How to Clean and Care for Your Bowties and Suspenders
General Cleaning
Wrinkles
Have you been loving your bowtie so much it’s starting to show signs of wear? Are your suspenders getting a little slouchy? It’s perfectly natural for linen to start to show wrinkles. A bowtie can last quite a while without being tended to, because when you tie it, the wrinkles tend to get hidden in the knot. But once your bowtie starts to get droopy, it is time to show it a little TLC.
All you need is an iron, and if possible, some spray starch. If you don’t keep spray starch around already for your button-down shirts, it’s an under $10 investment and worth having around. There are a lot of options on the market; Mary Ellen’s Best Press is one of our favorites.
Spray your bowtie with the starch and and immediately gently iron with a little bit of steam, keeping the edges neat, and press out your wrinkles. The steam will get the wrinkles out, and the starch will help it stay perky. Then get back to wearing your bowtie!
The same goes for suspenders. Just be sure to move your adjusters so that you can press out the part of the fabric that is usually below the clamp.
Stain Removal
If you get too excited at the BBQ and your sloppy joe ends up on your bowtie or suspenders, no worries!
Simply spray it with a stain remover (we like Seventh Generation Natural Laundry Stain Remover), let sit, gently hand wash in a sink, and hang dry. Once your bowtie is dry, iron it (see Wrinkles section above for more details on how to press your bowtie). Use the same protocol for suspenders. Your bowtie or suspenders should be looking good as new in no time!
Storage
Suspenders and bowties should be stored hanging to minimize wrinkling.
Storing your bowtie untied will keep it wrinkle-free as long as possible (unless you have a pre-tied bowtie!).
We recommend storing your suspenders with the adjuster open and unclamped. Your suspenders may still develop some wrinkling under the adjuster, which can be ironed out using the instructions in the Wrinkles section above.
Questions?
If you’re having any other care problem with your bowtie or suspenders that these tips don’t resolve, please don’t hesitate to send us a line at GoodDay@www.funfancypeople.com.