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Worried about what to do if your clothes get ripped or stained while on a trip? Here are seven easy ways to fix any on-the-road clothing mishaps!
Quick Clothing Fixes for Travelers
Written by: Nina Thomas
If you’re like me, you’ve had dozens of friends think twice before letting you borrow their clothing because you are fantastic at spilling things on and snagging some prized pieces.
Never fear, though. I’ve learned a few things to do in an emergency situation. And nothing says clothing emergency more than when you’re traveling and only have a select number of items because you’ve packed smart.
When you’re at home, you have a lot of things at your disposal for quick fixes, but when you’re on the run or jumping from plane to bus to airplane, it’s not a good time for ruining a clothing item. Here are some quick clothing fixes!
Bring a safety pin.
Having a safety pin in your purse is a very important item for quick clothing fixes. If your luggage zipper breaks or the fastener falls off, you can use a safety pin to reattach. You can also use a safety pin to hold together a hole on a coat, secure a broken bra strap, and more.
Most hotels and b&bs will have a small sewing kit you could use later. But if you’re at the train stop or hopping on a plane with and your zipper breaks, you will be glad you brought a safety pin along.
Coffee stains and soda water.
I try to carry Shout Wipes with me, but I don’t always have them when I need them. One thing that works well for getting out coffee stains and other food stains is soda water. Soda water can be found in almost any restaurant or bar. (Or even a vending machine that sells club soda.)
Another option is to try for some baking soda. You can dab that on the stain. These are two things that shouldn’t be difficult to locate no matter where you are.
Toothpaste and leather.
A little toothpaste on leather shoes or boots can remove the scuffs you’ve gotten from a long sightseeing day. Just rub a little toothpaste on the scuffs and rub with a damp wash cloth. Voila. Looking good again!
You can also use baby wipes to give your shoes a quick clean before stepping out for the day.
A little soap and water for blood stains.
Blood stains can be cleaned off by soaking the item in cold water immediately after staining it then washing with a bar of soap.
For more severe fashion emergencies, hydrogen peroxide is an easy item to track down and will work if the fabric is not very delicate and easily destroyed. You want to be careful using chemicals on clothing, but if it’s a lighter piece with a blood or heavy dirt stain that may have sat for a little while, using a little hydrogen peroxide can lighten the stain.
Ripped stocking and clear nail polish.
Clear nail polish will stop the rip on stockings from getting larger. Although it won’t fix the tear, you can at least prevent it from getting bigger and thus rendering your tights/stockings unusable.
If you’re traveling, you may not have nail polish with you but if you can’t find a pair of replacement stockings then you can also look to buy polish as an alternate quick clothing fix.
Flat iron for wrinkling clothing.
This is a great one for travel. Using packing cubes can ensure your clothing gets wrinkled, and possibly too wrinkled to wear. If you don’t have an iron available, you could use your flat iron. If you didn’t bring a flat iron, try a blow dryer on the hottest setting possible.
Secure a button with a paperclip.
Chances are you can get your hands on a paperclip. If a button pops off your jeans or your jacket, you can use a paperclip to fasten it back on temporarily. (This only works on a button with holes.)
Have you ever experienced that nightmare of a stain? What are your quick clothing fixes? Please share in the comments!
For more travel packing tips, please read:
- Safe Travel Essentials: Will these 5 Products Help You?
- How to Pack for Anywhere
- 5 Unexpected Yet Essential Travel Items for a 5 Month Trip
- Create a Chic and Minimalist Travel Wardrobe
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Author Bio: Nina Thomas is constantly looking for a beautiful view and a good adventure. Her travel highlights include horseback riding in the Ecuadorian Andes, hiking on top of Mount Etna in Sicily, and sheep-gazing in the Cotswolds. For more practical travel tips and ideas from a Central Ohio Girl, check out Traveling with Nina or follow her on Twitter.
I’ve found that hairspray has worked wonders on some really awful stains! One time it even got gum off my pants.
Wow! Thanks for sharing this Emily!
Thanks for the list. I have found that dental floss works well as sewing thread to fix small holes and sew on buttons and it is often easier to find than sewing thread.
Wow good tip!
Thanks for the great tips. I have found that dental floss works wonderfully to sew on buttons etc. when I’m traveling. Its cheap, usually easier to find than sewing thread and something I normally carry with me anyway.
Good idea!
Hair conditioner (those hotel small bottles) is great for cleaning and nourishing leather and oiled leather shoes. Its anti-static properties also don’t allow dust to stick on the shoes…so they will stay clean longer. Rub in with a piece of cloth or an old soft toothbrush, allow to be absorbed and dry. Your shoes will look like new. You may buff them, but it is not even necessary!
Never heard of that. Thanks for the awesome tip Hania!
Thank you for the tips! I had no idea toothpaste could fix scuff marks. I am going to try it on my boots right away.
Let us know how it goes!
My husband and I always pack baby wipes. They work the best at getting out stains on clothing (variety of fabrics). We used to carry a tide pen but the baby wipes have replaced it. They allow us to wear our favorite shirt or pants without having to do a load of laundry or sink wash then dry while traveling.
Great tip! Thanks Andy 🙂
Thanks for the tips. I have long used nail polish to stop a run in stockings. Very useful.
Always a good one!
These are such unique tips! I love the toothpaste idea. Especially since I never seem to have shoe polish on hand anyways. lol
that’s true 🙂
The best clothing fix I found was for jeans where the fly kept unzipping on its own. I attached a key ring to the zipper pull, zipped the pants up, and looped the key ring over the button before buttoning the fly. It turned a source of embarrassment into my favorite pants!
Wow that’s a great idea! That happens to my favorite jeans, too. I’ll give it a try!
“The safety pin is a dancer’s best friend” is what I learned many years ago. I never leave the house without some, not just for traveling! They also come in handy in every day life.
I also regularly use nail polish for ripped stockings – whatever color I can grab first, which sometimes is glitter polish 🙂
Safety pins are such a worthwhile “just in case” item 😉