No matter what you do, you are always getting blood, mustard, wine, ketchup, mayonnaise, dirt, oil, or spit on your tie at some time or another.

Cleaning a tie is relatively simple when it is a tie made of polyester; but if it is a tie made of silk the process is a little tougher. Chances are, though, if you have managed to get yourself near one of the above substances, then you were wearing polyester. You would not risk your silk ties. Cleaning your polyester tie takes seven simple steps.

First, check the label. If you use this method on a silk tie, then you will no longer have a very good tie. In fact, you will have a rather rubbishy piece of cloth, and no tie at all. A common location is on the tag at the back of the tie that you loop the small end through, or on the small end itself. If all of the labels are missing, then go by the feel. The silkier it feels, the silkier it is. No matter how shiny polyester may be, it will not ever quite feel like silk.

Second, get yourself a plastic contain that you can seal. Glass is alright, but plastic makes life that much easier. Tupperware is great. There have been times that individuals have used peanut butter jars or some thing of a similar size. You want some thing big enough to fit the tie and the components of the next few steps with room to swim.

Third, squirt some detergent in and add hot water. Believe it or not, dish soap works great. Laundry detergent does, but liquid is always better. You do not want too much, so be sure the water is diluted pretty well. You do not want boiling hot water, either. You want it to be a little warm but no hotter than water for washing a shirt of the same color as your tie.

Fourth, shake it up, add the tie, close it, and let it stand. Seal the container and give it a good shake to get the soap all swirled around. When you open it later on, there ought to be a little bit of frothy action going on. Poke the tie in, close it, and shake it around again to be sure the tie is well coated. At this point, let it stand for a while. Depending on how seriously the tie is soiled, over night to two days usually works.

Fifth, empty and rinse. This is why you do not want too much soap. Once the tie has had at least twenty four hours to soak, drain out the water, rinse out your container, and fill it with lukewarm water. Stick the tie back in and shake it around for a while. This helps rinse out the last of the suds. If you want, gently press the water out of the tie, then empty the container again, and repeat until the tie stops emitting bubbles.

Sixth, let the tie hang and drip dry. This is fairly self explanatory. Another twenty four hours has gone by and your tie should be dryer, brighter, and stain free. Seventh, gently iron the tie. You do not want to crank the iron all the way up or you will have a blackened and foul smelling mess. Do not flatten out the edges too much, either. Go over it a few times in areas with any stubborn creases and you are good to go.

If you do not like the canopic jar effect of having several ties going in several containers, then it is safe to put several ties of similar colors in the same bath. Just be sure they have enough room to swim around a little.

About the Author

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for computer parts and suits & ties. Shop here to find computer parts and supplies, polyester ties, and computer parts in Canada.

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