I remember my mother telling me of a time when my grandmother was shocked and horrified that a lady wasn’t wearing a pair of stockings. Thinking back at this I can’t help but laugh as it was my grandmother who drew with a brown pencil a ‘seam’ down her leg to give the illusion of tights during the war. Today, stockings are only mainly worn by schoolgirls, old ladies, drag queens, and pinups and by golly can they be fabulous. A lovely pair of tights can just pull an outfit together but they are very delicate and special items that should be looked after with proper care. I’m sorry Adore Delano, but no matter how punk you are, clean stockings are a must although I have let mine get to some terrible conditions. Today, I show you how to properly clean your stockings, There are two main ways to wash your stockings, by hand or machine.

Washing stockings by hand:
-Fill a bucket or sink with cool water and add baby shampoo (you can also use very delicate liquid laundry detergent). I just use normal Johnson’s Baby Shampoo.
-Gently place Similiar cloured stockings into the bucket of water. Swirl them gently in the water and massage them by gently squeezing them in your hands. Pay particular attention to the feet of the stockings as this is normally where most of the dirt is.
-Let soak for up to 10 minutes.
-Give the stockings one final gentle massage and then rinse them under fresh cold water.
Please read the ‘how to dry your stockings’ to complete the cleaning process.

Washing stockings by machine:
-Put your stockings in a delicates wash bag
-Place it into your washing machine and add only a little bit of detergent. Put your machine on a gentle/hand wash cycle.
Please read the ‘how to dry your stockings’ to complete the cleaning process.

How to dry your stockings:
-Fold a towel in half and place it on a flat surface.
-Lay your stockings on top and then roll them into the towel (much like lingerie sushi). Gently press down on the towel roll so the towel soaks up most of the water in the stockings.
-Unroll the towel and leave the stockings on top of the towel somewhere warm or in the sun. They shouldn’t need more than an hour to fully dry.

Notes and Tips: 
-Remove all jewelry whilst washing your stockings by hand to ensure you don’t snag or damage your stockings.
-Do not dry your stockings in the dryer as the heat can damage the nylon and the elasticity. The dryer can also tear or snag your stockings, therefore, damaging them.
-Do not use a clothesline to dry your stockings either. By putting your stockings on the line, you risk snagging them on pegs and causing the line to dent and stretch your stockings causing permanent damage and a looser fit.
-If I’m going to use a laundry powder, I normally use Nellies Laundry Soda.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way.