Clothing stains have found their match.
Meet Patric Richardson, the self-proclaimed Laundry Evangelist and star of the new series "The Laundry Guy," which premieres on Discovery + March 31st (once aired at 9pm on HGTV). The series contains many tips on how to properly pretreat, wash, hang and fold all these items of clothing. But there are also the stories behind the people and the items themselves, from wedding dresses and baby blankets to vintage clothing.
Richardson, born and raised in the foothills of eastern Kentucky in the Appalachian Mountains, began his love of laundry at the age of two and a half years while he was with his grandmother in the small town of Grayson, Kentucky.
"My grandmother went shopping in Columbus, Ohio. And she would buy these beautiful clothes. And when she was young there was no dry cleaning in town. So he figured out how to wash things that can't be washed, "recalls Richardson on a recent phone call. "And that got me because one of my first memories [of washing] was giving him clothespins for hanging everything on the clothesline."
Studying clothing, merchandising, and textiles at the University of Kentucky, Richardson quickly discovered that a student's budget left little money to spend on dry cleaning. In the end, one of her teachers gave her a life changing revelation and said to Richardson, "You know, it's all washable.
Jobs at Neiman Marcus and as manager and designer of clothing purchases at Nordstrom introduced Richardson to the world's most luxurious fabrics and brands. Eventually she opened a designer resale store where she also sold a laundry detergent that she created specifically for washing vintage haute couture. He says if you can't pronounce the ingredients in a laundry soap, don't buy them. "Herbal detergents are the best."
Their customers have increasingly focused on how best to do their purchases, including the dreaded "dry-only cleaning" as well as their existing closet inventory. This has led to weekly "laundry stores", partly to social gatherings, partly to washing tips for the day or as he calls it: a night full of "clean clothes and dirty martinis".
When asked, Richardson is happy to debunk some of the most popular lingerie myths.
Silk and wool: "Cashmere goats stand in the snow and rain on the mountainside. The same goes for sheep; The farmers will shear them and wash and comb the wool.
"Silk is the second strongest fabric known to man. (The snail teeth of European limpets are the strongest natural material in the world, he reveals.) It's very durable, so you can parachute it out of it. If you want to hand wash it, that's fine, but I recommend that you put it in a mesh underwear / lingerie bag from the dollar store and toss it in the washing machine in warm water. ""
Water temperature: "Never use cold, not even on silk or wool. Warm is hot enough to activate the detergent, but this allows you to speed up the process. What is most scary in the washing machine is not the water, but the abrasion. This is what is really causing your problems. If you increase the water temperature, you can shorten the cycle. Expressing it on hot is much better for your clothes than cold with a long cycle. ... you would be surprised how much less water you use and how much less energy. ""
Pre-Soak: "I'm not a fan," he says. "I'll treat the stain and then wash it off."
Dryer or hanging dryer: "Hang everything up. The abrasion of the dryer will damage your clothes. ""
So what are your main trading tools? Vinegar, vodka, hydrogen peroxide, mild soap and a horsehair brush.
Never wipe off stains, especially not on upholstery or carpets. Use vodka if necessary.
"Vodka is a great stain remover," says Richardson. "Have you ever been to a restaurant that still smelled like food, or were you somewhere where people smoke or around a campfire?" Spray yourself with a mist of vodka from a spray bottle and the smells will go away. Also ideal for car seats. It dries quickly, is odorless and colorless and does not leave water rings. ""
And when to wash clothes?
"I became my mother," she laughs. I do laundry once a week. ""
Monday, no doubt.
Richardson's debut book "Love for Laundry: Finding Joy in a Shared Task" (with Karin B. Miller, Flatiron Books) will be released on March 30th and will show his "revolutionary ways" to do laundry and how to have fun doing it.
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