Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette. In today's video, we'll discuss the best
ways to remove stains whether new or old from your neckties, bow ties and pocket squares.
It's a simple fact of life that stains happen. Whether you've been a little too careless with
a hot dog or a spoonful of soup, had a mishap with a fountain pen, or just run into some unfortunate
weather conditions, we've all encountered situations where we need to get unwanted materials
out of our garments. When it comes to larger garments like shirts, trousers, jackets, and so
on, we've already done several garment care videos that should help you there. The most important
among these would probably be our video on how to remove stains from any garment which you can find
here. Others would include things like how to wash suits at home and cheap and easy laundry hacks.
So, you can find our full garment care playlist here. And while much of the information in our
general stains video holds true today, there are some special considerations you could keep in mind
when it comes to your more delicate accessories like neckties, bow ties and pocket squares. Why
is this? Well, for one thing these accessories are often made with finer threads and fibers
which wouldn't stand up as well to heavy scrubbing or machine laundering. For another,
ties in particular often have an interlining and stitching that could be damaged or otherwise
disturbed by those processes. With that said though, let's get started today with a summary
of some of the most common materials you'll see used in ties and pocket squares -- silk,
wool and linen and some special considerations for each. We'll start with silk which is a
delicate material made most commonly from the fibroin protein of the mulberry silkworm. These
proteins have a triangular prism-like structure which refracts light to show various colors
and also gives the overall fabric a lustrous appearance. Silk has a natural sheen, it drapes
(man, there are a lot of loud engines out there today)
Silk has a natural sheen, it drapes well and it has good absorbency so it takes
dyes easily. The use of silk as a textile dates as far back as 6000 BC or BCE in China and it
then spread to other parts of the world reaching places like America round about the 17th century.
Once expensive enough that it was only worn by nobility, it's now still used in luxury garments
today although it is much more readily available. As far as cleaning considerations are concerned,
we'll start by saying that you shouldn't submerge or soak silk fabrics in water. Completely
saturating silk with water can not only aggravate a stain but can also cause rings or ripples that
might ruin the texture or color or pattern of the silk. Silk weakens when it's wet and it also
degrades with heat and perspiration. Silk can also have finishes that could be removed by washing.
For example, a smoother hand feel might become pebbled. In order to make sure that you aren't
going to remove this finish, you should test the garment in an area that can't be readily seen.
And you can find our video on a type of silk that's near and dear to menswear aficionados
matter silk here. Next, we'll mention linen which is a natural fiber that's derived from the flax
plant. For more information on linen, we've done an entire video on it which you can find here.
Linen is also weaker when it's wet and it's prone to abrasion so it should be cleaned with care.
It's important that you not squeeze or press linen fibers when you're trying to get a stain out.
If you do this, you may further grind the stained material into the linen fibers
making it harder to get out. Finally here, we'll mention wool which is really more of a
categorical term for textile fibers derived from the coat of mainly sheep but also goats,
musk oxen, rabbits, camels, llamas, alpacas, vacunas, guanacos and even cattle and sometimes
pigs. We've also produced a comprehensive video specifically on wool so for more information,
you can check it out here. Note that stains can often set especially quickly into wool fibers
so tending to a new stain is especially key with wool. Now that we've gone over the common fabrics,
let's have a brief refresher on what materials make up stains. Stains can either be organic or
inorganic in nature and from there, can be oily or not in other words you could think of all stains
as falling into four broad categories -- organic, inorganic, oily organic and oily inorganic.
As examples of each of these, stains from living organisms including plants are organic things like
blood, grass stains or red wine. (Meanwhile. Meanwhile, stains from man-made materials such
as) Meanwhile, stains from man-made materials such as ink, solvents or machine dust are inorganic.
Examples of oily organics could include things like barbecue sauce or sweat stains and examples
of oily inorganics could include things like cosmetics. For more in-depth information on
that subject though, our general guide to stain removal should have you covered. With that said,
let's now cover a list of materials that you'll want to have on hand when you're tackling a
stain removal job involving your ties or pocket squares. Firstly, you'll want a clean towel to
place on your work surface which could be anything including an ironing board, a table or so on,
a clean white cloth preferably made from cotton or linen with linen probably being
best because it doesn't pill, paper towels or napkins to soak up oil or grease stains,
club soda or plain water as the carbonation can help to lift stains out, talcum powder, baking
soda, cornstarch or borax to treat old stains, table salt, a formulated stain solution such as
this one from The Laundress and spray bottles filled with either vodka, isopropyl alcohol or
rubbing alcohol and a 50-50 mixture of water and white vinegar and lemon juice can also work here.
Having a hair dryer on hand to help prevent the spreading of liquids can also be helpful but if
you are going to use one, be sure that it has a cool setting. We'll also note here that other
commercial products such as carbona stain devils, tied to go, shout wipes or silken clean tissues
are all potential aids for you here but we would sooner recommend the more gentle methods that
we've already outlined. Finally here, we've got a few general tips to share before we get into
the specific stain removal processes. Firstly, you may remember that we recommended the use of bleach
alternative which is also called oxygen bleach and is made from sodium percarbonate in our general
stain removal video but we would advise against using it on your delicate accessories especially
those made of silk. And as with regular garments, never use conventional chlorine bleach. Both
bleach and bleach alternative are probably going to be too harsh for these more delicate garments
so you should stay away from them. This is also true of conventional soaps and laundry detergents.
And on that note, something else to be careful of in particular is what's known as a biological
detergent. This matters because biological detergents contain enzymes that effectively eat
their way through protein-based stains. But since wool and silk are also largely made from proteins,
these enzymes can eat through them as well. Before you attempt to use any materials except perhaps
water or club soda to remove a stain, be sure to check the label on your garment to see if there
are any special care considerations you need to be aware of. After this, you should also check
the color fastness of the fibers by dabbing a small and clean area of the clothing with a clean
white cloth that is slightly damp. If the garment isn't color fast, you'd either want to take it to
a dry cleaner or consider it a lost cause. When it comes to ties, you definitely shouldn't iron
them either as they have delicate rolled edges that can be unattractively flattened
out under an iron. In addition, the heat might also damage the fibers. On that note though,
you can check out our complete ironing playlist here. And speaking of appliances not to use,
you should never machine wash or tumble dry any of the delicate accessories we're discussing today.
And no matter what cleaning agent you happen to be using, you should always remember to be
gentle -- blot don't scrub. Some gentle rubbing may be okay but you should always exercise caution
and work slowly. Also, it's a good idea to work from the outside of the stain inward to prevent
spreading. Because many of the fibers we're discussing today are particularly delicate,
you should also never attempt to wring out a tie or pocket square as this could easily damage the
structure of the fibers. And as we've said in our general stain removal guide, it may
be that a given stain is actually a combination of some or all of the four types we mentioned.
If one particular stain removal method doesn't seem to work well for you, you could try some of
the others and see if that gets you further. Of course, do remember to be careful no matter what
method you're using. Finally here, if you would like to use a dry cleaner as a last resort, be
sure to tell them of the fabric composition of the garment you're bringing in and the type of stain
that the garment was subjected to. This way, if they have more information, they should know more
properly how to treat the garment in question. Alright. Now for the main event of today's video,
the actual stain removal processes. We'll start with organics like food or bodily fluids.
First, here's what to do in the moment right when something actually gets on your garment. Firstly,
you should gently scrape off the offending material using something like a butter knife or a
spoon. Something that is firm but without a sharp edge. This way, you'll get the majority of the
substance off of your tie or pocket square so you won't be grinding or mushing it into the fibers
when you're trying to remove the stain. And if you're using an implement with a defined but not
sharp edge, you won't risk tearing the fibers that way either. Next, try blotting at the stain with a
clean cloth or napkin using water or preferably club soda. Paper towels are also acceptable but
you should try to avoid paper napkins if you can at all help it because they will often
disintegrate as you're trying to blot or rub at the stain. Of course, if all you've got in a given
situation is paper napkins then by all means go for it but you should try something a bit softer
and at the same time more durable. Next, when it comes to oil and grease stains, we would recommend
that you start by blotting up as much of the oil and grease as possible with a paper or cloth
napkin. You're not rubbing here but just taking up the excess material with the paper or cloth.
Remember of course that because water and oil don't mix, water probably won't be much help to
you here. The carbonation from club soda could be a bit more helpful but just trying to blot up the
excess oil is a good first step. Red wine is best treated in the moment with table salt although you
will obviously want to take your tie off first in order to do this. It can also be taken up
with club soda or even white wine if you've got it on hand. Speaking of white wine then,
you shouldn't panic if you get a bit of this on your tie or pocket square as it's best left to
dry and then to deal with later. So those are all of the immediate methods to employ right as the
stain hits the tie. But once you're back home and have a bit more time to deal with things, there is
a subsequent follow-up process you should use to really ensure that you're getting the stains out.
This particular treatment can also be a great method for removing older stains although you
may want to use it in conjunction with some of the other processes we've already talked about. First
here, lay the tie flat on your work surface with a towel underneath and create a small pile of either
baking soda, cornstarch, talcum powder or borax. All should work roughly equally. Allow this small
pile of powder to sit on the stain for 12 to 24 hours; this is especially important for oil-based
stains. After the 12 to 24 hours has elapsed, you can take the powder off of the tie and see if the
stain has come up with it. Afterward, a bit of delicate brushing with a garment safe brush
might be good. Of course, you want to use something with particularly soft bristles here,
not something like a scrub brush, shoe brush, or any related material. This method may not work on
the first try but it can be repeated up to three times without any potential for damaging the tie.
You could also try different types of powders if you weren't satisfied with the one you used the
first time. A small amount of mineral spirits can also be used for particularly stubborn oil stains
but this stuff can be harsh so we would exercise extreme caution here. Finally today, we'll discuss
ink stains. We've saved these for last because ink is a bit of an outlier. It's best treated
not right away but after it has completely dried. This is because, if you try to remove
a fresh ink stain while it's still wet, especially by introducing another liquid,
there is a great potential for the ink to simply spread around to more of the tie or pocket square.
So, once the ink is completely dry, you should gently dab at it with a cotton ball or clean rag
or cloth that has been soaked in rubbing alcohol. If the ink doesn't all come out at first,
you should allow it to dry again and then repeat the process. Alternatively, you could also
combine this method with a few of the other cleaning substances we've already recommended
just to see what works. (Oh cow there are a lot of buses all of a sudden. Today, we'll ride buses to
play as near and far. Today we are taking a long bus ride.) So hopefully you'll find these various
techniques helpful in getting your neckties, bow ties and pocket squares back to looking their best
regardless of the fabric composition. These methods could also likely work for other
materials like cotton or polyester of course but we've just listed some of the most common
construction fabrics here today. Remember to always work slowly and carefully and not to expect
miracles. Not every garment and accessory is going to be able to be brought back to 100% of course,
but it's always worth a try. And here's one more reminder to check out our full garment
care playlist here. In today's video, I'm wearing an especially casual outfit once again good for
doing some garment care around the house. It's made up primarily of a shirt featuring a micro
check pattern of light blue and black on a white ground, some plain black trousers and a simple
lighter gray sweater vest from Polo Ralph Lauren. My socks are also plain black as are my shoes
which are penny loafers from Allen Edmonds. Of course, I'm not wearing a tie or pocket square
in this casual outfit but if I wear to add one, I could look no further than the Fort Belvedere shop
which has a wide array of different pocket square and necktie styles in various fabric compositions,
colors and patterns so you'll be sure to find something you love if you check it out as well.