There comes a time every season where you must take a good, hard look at your clothes and decide if you’re going to get rid of items or repair them. I’m a big advocate of repairing your clothes since this saves you money in the long-run, improves your skills of fixing items and allows you to keep wearing the pieces you love. For my previous post of repairing my summer 2022 items, click here. This season, I assessed the following: black pointed toe heels, a few watches that stopped ticking, two sweaters, scuffed boots, marked Uggs, marked Pumas, dirty white sneakers and scuffed suitcases. Keep reading to see the results.
Black Heels
These heels were a staple for my work wardrobe. I wore them consistently for a year or two, but the heels got scraped up when they brushed against my rolling chair at work. I tried to fix them by coloring them in with a sharpie, but the torn leather and the white fabric underneath was beyond repair. Since this was an inexpensive pair of shoes, I opted to throw them away instead of sending them to a cobbler. I did not donate them since they were not in wearable condition. (Sad – I will remember this for next time and opt for a more expensive pair that I’d feel comfortable sending to a cobbler).
Watch Battery Repairs
A few watches in my collection stopped telling time, so I set aside 30 minutes to replace the batteries. I’ve done this before and have a watch repair kit, so I already had the watch battery replacements on hand and all equipment needed to remove the watch backs and switch out the battery. I learned how to do this on YouTube and found it to be a very useful skill since it saves me roughly $10-$15 per watch based on the area I live in. If you have a luxury watch, I would recommend taking it to be serviced by a professional.
After switching out my batteries, I noticed that my Guess watch had a lot of scratches on the face and the tan leather strap was very dirty on the front and back. I switched to its alternate white leather strap but ultimately decided to give it away to donation.
Two Sweaters
Both my ivory turtleneck sweater and black crewneck sweater had holes in them. I whipped out my sewing kit and hand stitched the missing seams. It was a quick and easy fix.
Black Tall Boots
I love these Anne Klein boots. I bought them about three years ago and they have lasted each fall/winter season while maintaining their impeccable quality and style. The leather upper material was in good condition, but the back of the heels had white scratches on them. I’m not sure how they got there, it just happened over time. I tried to search online how to remove them but didn’t get a solid answer. I decided to make up my own remedy and it worked!
I used a damp magic eraser to try to lightly buff away the scratches. It worked like a charm and removed the mark.
Black Puma Flats
I love these black Puma flat shoes. They have this faux leather look and are a staple for many of my casual outfits. They accumulated marks on the white edges of the shoe, so I cleaned them with warm water, Dawn liquid soap and a toothbrush. I sat them on a towel to help keep the water in one place. They looked good as new afterwards!
White Sneakers
White sneakers can be tricky to clean. I have washed them in a washing machine before and it was successful in getting the marks off, but I don’t like hearing the loud noise banging around in the washer. So I prefer to take warm water, Dawn liquid soap and a toothbrush, and scrub away the marks from the upper fabric material and the bottom edges of the shoe. Then, I take baking soda and sprinkle it all over the top of the sneaker fabric. You’re supposed to sit it out in the sun so that the sun can help naturally bleach the fabric with the baking soda, but I wasn’t able to do that so I just let the baking soda sit for 24 hours and hoped for the best. I was pleased with the results but know the sun bleaching method would have been better. When the 24 hours is up, you clap the two shoes together against the soles to remove the excess baking soda.
Brown Ugg Boots
I’ve had these Ugg boots for 10 years now and they’ve never been cleaned before 🤦♀️. Well I decided now was the time to clean them since I was undertaking this clothing repair project. I ordered the Ugg shoe care kit from Amazon and followed the steps outlined in the box. The sheepskin does look more supple and fresh, but the marks near the top of the toe area are still there, which is to be expected after not cleaning them for 10 years lol. But I am pleased with the results and if you have Uggs, I’d recommend getting this kit so you can clean your shoes regularly and preserve the condition.
Pink Suitcases
I had two suitcases that had marks on them. I’ve had the dark pink suitcase for 10 years but (again) have not cleaned it since receiving. I took warm water, Dawn soap and a toothbrush and scrubbed the black marks on the suitcase. I went over the areas several different times until I felt it looked better. In the photos, it looks like the marks are still there but in person there is a big improvement in the appearance. It looks much cleaner.
I purchased the light pink suitcase only two months ago and after one trip, girlfriend looks beat up. I went over the marks on the shell with a damp magic eraser and this removed most of the marks. The dent is still there on the back, but I plan to hammer it out with a mallet or hammer. I definitely don’t think this suitcase will last 10 years like my other pink suitcase but you get what you pay for. Next time, I will definitely save up to purchase a better quality luggage.
And that’s it! All-in-all, I’d say it took me about five to six hours to complete all of these repairs. I believe the time was worth it because it saves money in the long-run and your items look fresh, clean and in good condition when you wear them.
Have you made any clothing repairs lately? Or do you plan to repair any clothes soon?
Emerald Glam 