Caring for Your Summer Whites

Wearing white feels so fresh and perfect for summer, but keeping your whites truly white is hard work, especially if you prefer to use plant-based detergents. We’ve put together a guide on keeping your summer whites looking as fresh as the day you bought them, all summer long! Read on for all sorts of tips.

General Rules:

• Wash your whites after each and every wear. Body oils, sweat, perfume, and antiperspirants all contribute to the yellowing of fabrics. The less time your whites spend with any of that on them, the less likely they will yellow.
• Treat any stains or marks right away- Eucalan wipes are perfect for this, and are so weightless you can carry them with you all the time.
• Always separate your whites from other colours when washing. Even if it seems like the other fabrics are also light, it’s easy for other items to leech a little leftover dye into the water, especially if they are newer items.
• Never use bleach. Bleach will yellow whites in just a few washes, and will also thin fabrics, shortening the life of your garment.
• Don’t add too much detergent, or overload your wash. There needs to be enough freedom of movement between the items to ensure a full rinse of detergent from the fabrics. Using a delicate detergent like Eucalan helps protect your clothes while being effective on removing oil and dirt from fabrics.
• Use deodorant instead of antiperspirant. Antiperspirant chemical bond with sweat and create the chemical reaction that causes yellow stains to occur in the underarms of your clothes. If you can make the switch to deodorant instead, it will help a lot.

And here are a few bonus tips that can really help go the extra mile on keeping your whites bright:

• Don’t iron whites on too high a heat setting. Irons can scorch fabrics, leading to yellowing.
• Check to make sure that your washing machine is clean. Wipe the inside with a damp white paper towel and check – you might be surprised at the dark lint that can build up inside the drum and contribute to dingy whites.
• If you have hard water, add a water softener to each load. The minerals in hard water can remain on your whites and cause dinginess and yellowing.
• If you know you are going to be eating stain-prone foods (we’re looking at you, spaghetti and tomato sauce!), wear a dark colour, not white. No point in tempting fate, right?

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Best of Eucalan: Our Top Spring Posts

Ah, spring! A time when everything feels fresh and new, or at least you want it to feel that way! Spring is indeed a great time to freshen up your home and wardrobe, but that doesn’t mean it has to be all work. Here’s a round-up of our top spring posts to get you in the mood to freshen up your wardrobe, your home, and your routine!

Click here for great Tips for spring cleaning your wardrobe.

Click here for the best tips for spring cleaning your home to get it feeling airy and fresh.

With Earth Day upon us, here are 4 ways to celebrate Earth Day all year round.

But it’s not all cleaning – you have to make time for a bit of fun! Click the links below for crafts, recipes and fun decor ideas.

Washi tape tutorial to upcycle old Eucalan bottles

Think Spring – Time for a bit of fun!

Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without our most recent spring post, all about the best way to shift your wardrobe from winter clothes to spring.

Happy Spring, everyone!

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Season Shift: Packing Away Winter Coats & Clothes

Ah, spring! It always feels like a relief to be switching back into lighter clothing and jackets, getting outside to watch the leaves beginning to bud and spring flowers popping up all over the place.  With the changing of seasons, much of our winter wardrobe will be set aside and our spring and summer clothes will be coming back into circulation.  Some people have their clothes in their closets year year-round regardless of the weather, while others pack things away when the seasons shift. Regardless of your storage preference, it’s worth taking some time to properly care for the winter clothes, coats, and accessories that you probably won’t wear again for another 6 months (hopefully!).

To Prep your Winter Clothes:

1. Gather together all the clothes that you are unlikely to wear until the fall, including heavy winter coats. Consult our handy guide fo caring for your winter coat to decide if you are going to wash it yourself or take it to a dry cleaner.
2. Wash everything. For your sweaters (either handmade or store bought), it is worth taking the time to de-pill so that when you pull them out again in the fall they look fresh and ready to wear. Washing sweaters yourself is also very easy – we have a great video to show you exactly how it’s done.
3. Make sure everything is dry before returning it to your closet, or store in air-tight storage containers. Vacuum seal storage bags can also be great for this. If hanging items, do not hang any heavy long sleeved items like your sweaters, as the hangers will leave dents in the shoulders when hung for a long period of time.

Winter accessories like hats, mittens/gloves, and knit scarves need attention during this time to prevent stains and keep them looking their best.  We have a great overview here on caring for your winter accessories before packing them away for spring.

Moths are a harsh reality for some. Even if you have never had any, there’s always a chance they could happen, and they are more prevalent in big cities and urban centers. As it’s extremely difficult to get rid of moths once they discover your closet is full of delicious sweaters, preventative care is really worth it.  If you store out-of-season clothes somewhere outside of your home (for example:  a garage, shed, or storage locker), you will definitely want to use storage containers that are airtight and cannot easily be opened by temperature shifts or even clever critters.

As you begin to pull out your spring and summer clothes,  they may be wrinkly and looking tired. They may even show food or drink spots you never knew were there, especially if you forgot to clean them before setting them aside for winter.

To Review your Spring/Summer Clothes:

1. Pull out anything you haven’t worn in the last 6 months from your closet or storage containers.
2.  If there are any items that don’t fit well or you don’t love anymore, put them aside to donate to a local charity.
3.  For the remaining items,  wash gently with your favourite scent of Eucalan, either by hand or in the washing machine, according to their care instructions. Hang items to dry, away from sunlight or strong heat sources.

Now you are ready to wear your beautiful spring clothes!

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Pet Care with Eucalan

Eucalan is wonderful for all sorts of delicate washing for fine garments, knitwear, lingerie, and quilts, but it is also brilliant for pet care –  Did you know that you can wash your dog with Eucalan? It’s true! The natural formula and essential oils mean that it is non-toxic and supremely gentle on their fur and skin. Try the Eucalyptus scent to help repel bugs and ticks!

And of course, you can wash your cat. Sometimes cats get into sticky messes and need a bath, too.  You can use Eucalan just like you would any other pet shampoo.

How to Wash a Pet Bed

For washing a dog or cat bed, you can easily wash it at home in your washing machine with Eucalan.  Pet bed too big to fit into your washing machine? Go to a local laundromat and take advantage of the oversized machines! To wash a pet bed in the machine:

Step 1: Using a pet hair brush, lint roller, or sticky tape; remove as much pet hair from the bed as possible.

Step 2: place the pet bed into the washing machine, open end down – the bottom of the pet bed should be facing you. This is to help ensure an even wash through the machine and prevent water collecting in the bed during the spin cycle and making it overly soggy.  Add one capful of Eucalan (or one travel pod) in the scent of your choosing. Eucalyptus is great for deterring bugs, and if your pet has especially sensitive skin, go with Natural – it’s unscented.

Step 3: Once the washing machine has completed its cycle, remove the pet bed and let dry in the bathtub or shower. If the spin cycle of your washing machine has done an effective job in removing most of the water and the fabric is not at risk for shrinking, you can put your pet bed in the tumble dryer on a short, low-heat cycle.

How to Wash Pet Toys

Pet toys should be washed regularly, even if they have only been played with indoors. You know how gross and wet toys can get after a pet has really given it a good chew! Here’s how to wash all sorts of pet toys with Eucalan:

Step 1:  Remove as much pet hair as possible from the toy, particularly if it is a knit or fabric toy. Use a lint brush or sticky tape.

Step 2: Fill a sink with cool water, and add one capful or one packet of Eucalan in the scent of your choice. We recommend Natural for toys, which is unscented.

Step 3: Put the toys in, and let them soak for about 5 minutes, then gently agitate the water.

Step 4: Drain the water, and roll the toys in a clean towel. Let toys dry away from heat or light.

While the time it takes to wash your pet can vary, washing their toys and bedding is a snap. Having a regular routine for washing their bedding and toys reduces pet odors significantly and helps reduce allergens in the home as well.

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The Best Way to Wash Your Bra: Valentine’s Day Edition

While we talk about it in February,  remember that you are worth new undergarments all the time, no matter the time of year! We are all guilty of occasionally hanging onto a bra too long, even though it’s discoloured and stretched out, and the straps have lost their elasticity. As women, a bra is likely the most complicated garment we wear – modern bras have a fair bit of engineering not to mention elastic, metal, plastic, and often padding. Considering the effort you put into finding a good bra that you feel comfortable and beautiful in, it’s worth taking care of it.

Choosing a Bra That Makes You Feel Beautiful

Chances are, you already have a comfortable bra or two that you love and reach for more days than most.  When shopping for something new, look for bras that have the same elements that you love- is it a smooth band, a no-frills cup? Is it wide straps,  or a full coverage cup?  Find bras that have those key elements, and details that you might not have tried before- our example here is the Dame de Paris bra from Marlies Dekkers, a European designer who has a core line that is specifically designed to be comfortable while also being a little out of the ordinary. If you like what you see, you can find this style and others at these sites:

www.peacheslingerie.com
www.lineaintima.ca
www.thebrabarboutique.com

You might think that the straps on the top would be strange, but the bra is incredibly comfortable, and the straps are low enough that unless you are wearing a deep v-neck, most shirt necklines are well above the straps and will not show. A matching bottom is a wonderful treat for yourself – if you find a great bra that you love, go ahead and buy the matching bottoms. While not every day is a matching-bra-and-underwear sort of day, when you do it you will feel extra put together, even if no one sees it but you!

To prolong the life of your bra you should wash it regularly, after every 3 or 4 wears. The exception is if you were heavily perspiring in your bra, then it should be washed sooner, to avoid bacteria build up and sweat stains. Body lotion, sweat and even your natural body chemistry can cause the elasticity of your bra (think straps and the band) to deteriorate over time. Washing regularly helps prevent that.

Hand Wash

Fill your sink with cool water, adding one capful of Eucalan (we recommend Wrapture for your undergarments, which is lightly scented with jasmine essential oil) while the water is running. Put your bra in the sink and lightly agitate, squeezing the fabric very gently to help ensure that the bra is totally saturated. To save time, feel free to add more than one bra (or bottoms!) to the sink and wash them in batches. Let everything soak for about 10 minutes, then agitate them again through the water and take them out. No need to rinse when you use Eucalan! Do not wring them or squeeze them too aggressively, especially if you have padding or underwire. Have a clean, thick towel ready to lightly roll the items in to absorb excess moisture. Hang away from heat and light- your shower is probably a good place for them to dry.

We have a great video right here if you want to see how it’s done:

Machine Wash

Before washing, make sure that the bra hooks are fastened to avoid snagging any fabrics. Place in a mesh lingerie bag, and add one capful of Eucalan to the washing machine. Set washing machine to delicate cycle. Hang to dry away from heat or bright light – your shower is probably a good spot.

Important- never put your bras in the dryer! The heat will destroy the elastic very quickly, and likely cause underwires to get distorted and cause damage to the cups, if there is padding.

 Additional Tips:

• When hanging up bras to dry, don’t hang up by only one should strap. Either drape them evenly over the shower rail or hang them on a clothes hanger on the shower rail. This is especially important for underwire bras, when the weight of the wet bra could cause fabric and the underwire to stretch from the weight of a wet bra.

• If you have sensitive skin, wash your bras and underwear with Eucalan before first wearing them. The clothing manufacturing process often uses additional chemicals and fabric agents to help ensure that garments don’t look too wrinkled when they arrive in stores.

• If you want to save time, pick one evening a week when you will batch up the washing of your bras and delicate underwear all at once.

When you take care of your undergarments, they will last longer and be a joy to wear.  And they will love you back! Or at least, smile at you from the sink:

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How to Wash a Winter Coat

Now that we are deep into winter,  chances are your coat is looking less than brilliant. Little coffee spills, dirt from accidentally brushing up against the car, and carrying your kids or pet can all contribute to dirt building up on your winter coat.  We have a great guide on how to wash your down-filled, wool, or faux fur winter coats! Read on for directions for each.

Important: If you have a suede, fur, or leather winter coat, we recommend that you bring it to a professional for full cleaning. While we do have some tips on how to wash good-condition fur accessories and show you how to spot clean leather, a full cleaning should be left to the professionals.

Down-Filled Coats

1. Set your washing machine to the delicate cycle, and choose the shortest wash time and cold water setting. If your coat is black or a dark colour, and you have previously washed your normal clothes with a powder detergent, run a rinse cycle of your washing machine before putting your coat gently inside. This will prevent any detergent residue from showing up on your coat.
2. If there are any visible spots on the coat, apply full strength Eucalan directly to them prior to washing.
3. Add one packet or one capful of Eucalan Delicate Wash in your favourite scent.
4. Once the coat is washed, drying it is the trickiest part. You can dry it in the tumble dryer, but be sure to set the temperature to the lowest option, and for no more than 20 minutes. Putting in a couple of tennis balls or wool dryer balls will help keep the down from clumping together in the coat while it dries, but if you don’t have either, massage the coat in between dryer cycles to help break apart any clumps of down you can feel through the outer shell. Repeat this cycle a few more times to ensure the coat is dry and the down fluffed up.

Wool Coats

1.  Set your washing machine to the delicate cycle, and choose the shortest wash time and cold water setting. If your coat is black or a dark colour, and you have previously washed your normal clothes with a powder detergent, run a rinse cycle of your washing machine before putting your coat gently inside. This will prevent any detergent residue from showing up on your coat.
2. If there are any visible spots on the coat, apply full strength Eucalan directly to them prior to washing.
3. Add one packet or one capful of Eucalan Delicate Wash in your favourite scent. Eucalyptus is a great choice for natural moth-repelling properties.
4. Hang the coat to dry away from heat or bright light – a shower is often good for this. If the coat comes out of the washing machine and is dripping wet. gently roll it in a light coloured towel to absorb excess water. Never put your wool coat in a dryer or close to any heaters- it will shrink!

Faux Fur Coats

1. Set your washing machine to the delicate cycle, and choose the shortest wash time and cold water setting. If there are any visible spots on the coat, apply full strength Eucalan directly to them prior to washing.
2. Add one packet or one capful of Eucalan Delicate Wash in your favourite scent.
3. Hang the coat to dry.
4. Brush the faux fur with a soft bristled brush (like a baby hair brush) to help smooth the faux fur.  If your faux fur is looking a little flat, you can steam the faux fur coat to fluff up the fur again. Do not apply a garment steamer directly to the surface of your faux fur, but you can hold it near the fur while pressing the steam button, and allow the steam to pass over the surface while you use your other hand to fluff the fabric.

At the end of the season, don’t just put your coat away! Wash it. A little extra effort will ensure that whatever is lurking on the coat doesn’t attract bugs or turn into a stain over the warmer months. Washing it before putting your coat away for the season will help ensure that when you pull it out again next winter, you will be proud to wear it.

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How to Keep Your Workout Clothes Looking (and Smelling!) Like New

After all the cozy comforts of December, a lot of us are focusing on getting our exercise routines back on track, or jump started for the first time. You likely started eating more healthfully and have some nice new workout clothes, but do you know how to keep them looking -and smelling- their freshest?

Let Your Clothes Dry Before Putting them in the Laundry

If you ball up your sweaty workout clothes and chuck them into the laundry hamper, you are going to have one smelly pile of clothing come laundry day. Hang up your gym clothes to dry as soon you can. Throwing them balled up into the laundry hamper or letting them stew in your gym bag is a recipe for bacteria growth and stinky smells. Let your gym clothes dry before putting them in the laundry hamper.

Stubborn Odours? Here’s How to Deal

If odours have already settled into the items, let them soak in a mixture of half water and half white vinegar for about 20 minutes. This will help kill bacteria-causing smells and freshen everything up.

Washing Your Gym Clothes Step-by-Step
Keep everything smelling fresh and looking new!

• Before washing, turn all your gym clothes inside out. This not only helps protect color fading from frequent washing, it helps Eucalan wash to get straight to the parts of the fabric that need the most cleaning power.

• Set your washing machine to cold. Hot water can contribute to fabrics shrinking, and speed up the breakdown of technical fibres like spandex.

• Add one pod or a capful of Eucalan in the scent of your choice to the washing machine. We recommend Eucalyptus, Grapefruit or Lavender for their naturally-occurring antibacterial benefits, as they are made with pure essential oils.

• If you’re combatting some really smelly gear, add another half cup of vinegar to the final rinse cycle of your washing machine.

• Air dry your clothes.  Heat from the dryer can make fabrics shrink, and degrade high-performance fibres. Hang away from sunlight and direct heat to help keep the fabrics looking new.

These tips and instructions work for athletic gear, as well- so if you or a family member plays sports and their uniforms or gear are getting a bit ripe, follow these tips to get them looking and smelling fresh again.  Don’t forget your outwear that you exercise in, too! If you do a lot of winter running, you know that your hats, gloves and jackets can all get sweaty.

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Caring for Fabric Holiday Decorations

Pulling out our treasured holiday decorations, many of which are handmade or have been passed down through generations, really brings out the love of family and togetherness this time of year. But sometimes fabric decorations- like stockings, soft ornaments and tabletop decorations – can begin to show their age (or some smears of chocolate)  more than we would like. Here’s how to care for all of your fabric holiday decorations, even if they are very delicate or very old.

Take a close look at all of your holiday decorations.  Sometimes it can be hard to notice water spots or other discolorations until they begin to yellow with age and being shut in a box for most of the year.  Or maybe some little ones got into the holiday treats and then picked up the knitted snowman that was on your coffee table display.  Whatever the reason that your decorations need a clean, read on!

• Check for any loose threads, beading, sequins, or any parts that might not be fully attached to the decoration. Take the time to reattach any loose bits before cleaning will help ensure that your precious pieces don’t loose their decorative details over the holiday season.

• Fill a clean sink with tepid water and a capful of Eucalan in your favourite scent.  Submerge your decorations, being careful not to put too many in at a time- you want the water to have good circulation around each item.  If they have some stubborn spots consider using a Eucalan stain treating towelette to help get the marks out.
• Hang items to dry somewhere away from sunlight (which can cause yellowing).

• Iron any items that need it, such as tree skirts, table linens, and stockings. Make sure that the surface of your iron is very clean. Using a spray bottle to spray the fabric’s surface to ensure a smooth finish.  If your piece has any applique,  beading or sequins; use a light heat setting, in case the applique is made from polyester or other man-made fabrics. We recommend using a white pressing cloth (or clean white tea towel) to protect delicate fibers.

• Enjoy! And remember,  give your decorations a clean again when the season is over before putting them away, and wrap them in white tissue paper to help prevent moisture and colour transfer from one decoration to another. This can help protect your decorations for many years to come.

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And if you are looking for fresh ideas for celebrating the holidays, we have a great Pinterest board full of stunning crafts, patterns, and great recipes!

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How to Care for Winter Coats and Accessories

This is a time of year when you might be wearing silk scarves (or cotton scarves, or blended fibres) instead of thick woolly ones. It’s easy for dirt and makeup to get onto them, and they also can retain smells very easily, such as perfume, or even food smells if you  were in a restaurant with an open kitchen!

If you love wearing perfume, you will need to wash your scarves more frequently, as the scent changes over time and on different types of fabrics. What smells wonderful on your skin might smell strange when only on a scarf.

Here is a great video on how to care for your silk scarves. You can wash a bunch of scarves at the same time; not only does it save water, it also saves time, since the preparation is the same whether you are washing one scarf or four.

If your woolly hats, scarves or mittens could use a clean, here’s a great video on how to wash them. In the demonstration, only one hat is being washed, but you could also wash 3 or 4 items at once in your sink, to save time and water.

This time of year, there is also a fair bit of rain and even some slush, depending on whether or not you’ve had much snow. It’s easy for splatter marks to appear on coats. Sometimes those marks our your coat aren’t even weather related – sometimes it’s spilled coffee or tea!

We recommend keeping some stain treating towelettes in your purse during this season, to quickly wipe away any spills or splatter marks that might get onto your coat during this wet season. The stain treating towelettes are excellent for spot cleaning leather, too – perfect if you have a leather coat, purse, or gloves. Here is a step by step video showing exactly how to do it:

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How to Wash a Party Dress

It’s coming – party season! It won’t be long before your evenings start to fill up with gatherings of friends, family,  work parties, and holiday parties. The next eight weeks are going to be some of the busiest all year long – so you don’t want to have your favourite party clothes stuck at the dry cleaner, or giving yourself the extra chore of taking dresses to the cleaners, waiting for them to be ready, and then picking them back up again. Not when you can take care of all your dressy clothes at home with Eucalan.

Eucalan is non-toxic, biodegradable, free of optical brighteners, phosphates, synthetic fragrance and dye – so it’s a perfect choice for taking care of delicate fabrics or items that have some beading or sequins, which seem so appropriate for dressy winter items.   Besides, washing it yourself is easier (and faster) than you’d think! We can walk you through the whole process step by step:

1.  Add Eucalan to your washing machine or sink with tepid water.
2. Immerse dress in water and allow to soak for 15 minutes.
3. Squeeze dress with your hands to incorporate soap and water through the fabric.
4. Soak dress for an additional 15 minutes.
5. Eucalan does not require rinsing, but if you wish to, give it a gentle rinse under fresh tepid water.
6. Remove from water and squeeze or spin out excess water.
7. You may roll in a towel, but go slowly and be careful not to get any beads or sequins stuck on towel fibres.
8. Hang to dry away from direct sunlight or heat (your shower is probably a good spot).

That’s it!

When it comes to preparing for a night out, it’s worth having a Eucalan stain treating towelette in your bag. It’s brilliant for cleaning up any deodorant marks that can get on sleeveless dresses, or remove any food spots.

If you are looking for some dressier clothes for the holiday party season, or just looking for some dressing up inspiration, you should check out our Dressing Up Pinterest Board!

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