October 26, 2009
On the MaxFunForum, rossination asks: Jesse, let’s talk about laundry. Do you have your shirts cleaned and pressed at the dry cleaner’s, or do you do wash (and iron) yourself? Starch or no starch? As a poor student, I don’t have the money to send my shirts out. Plus, I kind of like ironing. But I’ve been finding lately that I’m pretty unhappy with the slouchiness of my collars (even with metal stays). I’m thinking about going against my dad’s admonitions and getting some spray starch. What do you think? I’m a public radio host, Rossination, not an oil magnate.  I wash and iron my shirts myself. First: I’m glad to hear that you’re already in the “kind of like ironing” camp.  Ironing isn’t a lot of work, and it’s a great thing to do on Sundays while you’re watching football, or, in my case, Mondays when you’re watching The Roadshow.  (As an aside, I highly recommend spending a hundred bucks or so on a good iron.  The weight, steam and smoothness are very much worth it.) Most cleaners use the harshest methods when washing and pressing your clothes, and should be avoided whenever possible.  There are exceptions, but they’re tough to find and expensive.  Especially if you have access to laundry in your home, there’s no reason not to launder your clothes yourself.  You care for them in a way a cleaner never will. Starch is harsh on clothes and completely unnecessary.  Remember: your collar isn’t supposed to be like cardboard.  It’s made of fabric and is supposed to behave as such.  A collar stay is plenty to keep your collar sharp — beyond that, let them roll!

On the MaxFunForum, rossination asks:

Jesse, let’s talk about laundry. Do you have your shirts cleaned and pressed at the dry cleaner’s, or do you do wash (and iron) yourself? Starch or no starch?

As a poor student, I don’t have the money to send my shirts out. Plus, I kind of like ironing. But I’ve been finding lately that I’m pretty unhappy with the slouchiness of my collars (even with metal stays). I’m thinking about going against my dad’s admonitions and getting some spray starch. What do you think?

I’m a public radio host, Rossination, not an oil magnate.  I wash and iron my shirts myself.

First: I’m glad to hear that you’re already in the “kind of like ironing” camp.  Ironing isn’t a lot of work, and it’s a great thing to do on Sundays while you’re watching football, or, in my case, Mondays when you’re watching The Roadshow.  (As an aside, I highly recommend spending a hundred bucks or so on a good iron.  The weight, steam and smoothness are very much worth it.)

Most cleaners use the harshest methods when washing and pressing your clothes, and should be avoided whenever possible.  There are exceptions, but they’re tough to find and expensive.  Especially if you have access to laundry in your home, there’s no reason not to launder your clothes yourself.  You care for them in a way a cleaner never will.

Starch is harsh on clothes and completely unnecessary.  Remember: your collar isn’t supposed to be like cardboard.  It’s made of fabric and is supposed to behave as such.  A collar stay is plenty to keep your collar sharp — beyond that, let them roll!

Posted in Cleaning Ironing Irons Shirt Care Shirts Q and Answer