I like to think of myself as ‘pretty clean’; I wash everything I wear day-to-day (without over-washing), keep on top of the floordrobe, and try to get to the bottom of my laundry bin each week. And yet, when I recently opened my wardrobe to grab a pair of trainers, I discovered a wad of old gum stuck to the bottom of one of them.
I won’t try to describe the emotional turmoil that followed; shock, disgust, the works... To make matters worse – these had recently been carried in my suitcase among my clothes, which I try not to think about. Needless to say, I was scrubbing them over the sink in minutes. But it got me thinking – how long had that been sitting in my wardrobe, and what else might be lurking in there?
To put my mind at rest, I’ve pulled together 5 filthy things we forget to clean in the wardrobe. So you can avoid such surprises and give this space the deep clean it’s been needing.
1. Muddy shoes
When our shoes are caked in mud, we will stop and take the time to clean them (hopefully!). But when dealing with everyday dirt and dust, we let them be. After all, you can’t clean your shoes between every wear.
The trouble is that the everyday dirt will inevitably end up in your wardrobe – potentially rubbing on to other shoes if they’re piled up and even dirtying the hems of long dresses and coats. As mentioned in my intro, there’s also the potential for other things to be trapped on the bottom of your shoes, too – unknowingly stored among your clothes.
Take a moment to check the soles of your shoes and, if it’s been a while, give them a clean. A quick scrub with an old toothbrush and a warm, soapy solution will do the trick. Remove any small stones and debris while you’re at it, allow them to dry completely, then store on a shoe rack to keep them separate from one another in the future.
Try to get into the habit of checking your shoes once you’re home. Don’t wear your shoes indoors to avoid spreading dirt and scratching your hard floors.
2. Mouldy coats
Ever opened your wardrobe, only to be greeted by a musty smell? This could be coming from your coats.
When your coat gets rained on, there’s a chance for bacteria to grow – especially if it’s stored while still damp. Given the enclosed conditions and lack of ventilation in your wardrobe, it’s a regular bacteria breeding ground. And because we rarely clean our coats, the musty smell will only get worse over time.
For me, it was my partner’s motorbike gear that was contributing to the smell. Because he travelled home in the rain regularly, things turned musty pretty quickly!
Once it’s reached this stage, you need to remove and wash the item to eradicate the smell. Follow the care label instructions, using the highest recommended temperature, and dry thoroughly before storing away again.
Going forward, try to hang up your damp coat once indoors and give it ample time to dry before storing away in your wardrobe.
3. Grubby handbags
I tend to be over-protective of my handbag while it’s still new – giving it its own seat in restaurants and checking the weather for rain before wearing it. But once it’s broken in, I revert to old habits.
Our handbags often touch things we’d rather not think about. First, there’s the floors. Restaurant floors are sticky and covered in all kinds of food residue. And yet our bags will sit among this mess.
Then there’s the public restrooms to consider. If there’s no hook to hang your bag, you’ve either got to awkwardly balance it somewhere, or what’s worse, let it sit on the floor.
While many handbags feature studs to elevate it from the floor, these often aren’t sufficient, and soft fabric bags will have no protection whatsoever. And yet, once we’re home, it sits on the bed with us and then goes straight back in the wardrobe, often thrown atop a pile of other bags!
Take a moment to inspect the bottom of your bags; if any are stained, sticky or regularly worn, you need to take the time to clean them. Follow the care label instructions to do this; if specialist cleaning is needed, then that’s what needs to be done.
If the care label allows you to clean the bag yourself, use a cleaner as recommended by the manufacturer. If there’s no care label and you’ve got a leather handbag, a proprietary leather cleaner can restore it (but always test on an inconspicuous area first). Don’t forget to clean the strap as well, which will also get quite grubby.
Once clean, store long-term with a protective dust bag and use a handbag organiser to keep them separate from one another.
4. Dusty shelves
When was the last time you cleaned the inside of your wardrobe? Usually, we only do this when we’re sorting through our clothes, and there’s the rare occasion that the wardrobe is empty. But, we need to get into the habit of cleaning our wardrobes at least once every few months.
As well as keeping your clothes clean, the reason for this is that the dead skin cells, which form part of the dust, will attract moths to your wardrobe, as will moisture and food residue. So a dusty wardrobe will more likely suffer from moth damage. If the floor of your wardrobe is carpeted, then it’s going to attract dust mites too, which will contribute to your allergies.
Take a moment every few months to remove items from the floor and shelves and use your vacuum cleaner with the soft brush attachment and a low power setting to give it a once over. For a deep clean, use a multi-surface cleaner or a sealed-wood cleaner on the walls and exterior, depending on the finish.
5. Used tissues in pockets
It’s a horrible moment when you take a coat out of storage, only to realise there’s an old, used tissue in the pocket…
All sorts of things get chucked into our pockets when there’s no bin nearby; everything from receipts, to tissues, to wrapped up gum. But if you forget to bin it later, it can end up stored in your wardrobe for some time.
Stuffing used tissues into your pockets can leave residue on the lining (not a nice thought) and can contaminate other items if it’s forgotten about and then run through the washing machine. We’ve all left a tissue in a pocket, only to find everything covered in traces once the wash finishes.
To keep such surprises to a minimum, always check and empty out your pockets once you’re home. Try to avoid placing sticky items or things which are likely to stain in your pockets, too.