Keep Clothes Looking Like New With These Home Dry Clean Hacks

doing the laundry at home

Going to a local dry cleaner takes time and money. If you’re just doing it for one dress or suit you’ll need for a special occasion that’s weeks away, it’s no big deal, right? How about if you need that garment right away? Or if you have loads of clothing to dry clean? Simple! You try these home dry cleaning hacks!

Dry Cleaning: The Basics

A man picking up his suit from the dry cleaner's. What’s dry cleaning? It’s a process used to keep silk, cashmere, linen, sequin, wool, and other delicates in perfect condition for longer. Essentially, there’s no laundry detergent used in the process. Instead, professionals use a liquid solvent to do the job. Most dry cleaners rely on machines to distribute the solvent on clothing throughout the entire washing cycle. Simple, right? Well, it really is easy, and it can be done at home, too. Read on to learn how to DIY dry clean your clothing.

Learn How to Dry Clean Clothes

washing clothes by hand

Basically, you can dry clean clothing by hand or in a washing machine. As always, check the garment’s label before doing anything in order not to ruin your favorite piece. You’ll need a small clean tub (optional) and a fabric-specific detergent.

Directions:

  1. Read the label carefully. Fabrics like silk, linen, or wool can be gently washed by hand.
  2. Test if you can clean a spot on the fabric at home. To do it, just place a few drops of water and rub it gently on the fabric’s surface using a cotton swab. If the cotton swab is colored, you won’t be able to dry clean the piece on your own, as the color will bleed. If there’s nothing in the cotton swab, proceed to the next step.
  3. Fill a small tub or sink with cold water. Place a small amount of the fabric-specific detergent. Mix until it foams, and place your garments inside. Hand-wash thoroughly.
  4. Air dry your clothes. If you’ve washed wool, lay the clots flat to dry.

Dry Clean Clothes in a Washing Machine

Dry Cleaning Clothes in a Washing Machine

If you don’t want to dry clean your clothes manually, just use your washing machine. You’ll need gentle laundry detergent and a mesh laundry bag. Like with manual washing, you should check the label before doing anything. You can test if the fabric will bleed (check step 2 above).

Select the washing cycle and temperature, following the label instructions. Turn the clothes inside out before washing, keeping in mind that delicates should be washed in a mesh bag. Once the clothes are washed, air dry them. Voilà!

These Big-Batch Meal Ideas Make for Delicious Leftovers

Meal prep has been gaining more and more speed in recent years, especially because of all the social media influencers dead-set on showing people how to eat right and do things quickly. However, food prepared beforehand and posted on Instagram and other social media always looks beautiful and is set in a certain way, but that’s not necessary. Try these four big-batch meal recipes used for supper that can be part of your meal prep for days to come – as leftovers!

Peanut Coconut Pork Noodles

Peanut Coconut Pork Noodles

Coconut-based sauces have been prevalent for a long time, especially in Southeast Asian cuisine, but in recent years, they have been getting more popular around the world. You don’t have to use more than one can of coconut milk, but the recipe makes enough servings for supper and leftovers. And there you go – easy big-batch meal prep you can eat the next day! If you’re feeling healthy, you can add a touch of kale for taste and color!

Big-Batch Slow-Cooked Pork

Big-Batch Slow-Cooked Pork

If you enjoy meal prep, you probably own a slow cooker, which is perfect for this recipe. It calls for slow-cooked pork with added noodles. The taste can be empowered by adding peppers and tomatoes – serve all that over rice, and you’ve got yourself a fantastic meal for some days to come!

Smoky Slow-Cooker Chili

Smoky Slow-Cooker Chili

Don’t let the fancy wording fool you – the big-batch three-bean chili has the same base recipe as the chili you’re used to eating, with the addition of something to spice it up and make it smokey. You add tempeh bacon, often found next to tofu in most stores, and some chipotle chilis. It will have a smokey flavor, and you can always substitute the bacon for regular think-cut bacon slices if the tempeh is not to your liking.

Chicken and Wild Rice Bowls

Chicken and Wild Rice Bowl

Most meal prep recipes on social media indeed include chicken, avocado, and rice, but this recipe has something more to it that makes the three ingredients taste perfect when cooked together. Use your slow cooker, mix up the ingredients and add the carrot-ginger sauce as a zinger to the otherwise simple recipe. Your tastebuds will enjoy the flavor!

Big-batch meals are great because they can feed the family one day and be leftovers for you the next day. Just because you see all those fancy meal prep posts on social media doesn’t mean you have to follow the same display. Meal prep doesn’t need to be fancy. You can try these recipes, and as long as you can eat them hot or cold the next day – your prep is set for a delicious leftover meal!