Thursday, 28 November 2013 Bringing your new girlfriend home. The ultimate guide for introducing your significant other to your parentsYouve already met her parents. Now its time for her tomeet yours.When you met her folks for the first time, your biggestconcern was making a good first impression. Now that the roles are reversed,your focus should be on helpinghermake a good impression. Ifshesa keeper, shell probably care a lot about your parents liking her. And youlikely want them to give her the thumbs up too. Your folks and your significantother may not always get along, but when they do, things sure go a lot morehappily.While bringing your girlfriend home for the first time canbe a little awkward and nerve-racking for all parties involved, here are somequick tips for making everyone feel comfortable and helping things go assmoothly as possible.Be sure youre really ready to bring her home.Inmost circumstances, a woman will interpret an invitation to meet your parentsas a signal that you think shes special and your relationship is fairlyserious. Your parents will likely interpret the move in the same way. So dontbring a gal home (especially for a holiday) unless you want to communicate toboth parties that youre hoping shes going to be around for a while (andyoure okay with your mum asking about her incessantly until you break-up ortie the knot).Prepare them.You can lay the groundwork for asmooth meeting by preparing both your parents and your girlfriend for what toexpect from each other. Here are some things to discuss with your folks aboutyour gal:Conversation starters. Everybody wants to avoid awkward pauses as much as possible, and your folks want to get to know your girlfriend better. But the less youve told them about her, the harder it is for them to know what to ask in conversation. Give your parents some background information on her that will help them come up with questions. Rob told us you traveled through Europe for a month last summer. What was your favorite country?Conversations to avoid. You should also let your parents know about sensitive topics it would be best to avoid. So where do your parents live? My dad is dead and my mum is in jail. Oh.Dietary preferences/restrictions. If your girlfriend is allergic to peanuts and a vegetarian, you dont want your mum serving up kung pao chicken for dinner. You may even clue your parents in to a favorite meal or two of your girlfriends. Having familiar food in a new environment will help her feel more comfortable.Prepare her.Just as you did with you parents,go over conversation starters and pitfalls with your girlfriend too. And fillher in about other things as well:Family dynamics dossier. Give your girlfriend a primer about the drama and dynamics in your family. Your mum hates your stepmum, your brother is in rehab, your dad has been out of work for six months. Those kinds of things. The more she knows, the less likely she is to inadvertently step in it.Gift. If your girlfriend would like to bring a gift for your parents, thats definitely a nice gesture. Give her some suggestions on what would go over well. Does your mum have a favorite flower? Do they love trying new coffees? You dont want your girlfriend to offer a bottle of wine to your teetotaling parents.Common ground she shares with your parents. People like other people who are like them. So let your girlfriend know a thing or two she has in common with your folks that she can bring up with them. Andrew tells me youre into gardening. Ive been trying to dip my toes into it by starting a little windowsill garden in my apartment.Physical affection. Let her know about how your family demonstrates physical affection. Maybe your mum isnt a hugger and it would be best for your girlfriend to offer a handshake. Or maybe she needs to be prepared for the fact that your mum is going to smooch her right on the lips.House rules. Should she take off her shoes when she comes inside? Will your parents expect you to sleep in separate rooms? Do you always say grace before meals? You dont want your gal to be digging into her meatloaf as everyone else bows their head for a prayer.Remember to keep looking at the situation from herperspective.When you go back home youre in your ultimate comfortzone with people youve been around for a couple of decades and in the houseyou may have grown up in. Its easy to forget that your girlfriend isntfeeling the same way you are; to her, everything is new and unfamiliar. Its agood exercise to think about walking into another persons house, maybe evenher parents house, for the first time, and remember the way you felt a littleout of place and not so at ease. This will help guide your behavior and remindyou to do what you can to make your girlfriend feel comfortable.Offer her food and drinks. On this first visit, shesnot going to feel comfortable grabbing things out of the fridge and she doesntknow where stuff like the glasses and utensils are. So take the initiative inoffering her refreshments.Praise her in front of them. Its not polite for herto bring up her own accomplishments and strong points. But you can, and should.Sophie is the most amazing cook. Grace started a tutoring program fordisadvantaged kids that just landed a big grant. Praising your girlfriend in frontof your parents will make her feel really good, and help them see her in apositive light. Stick by her side as much as possible. This is themost important rule. Maybe you havent seen your brother for awhile and youretempted to leave your girlfriend in the living room with your parents while youtwo play video games upstairs. Its understandable, but in this situation youneed to put your girlfriend first. Again, keep in mind that while you feelsuper comfortable, she doesnt. Getting left alone with your folks to makesmall talk can make her feel really anxious and awkward, not to mentionabandoned. Hopefully, after a few visits and getting to know them better,shell feel a lot more comfortable around them. But on this first visit (andfor several thereafter), try to stick by her side as much as possible.Posted bySiete Clothing Coat12:55No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestThursday, 7 November 2013 Embracing your mo-ment! How to grow an amazing moustache this Movember!No one ever said growing a 'tache is easy. From the firstpubescent bum fluff to those comedy coppery bits and rogue grey hairs, we mencome in for some terrible stick thanks to our facial fuzz. Yet still we growit. Why? Because we can, and women (mostly) can't, that's why. And with November designated Movember, a month to grow a'tache in the name of charity, there's never been a better time to cultivate acaterpillar or give a Mo a go. Here are a few tips to get your started... 1. Choose your Mo-mentWhen growing 'taches, many men fall at the 'messy' stage -usually a week or so in when the Mo is at its most unsightly. But like being forced to sit through an episode ofEastEnders, it's something that you just have to tolerate, safe in theknowledge that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Using a weekend to get a head start is a good idea, or evenbetter a week's holiday - that way by the time you return, you'll be over theunsightly, itchy stage. 2. Decide and define
Finding a style that suits you will probably take a fewattempts so play around with your Mo's length and thickness. Always shave just outside the line of your moustache - thatwill leave you room to tidy it up properly with a the edging blade of razor,ensure it's symmetrical (studies have shown that women find men withsymmetrical faces more attractive) and, if you're planning anything remotelyintricate, use a magnifying shaving mirror so you get pinpoint accuracy. 3. Keep it neatTalk to women about moustaches and you'll soon discover thatit's not Mo's per se that women are scared of, it's unkempt ones. In fact, anunkempt Mo is the facial equivalent of dirty fingernails. So keep yours nearly trimmed and even in length with agadget like Remington's MB320C Beard Trimmer and remove the guard to give thebottom of your 'tache a neat edge, always making sure it's level with the lipline or just above. 4. MoisturiseThe skin under facial hair can become especially dry, partlybecause hair tends to wick moisture away from the skin allowing it toevaporate. The result can be itchy skin and dry 'tache flakes. This is not a good look so, when moisturising, payparticular attention to the skin under your facial hair, massaging your regularmoisturiser in thoroughly with your fingertips. 5. Give it a comb-over
In the same way that your barnet benefits from a brushing,your Mo can too, especially if you're going for an uber-bushy 'walrus', a TomSelleck or a 1970s-style pornstache. You'll look pretty silly using a regular comb to tame your'tache, though, so get yourself a Kent Brushes Moustache Comb . Dinky enough to fit in your pocket it's perfect for keepingyour 'tache tip top. 6. Keep it cleanMoustaches are magnets for stray bits of food and because ofhair's porous nature also have a bad habit of absorbing nasty niffs. So wash thoroughly with you regular facial wash (you can usea scrub on it too) and always rinse with warm water after eating. You can keep it soft and silky by slapping a little hairconditioner on it each time you wash your hair. 7. Wax lyricalIn the same way that your barnet benefits from a touch ofwax, gel or a fancy matte putty, your Mo will look miles better with a littlewaxing too. Moustache wax (yes, such a thing exists) is good for taming,training and holding longer styles and giving definition to the tips. Warm withyour fingertips, apply sparingly and just...play and see what happens.
8. Shower before shaving
When shaving around your burgeoning 'tache, use atransparent shave gel or shave oil, which allow you to see where're you'regoing with the razor, and shave after a shower. This way, the water and steam will have softened the hairs,making them easier to cut. 9. Dye rightEver excitedly grown a 'tache only to discover it isn't justas tough as copper wire but the same colour too? As traumatising as it is, GTS(Ginger Tache Syndrome) can affect any man whatever his hair colour. If you can't live with it, simply dye it to match yournatural hair colour with one of Just For Men's Beard and Moustache Colour gels. They're perfect for covering up grey hairs, too. 10. Call in the professionalsIf you're attempting something fancy, haven't got a clueabout how to style your 'tache or simply decide to keep it as a permanentfixture and want your mo to look magnificent, think about getting someprofessional help.
Many grooming emporiums and barbers offer a moustache-shapingservice which is a good way to create a style you can then maintain yourself.Posted bySiete Clothing Coat20:33No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestSunday, 3 November 2013 What men like in men- an argument from 1910If you were to ask the average man to tell you offhand justwhat qualities he likes in other men, he would probably boggle a good deal overhis answer. His first impulse would be to say, Oh, I dont know! which iswith men a convenient formula for avoiding thought upon unexpected or (to them)uninteresting topics. A little later, after turning the matter over in hismind, he would give you a catalogue of qualities to which he would be willingto swear. His list, however, would bear a strong resemblance to thehundred-best-book lists made my persons who sincerely believe that they areexpressing their own literary preferences, but who are actually indulging in abit of intellectual pose. Just as these individuals mention the books whichthey feel they ought to enjoy reading rather than those which they really read,so the average man will name a number of qualities which he thinks he likes,rather than those which in his heart of hearts he actually does like.In the case of one who tries to enumerate thecharacteristics which he admires in other men, this sort of answer is notinsincere. Although it is defective, and essentially untrue, the man himself isquite unconscious of the fact. The inaccuracy of his answers really comes fromhis inability to analyze his own preferences. The typical man is curiouslydeficient in a capacity for self-analysis. He seldom devotes any seriousthought to the origin of his opinions, the determining factor in his judgments,the ultimate source of his desires, or the hidden mainsprings of his motives.In all that relates to the external and material world he observes shrewdly,reasons logically, and acts effectively; but question him as to the phenomena ofthe inner world the world of his own Ego and he is dazed and helpless. Thishe never bothers his head about, and when you interrogate him closely and donot let him put you off with easy generalities, he will become confused and atlast contemptuous, if not actually angry. He will begin so suspect that you arejust a little queer; and if he knows you well enough to be quite frank withyou, he will stigmatize your psychological inquiries as rot.So when you ask a man just what it is that he most likes inother men you find him utterly unable to give you any satisfactory reply. [I]t will clear the ground a little if we first discoverwhat it is that men dislike in men.I suppose that every man whoisa man wouldreadily agree that he dislikes a Sissy; but it is doubtful whether mostpersons could give off-hand a really comprehensive definition of what a Sissyreally isThe subject of Sissyism is really very interesting firstbecause there are so many Sissies in the world, and in the second place becauseonly a very small number of them are usually recognized as being such. Hence itmay be worthwhile to give a little space to Sissyism here and to regard it in ascientific spirit, since, negatively at least, it has a definite bearing uponthe subject of this paper.Most persons when they think of Sissies, have a mentalpicture before them which is easily described. A slender, youthful figure,smooth-faced, a little vacuous in the expression of the countenance, with lighthair and rather pale blue eyes a little wide apart; a voice not necessarilyweak, but lackingtimbre, resonance, carrying-power. The mouth iswavery and the lips are imperfectly closed. The chin tapers away a little. Theshoulders slope, not with that peculiar slope and droop which often accompanygreat physical strength, as shown in the famous statue of the Farnese Hercules,but slanting straight down, so that unless they are scientifically padded bythe Sissys tailor, they scarcely give you the effect of being shoulders. The neckis usually long, and thepomum Adamior Adams apple is verylikely to be noticeable. The hands and feet are often large; or if not large,not very well compacted and put together, but giving one a general feeling thatthey are more or less imperfect. Such are the main physical attributes of oneparticular kind of Sissy.In other respects his traits may easily be sketched andrecognized. He is polite and rather anxious to please. He wishes always to dothe thing which happens to be the proper thing at any given time. He neverwould think of initiating anything novel or starting out in a new andunexpected course. He likes very much to be with ladies, and ladies like him in a way. He is a most useful creature and absolutely harmless, intended byProvidence to carry wraps and rugs, to order carriages, to providetheater-tickets, flowers, bon-bons, opera-boxes and four-in-hands, according tohis means and the position which he holds. He will call regularly upon a girland in fact upon all the girls he knows, and he will keep it up for years, andit will never mean anything to him or to them, for he is essentially a tamecatHe is really an indispensable person in our modern life; for it isdesirable that young women should have some male creature about them to fetchand carry one who will do it all for the mere pleasure of the service, andwho will never agitate them and disquiet them or make them feel it necessary tobe on their guard. The best picture of a this especial type of Sissy, perhaps alittle bit idealized, is that which is drawn by Henry James in his deliciousstory, An International Episode. Turn to its pages and you will find there asublimated portrait of a Sissy, in the character who bears the subtlyfelicitous and expressive name of Willie Woodley.But the Sissy of this sort is of no particular interest tophilosophical students of human life. He is merely a somewhat effeminate youngperson who does not count. Men laugh at him, perhaps; yet he is not ofsufficient consequence to be actively disliked. The true Sissy, who has neveryet been classified as such, is the man of any age or any external appearancewho for certain physical reasons always inspires you with a vague yetinsurmountable feeling ofmalaise.He need not be a physicalweakling at all. The most perfect specimen of this type that I have ever seenwas a man over six feet in height, of powerful build, and with the torso of agladiator. When you first saw him you said to yourself, Here is a man! Yet hewas a Sissy all the same. Nature had merely mocked him in giving him a presencesuch as his. Back of his thews and sinews, back of his broad chest and massivehead, there dwelt a Sissy-soul, and every man and woman who came to know himfelt it by an unerring instinct. I never encountered so striking anillustration of the relative importance of mind and body. When he spoke, heuttered nothing but inanities. When he laughed, the sound concealed a giggle.When he was angry, he scolded like a peevish woman. When he was hurt, he whined.When he was pleased, he simpered. Whatever he did or said or thought, he wasalways flat. This kind of Sissy is the kind that men dislike and women too;and the reason for it when you get down to the last analysis, is that ineverything he is somehow incomplete. He tries to do as others do, and yet henever rings quite true. With men he endeavors to assume an air of manliness,and they laugh at him or else avoid him. He is always groping for somethingthat he never finds. With women he endeavors to ingratiate himself, and theyresent it. He is chicken-hearted, cold, and fearful. He would like to beconsidered dangerous a rake, a man of the world, agaillard,aviveurand when he nerves himself up to some piece of petty vice, he runs about thecackles over it, though all the while he quakes internally lest the wrongpersons should ever hear it. He has no daring, but he ventures on all sorts ofodious little familiarities the furtive squeezing of hands, the pressure ofarms, the ogling and leering which he considers safe and yet conducive to areputation for gallantry. He is of the class of the street masher, only withhim it all means nothing, for his blood is water. How women hate him! They willalways, in their heart of hearts, pardon a man who is impetuously overbold,even though they ever after shut him from their presence; but a Sissy with hisflabby, feeble, mawkish imitation of an ardor which he never felt, affects themwith a sort of moral nausea. Nothing that he tries to be can he succeed in being.He tries to be witty and is only flat; he tries to be profound and is onlyplatitudinous; he tries to be daring and is only impudent; he tries to beardent and is only offensive. As I said before, he represents a certainintellectual and spiritual incompleteness, in the presence of which the normalman experiences a most intense repulsion.The traits in which this type of Sissy is most lacking arethe traits which men most like in men. And yet this is a very negativedescription. Moreover we must distinguish between the man who is merelypopular with others, and the man who is really liked, the man to whom othermen will go not only in their jovial moods but in their serious ones as well,the man for whom they will make sacrifices and of whose friendship they arereally proud. Many a man with easy manners, with a reckless, careless, heartyair, is popular. He has the gift of picking up acquaintances at every turn, ofentertaining them, of making himself known as a good fellow. Yet all thissort of thing is superficial. Deep down there must be something morefundamental in order that a man may grasp and hold the hearts of other men.These vital attributes are few in number, and with the exception of just onethey do not need much more than a mere mention.First of all, a man must be what other men call square which implies that he must have a sense of honor. This means so much in therelations of men with men. From women they do not expect it, at least in thefullest sense a mans sense; but it is the very corner-stone of friendshipamong men. For it does not mean that one must be merely true to his friends,but, in a sense, to those who are not his friends, who are even, possibly, hisenemies. Fair play and the rigor of the game is a masculine ideal; and men willtrust and like and honor those who live up to its strict requirements. Thefoundation of it all is justice the most masculine of virtues, and the onlyone in which no woman ever had a share. Some women have been generous, and manyhave been brave and wise and self-denying, but there has never lived a womanwho was absolutely just. Justice, even-handed, clear-eyed, supreme overprejudice and passion this is Gods gift to man alone, and man alone can feelhow splendid and sublime a thing it is.Allied to it is reasonableness, another virtue that appealsto men when found in other men. It involves a number of related qualities, andmost of all a sense of humor which throws a clear light of its own upon so manydifficulties, and sets things in their true proportions, and shows how smallthe small things really are. Reasonableness is the lubricant of life, as thelack of it is the irritant. No other virtue can quite compensate for theabsence of this reasonableness; and he who has the quality is one to whom allmen will be drawn as by a magnet.Then there is courage, without which man is not a man; andgenerosity, which really is an element of reasonableness; and with these,modesty, which, while it quietly conceals the other traits, does in the end enhancetheir value and increase the charm which they possess. And dignity, which manywould not name or think of, is a most important element in the character of theman whom other men most like. For dignity is not to be confounded with itscounterfeits with stiffness or pomposity, or even with reserve. It is thetouch of self-respect which exists in every fine character and which is neverconsciously assertive but which even the most careless spirit can feel andrecognize. No really great man ever lacked it; and no human being ever felt itto be other than a claim upon his liking. For it means that somewhere thereexists a barrier which none can pass, a barrier which shuts the way to thesanctuary of a human soul. And men respect this, and without respect there isno liking that endures.The last of all the qualities which men like most in men isone of which but few are conscious even when they feel its influence. We haveseen that men dislike effeminacy. They do. Yet in the nature of men whom othermen like best there is always to be traced a touch of something that isfeminine. It is like a thread of silver woven in some useful fabric, gleamingamid the plain, strong texture of the web, not very noticeable and yetimparting just a hint of beauty to the whole. This feminine quality in mangives fineness to the character. Intellectually it means intuition,sensitiveness to all impressions, and the imaginative element which illuminesthe dark places of the mind and shows the way to great achievement. Temperamentallyit denotes gentleness, and the tenderness which is the perfect complement tostrength. It is to men who have this last and finest gift, that other men,since history began, have given not alone their liking but their service, theirdevotion, and their very lives.What then is the conclusion? Men like in men these traits:the honor that ennobles; the justice that insures the right; the reasonablenessthat mellows and makes plain; the courage that proclaims virility; the generousinstinct that disdains all meanness; the modesty that makes no boast; thedignity that wins respect; the fineness and the tenderness that know and feel.But when one thinks of it more carefully, may he not sum it up in just a singlesentence, and accept it as truth, that all men like a gentleman?Posted bySiete Clothing Coat14:30No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestMonday, 28 October 2013 Simple Rules To Look Amazing in Photos!Everyone wants to bephotogenic, even us men. We all want that great photo which captures us in ourelement looking like some sexy love child of Jessica Alba and Brad Pitt. Onefor the Facebook profile picture that will catch the eye ofthat gorgeousgirl you met a few weeks ago which you havent had the confidence to ask outyet. Most of the time this ends up with us looking like a half retarded,squinting mess which only results in hanging our heads in shame and trying toconvince whoever took the photo to remove it from Facebook. Here are 5 simple tipsand handy rules to help you look better photos more often.
Photo Rule #1 Nodrinksin your hand Someclever person once said to never have your photos taken with a drink in hand.We agree, especially if its for a dating profile as it makes you look like analcoholic (even though most of us are) and will often make you look moreawkward than awesome.
Photo Rule #2 Knowwhich buttons should be done up Whether youre wearing a shirt or a blazer (or both) you had best get your shitin order and learn which buttons should be done up (exhibit A in the first picture). Firstly if youre wearing atie, then your shirts top button should ALWAYS be done up. None of this loosetie crap, Its just lazy. If you find it uncomfortable with the button done upthen your collar is too small and you need to buy a new shirt.If youre wearing ablazer then remember (if you do it up), then make sure its the top button only.Also never wear a suit that has more than 2 buttons- it screams tacky! Ifyoure wearing pants (and we hope you are) check that your fly is done up tooand try and avoid wearing pants that have buttons instead of a zipper as theyalways lead to the awkward inquiry as to whether your fly is down and the inevitableshutdown response that they are in fact actually buttons- AWKWARDVILLE!
Photo Rule #3 Avoid gang signs How this trend caught on with guys Ill never know- likely one too manygangster movies featuring 50 cent. The gang sign should be reserved for bloods,crips and the girls who choose to follow them around, not grown men in photos.Putting your arm around your bro is fine, but make sure youre standing upstraight and not throwing peace, peeps or puppet signals.
Photo Rule #4 Perfect your smile Theres nothing wrong with perfecting your smile and banishing your inner mongchop. Pay attention to all the shitty photos of yourself and learn what NOT todo. Over smiling, going cross-eyed, excessive blinking and or thinking about facesucking the hot girl who just walked past whilst getting that glazed look inyour eyes should be avoided. Once you get it right, its yours for life.
Photo Rule #5 Dontalways look at the camera Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando all had one thing in common.They were often snapped in candid moments. Moments captured in time that willlive on for many generations to come. If youre aware theres a camera around,then ignore it, slow your movements, have fun and with any luck theyll snapyou at your best moment- either that or capture a timeless shot of you lookinglike a bulldog eating mayonnaise but I guess thats the risk we take!
Posted bySiete Clothing Coat18:161 comment: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestSunday, 20 October 2013 How to remove common stains from your favourite clothes!Plop.Thats the sound of BBQ sauce landing on your brand newblazer coat as youre chowing down on somemouthwateringribs.Dadgummit. You need to wear that jacket to a businesspresentation at the end of the week. What to do?From sliding into first base to finding a leaky pen in yourpocket, everybody stains their clothing from time to time. But stains arentjust common annoyances; if you cant get them out, they can cut short the lifeof otherwise perfectly nice (and sometimes expensive) duds.The key to preventing yourself from throwing money out thewindow along with your stained clothes is to learn how to tackle stains as soonas possible and in the right way. Today were going to show you how to treatand remove common stains so you can get as much mileage out of your wardrobe aspossible.Key Steps to Prevent Setting The most important thing, no matter what kind of stainyoure dealing with, is to prevent it from setting. Setting is aninformal term that refers to the staining material forming a chemical bond withthe fabric. At that point it is effectively permanent. Removing thediscoloration will require removing the discolored fabric itself. Sometimes youcan remove a set stain by scrubbing until the stained fibers are worn off,leaving unstained ones visible; other times the stain will remain in the fabricunless you physically cut the stained fabric out and put a patch in its place.To prevent having to throw away a garment with a permanent stain, follow thesegeneral guidelines:Treat any stain immediately with water, or with the proper solvent if it is available (different types of solvents are discussed below, but water is always better than nothing).Avoid direct heat.Heat will speed most types of stains bonding. Do not place stained clothing near radiant heat sources, and try to only use room temperature or lukewarm solvents.Avoid pressure.Apply solvents gently, dabbing them onto the stain and letting them soak in rather than scrubbing forcefully.If the stain occurs at home, you can go straight to treatingit. If youre out and about, get to a restroom and gently dab water onto thestained area with tissue paper or paper towels until the stain is thoroughlysaturated. Yes, it may be more visible with water dabbed on it, but it willprevent the stain from becoming permanent, saving you garment repair orreplacement in the long run.Detailed Stain RemovalActing at once to prevent the stain from setting isnecessary, but not sufficient. Most common stains wont be removed completelyjust by dabbing some water on them and going about your business.There are three basic steps toward effective stain removal,regardless of the nature of the stain:Select the appropriate solvent.Use the appropriate application method.Seek necessary after-care.For most household stains this doesnt require too muchresearch or investment. Common commercial products (and even some basic foodsupplies) will treat a large percentage of stains. Its simply a matter ofknowing which product to put on the stain, and how to put it there withoutdamaging the cloth.Selecting the Appropriate SolventPicking the right solvent requires you to know two things:1) what will dissolve the stain in question, 2) and what is safe to use on thecloth youre working with.What Each Fabric RequiresUse the wrong product and you can end up damaging your clothworse than the original stain. Most clothes are made from fairly sturdymaterials, but they all have their strengths and weaknesses.Always check the label. Its your best guide in most cases.If it doesnt provide any specific instructions, go by fabric type:Cotton:can endure soaking, drying, and heat(though you want to avoid the latter for most stains warm water is fine, butdry heat just sets the stain). Its easy to bleach white cotton, but very hardon the fabric, so use chlorine bleaches as a last resort, and dilute them well.The best stain treatments for cotton are detergents and light acids (lemonjuice, vinegar, etc.).Wool:is much more heat-sensitive than cotton,and needs to be treated gently. You can soak it, but you have to lay it flat asit dries to prevent distortion. Use only wool-safe detergents and lukewarm (nothot) water bleaches and acidic treatments will damage the wool permanently.Treat with water or a wool detergent as soon as possible, and then get thegarment to the dry cleaner at the first opportunity.Synthetics:vary depending on the material.Rayon and polyester can be washed and scrubbed more harshly than cotton, butwill be destroyed by oxidizing bleaches like hydrogen peroxide. Its usuallybest to clean them with a standard laundry detergent, or with dish soap forgrease-heavy stains.Silk:is exceedingly temperamental. You cantreat stains on silk with water, but rather than letting the wet spot dry onits own, rinse the whole garment thoroughly otherwise youll get water spotting,nearly as bad as the original stain. Glycerin stain remover is also effectiveand neutral.No matter what youre using, test the stain remover on aninside patch of the cloth or an unobtrusive seam before applying it to thestain to make sure it doesnt do anything damaging to the fabric. Water is theonly thing you can automatically apply and even then make sure its the righttemperature.Types of Solvents (And the Stains They Remove) Here are the major families of stain removers and solvents,and the kinds of stains theyre most effective at cleaning:Water:Universal, safe to use on basicallyeverything, and cheap. Effective as an immediate treatment to prevent stainsetting. Needs prolonged soaking to have much effect on grease/oil stains, butreduces the effect of dyes (lipstick, hair dye, bleed from other clothes, etc.)considerably. Usually not a 100% effective treatment all on its own.Salt:Cheap and almost everyone has it. Can beapplied on top of a wetted stain to give the chemicals something to leech into.Effective on sweat/deodorant armpit stains, red wine, and blood stains.Vinegar/Lemon Juice:Mild acids are greatagainst coffee and tea, grass stains, and sticky residues like tape and glue.Vinegar is also effective against mildew perfect for laundry that sat wet toolong. Remember, though, dont use on wool.Detergent:Laundry and dish detergents aresimilar enough to use interchangeably in most situations. Dish detergent isusually harsher, and may make very delicate fabrics worse if you dont wash itout thoroughly. Both are particularly effective against grease stains, so usethem on everything from gravy and burger juice to chocolate smears. Oxidizing Bleaches:Hydrogen peroxide is themost common example here. Theyre effective at removing color, making themideal for makeup stains, grass stains, and other pigment-based damage. Theyreless effective against grease, and can damage delicate fabrics. Dilute asneeded for a milder treatment.Glycerin:A neutral, commercially availabletreatment that helps to draw stains out of fabrics. Good on ink and dye stains.Many commercial stain sticks are glycerin, or a combination of glycerin anddetergent.Mineral Spirits:An intense treatment for verystubborn greases (asphalt/tar stains, etc.). Too strong for delicate fabrics.Wash the clothing thoroughly after treatment and air-dry.Digestants/Enzyme Cleaners:Commercial productssold under a variety of names. Highly effective on organic stains, and onstains with an odor (egg yolk, pet urine, blood, sweat, etc.). Cannot be usedon wool or silk the cleaner feeds on proteins, and both wool and silk aremade from proteins.Dry Cleaning Solvents:These are sold in adiluted form for home treatment of stains. Use them with caution yourerarely better off using commercially sold dry cleaning solution than you aretaking the clothes to a professional cleaner.Chlorine Bleaches:A harsh, last-ditch remedy.Use with caution. Can damage fabric and discolor non-white cloth. Always test asmall, hidden area first, and only if the tag does not say No Bleach orChlorine Free on it.Not all stains are going to give way easily to one kind oftreatment. Some will require multiple treatments for multiple problems: manylipsticks, for example, have both an oil component and a dye component.In general, treat dyes before oils chocolate, for example,is best treated with a lukewarm water soak and then with a bit of detergentapplied directly to the stain.Getting Rid of the StainThe right product applied the wrong way can make the stainset worse.Most of the time this boils down to a very simple concept:neverapply direct force.Dab gently or soak indirectly, rather than scrubbing with acloth or your fingers.That said, you can get better results if you use a series ofsteps designed specifically to draw the stain out of the fabric and intosomething else:Soak the stain with water immediately while you are still wearing it.Weve said it before, but it bears repeating. Always dab some room temperature water onto the stain with a bit of toilet paper or tissue as soon as possible. Make sure the whole stain gets soaked, and that the water soaks all the way through the fabric rather than just sitting on the surface.When you remove the garment,re-wet the stain and apply an absorbent.Salt is the most common and cheapest, but some people use cornstarch or talcum powder for a similar effect. This works best on smooth fabrics like cotton knits applying salt to a wool, tweed jacket is just going to be a pain to scrape off later. Let the absorbent sit for ten or fifteen minutes, then scrape the bulk of it off and rinse the rest out with water.Apply your solvent lightly to the back of the garment, underneath the stain.You want it to be soaking through and driving the stain back toward the surface, not deeper into the garment. Applying it to the inside also gives you a little more security in case the solvent ends up discoloring the fabric (but you checked first on an unobtrusive area like we told you to, right?)Lay the garment face down on a clean paper towel.Like the absorbent, this gives the chemicals that are actually causing the stain something to soak into. If you dont provide that blank medium, all youre really doing is spreading the stain out so thin that its not immediately visible its still there in the cloth. The paper towel gives it somewhere else to go.Let the garment rest face down on the paper towel for an hour or so.Different solvents have different reaction times, but give it a while. The only real guideline here is to get back for your final rinse before the solvent dries completely. Keep an eye on it. If it is allowed to completely dry, you may just end up with a bigger, lighter-colored stain than before.Give the garment a final water rinse to remove both the stain and the solvent.If you can, immediately wash it, either in a laundry machine or by taking it in for dry cleaning.Some stains can be removed simply by a wash or a drycleaning, but its best to apply the specific treatment as well. In the case ofdelicate wools or silks, that may mean nothing but water.10 Common Stains and How to Treat ThemTo give you a few examples of how to use the knowledge above,here are ten of the most common stains a man can expect to encounter. Thesecould affect everything from his grungy work jeans to his best business suit.Always take the type of fabric into account, and seekprofessional cleaning if youre not sure what you can and cant apply its alot cheaper to pay $10 for a professionals help than it is to replace a suitbecause you used the wrong cleaner on it!But if you have your heart set on home cleaning, heres somegeneral tips how to tackle common stains. The examples can be applied to otherstains as well. Again, remember to adjust according to the directions abovedepending on the type of fabric the stain is on.Blood:Rinse immediately with cool water. If possible, immerse in room temperature water with detergent and let soak for 10-15 minutes. Spot-treat with an enzyme cleaner if possible, or with household ammonia. Launder in a separate load.Butter/Lard/Cooking Oil:Treat immediately with lukewarm water. If possible, immerse in warm water with detergent, using a spray or stick pre-treatment if available. Remove and gently dab stain with detergent; place face down on a paper towel and let stand. Repeat as needed. For persistent stains, carefully apply bleach or dry cleaning solvent from the inside of the garment and rest face down on paper towels, then wash thoroughly.Coffee:Soak immediately with lukewarm water. Gently dab stain with detergent or with vinegar diluted in water. Wash in the hottest water recommended for the fabric and repeat as needed. Avoid bar or powder soap, which can set the stain permanently.Sweat/Armpit Stains and Collar Yellowing:Wash with hot water and detergent. If yellowing persists, soak in warm water and let stand with a dusting of salt, or apply an enzyme cleaner. Bleach can be used to remove staining on whites as a last-ditch solution.Tomato-Based:Remove excess sauce/paste carefully with a butter knife of spoon. Dab liquid detergent onto the stain. Rinse with cold water from underneath the stain; again, you dont want to push it back into the fabric. Launder normally, according to the tag.Engine Grease/Machine Oil:Treat immediately with warm water. As soon as possible, soak in warm water with heavy-duty detergent. Remove, treat stained area with detergent directly, and lay face-down on paper towels. Launder separately. Repeat as needed.Mud/Dirt:Soak and agitate (shake around) in lukewarm water to remove as much as possible. Apply detergent to remaining stains and let soak for 20-30 minutes. Rinse and repeat. Launder normally, and treat any remaining stains with bleach if possible.Wine:Treat immediately with warm water. Salt stain and let stand if possible. Rinse salt out, dab gently with detergent or glycerin, and lay face down on a paper towel. Rinse again and launder normally. Avoid bar or flake soaps, which can set the stain permanently.Urine and Feces:Remove and rinse immediately in cool water. Avoid heat, which can set the proteins permanently. Soak and agitate in cool water with detergent. Drain and soak again, letting stand for 20-30 minutes. Launder immediately. Bleach if necessary, but rewash afterward in the case of diapers bleach is too harsh for babies skin.Odors:Not all stains are visible. For odors that persist through a normal laundering, apply calcium carbonate crystals or activated charcoal and let stand for several hours (or several days, as needed). Shake off and use a gentle hand vacuum to clean residue. If there is a visible stain along with the odor, use an enzyme cleaner. Febreze can also work wonders here Treating Stains on the GoYou cant always rush home to remove a stain from yourclothes, and if youre stuck with a big attention-grabbing stain on yourclothes for hours on end without any chance to change, it can be embarrassing.Consider packing something like theTideto Go Instant Stain Removerstick in your dopp kit and to keep in yourcar. It can remove several common food and drink stains from your clothes withan easy and quick application.Conclusion: Immediate Action is the Best Product Nothing treats a stain as well as immediate action. Get someroom temperature water on it right away and youre doing well. Once youve gotthe stain thoroughly soaked, you can take the time to look up the appropriatetreatment, or get it to a professional cleaner. Dont damage expensive clothingby trying elaborate home remedies when one commercial product or one trip to thedry cleaner will take care of everything.Posted bySiete Clothing Coat17:59No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestSunday, 13 October 2013 Swagga Digital Magazine featuring Siete Clothing CoBlog Post #13
We have been lucky enough to be featured in the latest issue of Swagga Digital Magazine. Feel free to purchase either the digital or print version athttp://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/634980
Posted bySiete Clothing Coat02:00No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestWednesday, 2 October 2013 Chrysalis Issue 1 editorial featuring Siete Clothing CoCheck out our feature below!
Posted bySiete Clothing Coat19:25No comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestOlder PostsHomeSubscribe to:Posts (Atom)Blog Archive2013(13)November(3)Bringing your new girlfriend home. The ultimate gu...Embracing your mo-ment! How to grow an amazing mou...What men like in men- an argument from 1910October(4)September(1)July(1)June(1)May(2)January(1)2012(4)December(1)November(1)October(2)About MeSiete Clothing CoSiete Clothing Co is an Australian designed clothing brand aimed at delivering quality designer clothes at an affordable price. Pronounced 'See-Et-Eh' which means 7 in Spanish, The brand came about when head designer and founder, Jackson Millan saw a need for an affordable way to look good. Jackson noticed that generally most brands either offered cheap clothes that never fit well and are of poor quality, or on the other end they were very expensive, European style which fit great but required you to basically take up another job to afford them!This is when Siete Clothing Co was thought up which allows young men who take pride in their appearance to find a cost effective alternative for quality clothes that fit well at a fraction of the price. We are due to open the shop for purchases shortly so please stand by for more updates!View my complete profile