How To Care For Your Ties

 Preserving the life of your tie may seem like a simple task but proper tie care is a little more difficult than it sounds. Ties should not be stored in a ball in the back of your dresser drawer nor should they be just slung over a hanger in your closet.  After a long day you just want to come home and relax.  It is so easy to just take that tie off quickly and toss it to the side, however caring for your tie when taking it off is just as important as caring for it while you wear it.  You should be cautious when removing your tie so that you avoid damage.  When removing your tie you should follow a few basic steps.  In short you should un-tie your tie in the reverse process that you tied it on.  The following steps will help you to keep your ties looking good for many years to come. Storing Your Neck Ties The way you store your tie at home is very important.  The first thing we will discuss is the proper way to keep your ties.  The fabric of your tie is not important when it comes to how you store them.  All ties are delicate and should be hung up when not being worn.  Keeping your ties hung up allows any wrinkles or creases to fall out of them.  More importantly keeping your ties hung in your closet away from sunlight will keep the colors of your tie from fading.  Most of your department stores keep inexpensive tie hangers in stock.  Purchasing one of these will save you money on tie replacement in the future.  For those of you who travel a lot there are certain ways to pack your ties.  You should fold your tie into fours and place it inside a shoe or even a coat pocket.  If you are especially cautious you can purchase special cases that are designed specifically to store ties in luggage. Avoiding Wrinkles On Your Tie Even with the proper storage your tie will inevitably get wrinkled at some point.  Many wrinkles are a sign of age.  Ties that are worn a lot are more likely to stay wrinkled specifically at the knot region.  The first way to eliminate wrinkles is to not wear the same tie day after day.  For getting our wrinkles the best thing to use is steam. The simple way to do this is to keep your tie in the bathroom with you while you shower.  If this is not sufficient you can also use a handheld steamer.  Handheld steamers are relatively inexpensive and are excellent for travelers. Removing Tie Stains Stains and ties are a volatile combination.  In more cases than not a tie stain means a tie replacement.  Of course the first step to stain maintenance is to be cautious but as with anything accidents are prone to happen.  Using a tie tack will keep your tie secured to your shirt and out of your dinner plate.  Even with the use of a tie tack you are not completely protected from stain.  Thanks to gravity you can pretty much count on food falling at some point.  The important thing to remember is that when this happens you must act quickly.  Blot the stain with cold water to prevent it from setting in.  For stains that are oil or grease based water alone will not work.  In this case you should apply talcum powder to the grease as soon as able.  Talcum powder will absorb the grease from the tie.  Stains can be pesky and there will be times where cold water or talcum powder will not work.  If this is the case you do not need to sacrifice your favorite tie to the waste bin yet.  Tie cleaning services are available.  Before a visit to these services it is important that you research their cleaning process and make sure that your tie will be properly taken care of. Ties are the icing on the cake for anyone looking to add sophistication and professionalism to their look.  Adding a tie to your outfit also allows you to change the appearance of your shirts.  That same old shirt can look a multiple of different ways with each new tie you pair with it.  For all the things your ties can do for you, do them a favor in return.  Keep your ties with care.