Hello everyone!

Who knew that Popov had a place in my life after college? I didn’t until I began running wardrobe backstage. Now I’m never without it at home or in my suitcase.

Vodka is primarily used in cleaning clothing quickly and cheaply. It’s safe to use on even the most delicate fabrics, making it great to avoid frequent dry cleaning (something that can be costly, take too much time, and ultimately limit the life of the garment because of nasty chemicals). It’s useful for shoes. It’s useful for the lining of bags. It’s great for cleaning the inside of hats. EVERYTHING.

No, but really. (Source unknown) 

 

Here are 5 reasons why cheap vodka is amazingly handy to keep around…

1. It disinfects. Alcohol of a high percentage is quite good at that. I put mine in a spray bottle and use it on everything – wool sweaters, dry clean only coats, hiking boots, you name it.
2. It removes odors, unlike Febreeze or something else that simply masks them. You may need to let the first attempt dry and then spray again, but it will work.
3. It evaporates quickly, making it useful for backstage and real life.
4. It doesn’t stain when applied, and can even remove stains in tricky materials (silk, wool, painted fabric, what have you). Apply to a clean rag and use light friction to ease the stain out. If you’re concerned, test it out on a small patch of the fabric first.
5. It’s easy to obtain in most countries and counties. If you can’t find vodka (or, say, you’re working somewhere where you can’t have drinkable alcohol without an alcohol permit), rubbing alcohol cut with water is a fine substitute if you can’t get the good stuff.

Need another person to vouch for vodka? Check out this post from my friend and wardrobe veteran Amy at Behind the Scenes Beauty.

Thanks for reading!