As the dad of a 3 year old and 18-month-old I’ve spent a fair share of my time stain treating and cleaning up crazy messes. One of the most common issues I’ve had to deal with is how to remove permanent marker from a variety of surfaces. Now, you might wonder why my kids have access to sharpies. Rest assured, they don’t. But somehow, they always get them anyway. If you’re a parent, you understand. So, whether you’re a parent (like me) trying to remove sharpie from the wall and the dog or an eBay reseller (also like me) trying to remove sharpie from shoes, clothes, and other thrift goods, we’ve got the method and the power! Now, I know there are a bazillion methods out there for removing permanent marker. However, these are the things that, in my experience, have the greatest chance of removing the stain without damaging the material. After all, there’s …

Read moreHow To Remove Permanent Marker From (just about) Anything!

I can’t even count the number of times I’ve put back sweaters and jackets because they have more pills than Brittany Spears.  Fleece jackets such as The North Face and Patagonia brands which are great for reselling are particularly prone to pills.  Not only do they pill, they tend to gather pet hair, lint, etc. which manages to worm it’s way into the fibers.  I’ve spent countless hours trying to pick each pill off with my hands, tweezers, and even duct tape.  None were very effective and, more importantly, they took a ton of time.  If you’re trying to clean pills of a sweater or jacket then this tutorial is for you!  Before you start, be warned: this method removes the top layer of material.  If you’re too vigorous or do it too often, you will wear the fabric thin.  This method is best for polyester and cashmere but can also work on wool or …

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We’ve all been through it, our velcro doesn’t seem very sticky any more and we look down to find that it’s clogged with lint, hair, strings, and who knows what else!  Whether you’re looking to resell the article of clothing or simply clean it up for your own use, cleaning velcro is incredibly easy.  Follow along if you want to know how to clean lint out of velcro and make it look like new again! WHAT YOU NEED: A t-pin.  That’s it.  Really.  In fact, you don’t even need that!  Any pointy object can work Let’s get started… Grab that nasty old velcro and your push pin.  Slide the pin in between the grooves and simply pull the lint up and out.  After the pin slides free, grab what you can with your fingers and simply pull it out. Keep going…. And just like that, you’re done!  Look at that beautiful finished product!  If it …

Read moreHow To Clean Velcro (and remove that stubborn lint)