We’ve all been there - It’s 8am, your bus is due in five minutes and you’re still in your pyjamas. Your room is scattered with last night's clothes and scuffed shoes, and panic is starting to set in. But fear not - we’ve unearthed six lazy life hacks for fixing ruined clothes, using normal household products, that’ll have you ready and out of the house in minutes…
1. Eliminate last night’s odour from your jeans
There’s nothing worse than sleeping through your alarm, pulling out your favourite jeans, and finding that they smell of last nights kebab and chips. What if we told you that instead of flooding the office with Eau De Febreze and stale chilli sauce, you could keep your pair of Moto’s finest fresh without actually having to wash them?
Seal your denims in a plastic bag and keep them in the freezer overnight. The icy temperature will kill most of the odour-causing bacteria and it will save the colour from fading with frequent washing.
2. Banish nasty armpit stains
You’ve just remembered that you're meant to be going for post-work drinks tomorrow evening and prowled through your wardrobe for a solid half an hour for your trusty white cami - only to find it’s laced with last weeks fake tan and deodorant.
Before you rush out on a last minute Primark binge, fight the stain by mixing some lemon juice with water and splashing it on the mark. If this doesn't work, create a paste of baking soda and water; the simple mix has serious removal power when rubbed onto a stain. Just let it sit for a few minutes and rinse it off before putting it in the wash.
3. Kill lingering shirt smells
Running around all day can cause serious perspiration (posh talk for sweat). But what if you've sweated all over your one smart, actually office appropriate shirt and need to wear it the next day?
If you don’t have time/can’t be bothered to wash your work shirt, scavenge through your kitchen cupboards for a bottle of gin. The strong alcohol content will kill the odour-causing germs in an instant. Pour a little gin into an empty spritzer bottle and splash a small amount over your shirt (and into your mouth) for a quick pick me up.
4. Keep your patent shoes shiny
After a few mornings fighting the commute, shoes can become a little lackluster - especially when they take you from desk to happy hour (and McDonald’s) every Friday night.
Instead of breaking in a new pair of heels and battling a month-long war of blistering and rubbing, revamp patent heels with some household glass cleaner.
Less is more with this technique - simply splash some of the liquid onto a clean cloth and buff over your shoes until they regain their former shine.
5. Refresh your gym trainers
After a morning run your trainers might well start to stink, especially if you handily forgot to wear socks too. Freshen up your workout shoes by pouring a little baking soda into them - the powder will get rid of the smell and absorb all the lingering (yeesh) sweat.
6. Rejuvenate scratched leather shoes
Being called in for a last minute job interview gives us chills at the best of times, let alone when you have nothing to wear and an underwhelming array of shoes that have definitely seen better days.
Before you give up hope entirely and wander into the interview room in a pair of flip flops, dig out your smartest pair of leather shoes and bring them back to life by grabbing an old towel, dousing it with moisturiser and varnishing over any scratches. The oily substance will give the leather a glossy shine and disguise blemishes – so pretty much what it does to your face, then.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.