Dryel - from Delicates to Denim

This post is written in partnership with Dryel, I was selected to be a brand ambassador for them, but as always, all my views and opinions are my own.

This past month I set a goal for myself, stop letting the chair in my bedroom become piled with clothes in the limbo state of clean enough to wear again, but not clean enough to hang in the closet.

I know 'the chair' is a pretty universal problem, and chair prevention requires constant vigilance. If I come home too late in the evening, clothes are destined for the chair. If I'm having outfit indecision and the rejects end up on the chair, then I forget what was actually clean and what was 'chair clean', and the pile continues to grow. When it comes to denim, I'm of the mindset that it shouldn't really be washed, and as such, it becomes my biggest chair offender.

When I resolved to putting an end to 'the chair', I knew I had a secret weapon, Dryel. I've been a brand ambassador for them this past year, and have come to appreciate how quickly and easily I can refresh my clothes, from my jeans to my delicate knits, without worrying about any shrinking, stretching, or fading. Coming in 2018 Dryel is releasing a brand new formula and starter kit with a scent that lasts even longer, and they've given the official okay to using it with silk and rayon (though to be honest, I had been before and never had any issue).

Now at the end of the day, before I have a chance to let my clothes reach the chair, I pop them in my Dryel bag. After just a 15 minute tumble they are refreshed and deemed ready to be rehung in the closet. If I want to give them a more deep clean, I'll leave them for the full 30 minutes.

Dryel makes my life easier. I love knowing that the lace dress I wore to a wedding isn't going to hang around for months before I remember to bring it to the dry cleaner, and I no longer have to feel skeeved out by wearing jeans that have never seen the inside of a washing machine.

Never let 'Dry Clean Only' keep you from the clothes you love

This post is written in partnership with Dryel, I was selected to be a brand ambassador for them, but as always, all my views and opinions are my own.

When I shop, it's often love at first sight. A great print, material that feels so soft I don't want to let it go, or those special details, lace, fringe, embroidery... But once I've tried it on, the very next thing I do is check the tag for care instructions, and I can't tell you the number of times I've allowed the dreaded "Dry Clean Only" to make me rethink a purchase.

Since I've had the opportunity to have Dryel as a mainstay in my laundry room this year, not only have I been able to save money skipping trips to the dry cleaner with the pieces I already have, but I've also allowed myself to add new items to my closet I might have otherwise put back on the rack.

As you know, I love thrift shopping, and when I bring home pieces from Goodwill, their very first stop is the washing machine. Of course sometimes my thrift bargains come attached with pricy dry clean only tags too, but now Dryel saves me from turning my thrift steal into a thrift splurge! For the price of what I'd spend sending one shirt to the dry cleaners, I can clean up to 20 pieces with Dryel - talk about savings!

       

The Rundown
Bow Blouse Alfani via Goodwill similar
Lace Pencil Skirt Banana Republic similar
Toe Cap Heels Me Too via TJMaxx similar
Suede Accordion Bag Banana Republic similar
Filmore Earrings Rudiment via Rocksbox
Modern Rings Pendant Necklace Banana Republic
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Sweet Olive Jewelry
Chevron Ring Etsy via Silver Canyon Jewelry
Sunglasses "Meteor" Ray-Ban c/o TJMaxx
Nail Color "Twill Seeker" Essie

Stylin' in St. Louis's Spotlight Linkup

and

Elegance & Mommyhood's Thursday Moda

Freedom to wear summer whites

This post is written in partnership with Dryel, I was selected to be a brand ambassador for them, but as always, all my views and opinions are my own.

A quick scroll through my last few posts would probably be enough evidence to convince anyone that I love wearing white. All year round, but especially during the summer, it's what I find myself reaching for again and again.

I know many people choose to avoid white for the simple reason that it is destine to attract spills, and even more so in the summer, when I find myself with a chocolate ice cream cone on a 90° afternoon, or a glass of red sangria on a breezy patio, or the iced latté in the cup with the lid that still manages to escape... Yes, all real examples from the past month when my whites were saved by the awesome stain-busting pen Dryel sent over for me to try. I'm not exaggerating in the slightest when I tell you that not 20 minutes before we took these photos I spilled a little coffee on my top at Starbucks. So I simply grabbed a napkin, place it on the inside under the stain, and went to work with the pen. The stain diminished in no time, and as you can see, the top is picture perfect.

I love that tucking this little pen into my purse grants me the freedom to wear all the white I love without the worry a little spill is going to ruin my day.

       
The Rundown
White Tee Loft similar
Denim Pencil Skirt Banana Republic similar
Black Slides c/o Soak
Round Rattan Bag Andakasa
Pineapple Necklace Moon & Lola via Rocksbox
Watch "Classic Sheffield" c/o Daniel Wellington
Gold Wrap Ring Gift from Meg
Crystal Bar Ring Upper Metal Class

Stylin' in St. Louis's Spotlight Linkup

and

Elegance & Mommyhood's Thursday Moda

Dryel 101

This post is written in partnership with Dryel, I was selected to be a brand ambassador for them, but as always, all my views and opinions are my own.

When it comes to staying warm and cozy during the winter months, there is nothing I love more than a cashmere sweater, or perhaps merino wool, or basically any fiber where I know I'm going to find "Dry Clean" on the label.

Trips to the dry cleaners are costly and trying to find places using environmentally friendly cleaning methods is a challenge. My previous approach had always been hand-washing with gentle detergent and air drying, which while inexpensive, was tremendously time consuming. One of my super thick cardigans took three days to dry completely!

Dryel was a product I'd always been aware of, but never thought to try - would it really get my clothes clean? Would it really be okay to put something in the dryer I would never dare put in the dryer?

The Dryel starter kit includes environmentally responsible cleaning cloths which have no phosphate, perchloroethylene, or trichloroethylene, along with a spot cleaning spray, and a special bag to protect fabric by creating a temperature controlled environment. The starter kit can clean up to 20 garments when doing five at a time, but since I was cleaning bulky sweaters, I only did three as the clothes need some room to move around.

I started by checking my sweaters for any bad stains, food stains were given a good spritz with the booster spray and blotted with paper towels. Those came out pretty readily. Makeup was a bit tougher, while sweat stains on my white sweater were not going to budge.

Once I was finished spot cleaning, I put the sweaters into the bag with one of the cleaning cloths and popped them in my dryer for 30 minutes. Dryel instructs medium heat, but my dryer only has two settings, low and high, so I put them on low.

Call me a little crazy, but I decided to take measurements of a couple of my sweaters just so that I could be certain there was no shrinkage, and they all came out perfectly!

Using Dryel was so fast and easy - my sweaters smell clean and fresh, are wrinkle free, and ready to wear.

The starter kit which sells for $9.99 cleans up to 20 pieces, which means it only costs 50¢ per garment - a tiny fraction of dry cleaning costs - plus you can get a coupon for $1 off a starter kit.