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Let's ask the principal of Laundry School about how to use a brush to get an effect of dry cleaning!

Let's ask the principal of Laundry School about how to use a brush to get an effect of dry cleaning!

Shoe Care / Clothing Care
21-02-2018

It is almost at the turn of the seasons to change clothes. We would like to take good care of our favorite clothes and wear them for a long time, whether they are spring clothes for the coming season or winter clothes we are to put away in the closet. Now we have some suggestions for this coming spring! How about getting into the habit of brushing your clothes? Giving a quick brushing to your clothes after you wear them or before you put them in the closet will protect your clothes. We went to interview Hiromi Ikeda, "the principal of Laundry School" and also a pro in clothes cleaning, to get tips on such convenient brushes.

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This is Hiromi Ikeda, the principal of Laundry School. He has been engaged in a number of lectures and workshops on clothing care.

Brushing can replace cleaning and ironing!

Mr. Ikeda says we can carry out clothing care effectively even at home by using a brush. How do we use the brush so it can often remove the need for ironing?

"To take good care of coats and such that are not washable, we can just brush them to get some dust off, which most of the time is quite enough. If you keep up the brushing, I bet it will reduce your trips to the dry cleaner."

"Long ago, it was very common for wives to brush their husband's coats and jackets. In fact, what they used to do totally makes sense, and this is what professional dry cleaners actually do. Dry cleaners are very helpful for some metal or leather parts of clothes that are not washable."

---If that is what dry cleaners are actually doing, we might be able to expect a lot out of brushing. But what does that exactly mean when you say that brushing can replace ironing as well?

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"For example, it is hard to iron sweaters or fleece clothes that you see a lot lately. When you steam iron them, the clothes might get wrinkles or even shrink entirely, because the fiber sucks the moisture of the steam and starts shrinking all at once."

"As a solution to this, try to brush the clothes that are still wet after the wash and spin. This one extra step will prevent your clothes from getting wrinkles while you are hanging them to dry. If you let them dry on hangers, the clothes won't even need ironing. Brushing also straightens the fabric, so you can keep your clothes looking good for a long time."

Let's do it! How to brush your coat effectively

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Now, we are going to ask him questions while he shows us how to carry out good brushing. For starters, we are going to brush a coat which is the epitome of winter clothing!

"Spreading the coat on a big table would be easy and stable, but when you hang it on a hanger, you have to hold it to brush. First, brush it from the bottom of the coat to the top. This will remove the dust that has got into the fabric. After a good brushing, next brush it from the top to the bottom. Straighten the fabric. You can also brush with your hand instead of using a brush."

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Dust can especially accumulate on the back of the collar. Brush the invisible parts of the clothes with extra care!

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"Dust trapped inside the fabric can easily bind with rain and dirt. So removing the source of this problem will make your clothes long lasting. Give a good rub with your hands to the part that has got dirt and stains. When you do this, hold one stain and another between your fingers and rub. It is important not to rub the stain itself. After this wash the garment. The stains will come off easily and the material will not be damaged. "

Let's use different brushes according to the types of fabric of sweaters!

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Next, we will ask him about how to brush sweaters. First of all, we asked him about the tips on how to brush wool sweaters.

"Basically, we brush along the warp of the clothes, but for knitted garments like sweaters, warps and woofs are woven in a complex way. So, the smart way is to brush such clothes diagonally, not vertically. Try to brush as if you are brushing between warps and woofs respectively. It is also effective when you try to remove dust, light stains, and pill balls."

---When it comes to sweaters, we assume a lot of people have problems with pill balls. Is there a good way to remove them?

"Using a pill remover is one way, but it might cause damage to the material. I would recommend again to use a brush here. Instead of brushing in a typical way, hook the bristles of the brush from the pill balls and twist the brush slightly. The pills will come off easily. Use the brush as if you pull off the pill balls."

"It is the best to use a brush with slightly coarse horse hair for wool sweaters. In this case, give tender strokes when you brush over those sweaters. No matter how hard you brush, it does not make any difference in the amount of dust you can remove."

---We are amazed to know that we can use the brush to remove pill balls. It is incredible that the brush can be useful in so many different ways! Next, we asked him to show us how to brush cashmere sweaters as well.

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"Cashmere is such a soft fabric, so it is difficult to keep it in good condition. I recommend choosing a brush with softer bristles than the one for wool. Just as with wool, brush diagonally, but more importantly, try to do so more gently. I assume some of you may think it is not safe to wash cashmere, but the truth is, you can wash it at home with no problem. Detergents today are excellent, so don't be afraid of washing at home."

What are the tips when choosing a brush for the first time?

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Brushing does nothing but good to clothes. Then, what do we need to consider when we choose a brush for the first time?
"Especially for women, I think it is important that the brush is light. If the brush feels too heavy, it is hard to get in the habit of brushing. Please choose one that is light enough to hold. The other thing you might want to know is that a brush with a small brushing surface is less effective."

---You mean it is important to choose a brush that suits you to keep the habit of brushing. By the way, the brush we asked him to use here was the TOKYU HANDS original brush. We asked him how he felt.

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"More than anything else, it is very easy to hold. I think that with a brush this size, even people with small hands can use it easily. Easy to hold, easy to brush. Secondly, I thought it is great that there are several different types of brushes for different clothing materials. Personally, I paid extra attention to this brush with a mix of brass. With brass, the brush tips become rounded over time, so it is tender on the clothing. It is a rare case that brass is used in a clothes brush, but I feel that brass is just as suitable in a brush as horse or boar bristles.

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TOKYU HANDS original clothes brush Basic

From left, for wool, knits, cashmere/silk 2,900 yen each (excl. tax)

Summary

How was it? If you get into the habit of brushing, you can benefit from it in so many ways! your clothes will last long; you can lower your dry cleaning bills; and you won't have to iron as often. Why don't you try to get into the habit of brushing this spring? *Items introduced in this article may not be available in some stores.

*Please contact the store for availability
*Items introduced in this article may need to be back-ordered in some stores.
*Prices and specifications are subject to change and the number of items may be limited.
*The photographs above may include some other items
that are not for sale but for display purposes.

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