Latex clothing has become mainstream in the fashion scene – the smooth second-skin like look is bold yet beautiful. However, fashion is not only about the product itself. It is also a responsibility because wearing or owning a latex clothing piece means caring for and handling the latex with certain considerations. Latex is a delicate material, thus should be treated with special care to maintain its shine, character, and longevity. You may be an avid user of latex clothing, or you could just be starting to add pieces to your latex wardrobe, either way, learning how to handle latex clothing will assist you keeping your clothing in good quality for more years.
The Explaining of the Latex Material
Before discussing specifics regarding the care of latex clothing, it is important to understand the underlying properties of latex that makes it unique. Latex is a Natural Rubber material that adds luxurious shiny finish – typical latex clothing hugged the body and does have stretch. However, this means, latex is sensitive to specific things, such as; heat, oil, and animal life. Latex clothing is completely different than clothing made of regular material! If latex is not properly handled, it may begin to degrade. Properly caring about latex lingerie uk is crucial for preserving its finish and look.
Latex clothing is not solely about appearance. How it hugs the body , the sensations from the smooth finish, that you will get to feel once your start wearing it, how it will make you feel more confident in general. Maintaining the integrity and finish of latex is important for all of those reasons. By knowing a few simple guidelines for care will help you to maintain the integrity of your latex clothing, while still being and looking as soft, supple, and shiny as the day you bought the product.
Cleaning Your Latex Clothing
The first thing to understand about latex care is washing it: latex should never be thrown in a washing machine or dryer, as this will cause catastrophic damage. Hand washing is always the safest and best way to clean your latex.
When you wash your latex, fill a basin or sink with warm, running water. Do your best to avoid hot water—heat is dangerous for latex and will weaken it. Since you are now ready to wash your latex add a tiny bit of protective mild soap or specific latex wash and swish the water as you submerge your latex. You want to gently swish your latex but avoid scrubbing or twisting your latex, this could stretch or tear the latex.
When clean, rinse latex in running, clean, cool water to wash off soap. After cleaning, allow your latex to drain of excess water; try to shake it instead of twisting or wringing out latex. Dry it out of the sun and away from heat. Oh yes .. never use a hairdryer to speed up drying or hang your latex anywhere to dry—it will distort the shape.
Properly storing latex is equally essential to cleaning latex clothing. As much as you want to clean and care for it, the manner in which you store your latex is also necessary in preserving the latex fabric. Latex should always be stored away from heat, direct sunlight, and humidity, as all these elements contribute to the degradation of latex. When latex has been harmed by harmful elements, it will appear to have lost its elasticity. Latex subjected to UV rays (sunlight) can become discolored and weakened, whilst heat can cause latex to lose its form.
When preparing to store your latex clothing, it is recommended that you store your latex clothing in a dark cool location. Many enthusiasts of latex enjoy keeping their clothing hanging up in a dark closet using padded hangers to avoid creasing. However, if pulling or stretching is a concern when with a piece of leather garment or clothing, you can consider folding your latex flat upon itself and storing within a breathe-able garment bag.
Just like it is essential to avoid other materials with latex clothing, be mindful of anything that is metallic as well as oils. Contact with metal hardware (buckles or zippers), can stain or tarnish your latex. To alleviate any chance of staining with metals, if any of your latex has any metallic hardware, wrap the metal hardware in tissue paper or cloth to alleviate any unwanted direct contact with the latex.
Additionally, using a little bit of talc or talcum powder in between storage is another option, to dust your latex clothing. This will ensure that the latex does not stick to itself, preventing any tears due to sticking of material upon unfolding. A silicone-based lubricant designed for amazon latex clothing can assist as well if talc is not accessible.
Polishing your Latex Clothing
The high-gloss shine is one of the more appealing things about latex. Unfortunately, as latex gets older, it will lose its gloss shine and will become dull without the proper care. The solution to maintaining the sheen of your latex clothing is to use either latex polish or use something silicone-based as a lubricant.
Before polishing, ensure your latex is completely dry. Pour a small amount of polish into a soft cloth, and, using circular motions, rub the cloth onto the surface of the latex. Be careful not to use too much polish at once, as this can turn modular and leave a sticky residue. After you finish polishing, buff it with a clean cloth once you have polished the entire garment.
Polishing your latex clothing is a good thing you should ideally be doing regularly anyway, and it will help bring a nice shine to your clothing while also providing protection from drying out. The silicone in the latex polish helps to seal moisture and helps prevent cracking and keeps your latex pliable.
Avoiding Common Dangers
Latex is a strong material, but it is not indestructible. It does have a few common dangers to watch out for while you are wearing or handling latex clothing.
Oils and Lotions:
One of the latex’s biggest enemies is oil. Whether it is body oil, lotion, or even some types of makeup, oil will break down the rubber and cause it to deteriorate. Always check to make sure your skin is free from oils before putting on latex clothing, and while you are wearing latex clothing, avoid using oil-based products.
Sharp Objects:
Simply, latex will rip, so it is always good to be careful when handling latex clothing around sharp objects. Be mindful of your jewelry you are wearing, your fingernails, and even some zippers or fasteners as they can puncture or snag latex clothing. If you do get a small tear in a latex outfit, some latex repairs can be made using latex adhesives, however, larger rips may be challenging or impossible to repair.
Excessive Heat:
The pliability of latex also brings consideration for heat. You should never leave your latex clothing in a hot car, directly in the sun for extended time periods, or too close to radiators! Excessive heat does fundamentally ruin the material! Extreme heat may cause the material to curve, lose its elasticity, or, at its worst, melt. Metal Stains:
Metals (like copper or nickel) and latex do not get along nicely, and can more easily lead to the latex being stained. If your latex clothing has metal on it, be careful how you both treat the latex and store it! Metals can tarnish latex leading to stains that will be very difficult to remove.
Care Wear of Latex
Finally, wearing your latex clothing appropriately is one of the best ways to care for the item. Initially, putting a latex outfit on requires a little more attention than your standard clothes items. Inherently, latex is very snug fitting, and if you are too aggesive in putting on a latex item, you can create stress on seams and even tears.
When dressing in latex, you can also try to use a silicone-based lubricant or talcum powder to put on, and possibly set the latex on the inside. In managing to put on latex with oversight, take your time, there is no reason to yank or aggressively stretch the latex! While you wear these clothing’s it might prudently be sensless to be mindful of your motions when wearing latex clothing items. Excessively, the material will give quite amount of stretching with the normal movements of your body, once again specific points of pulling and twisting cause extra stress and tension. To spare you from all this strange worry about an item and bother, simply wear it with care.
By following these simple suggestions – such as washing and storing appropriately, polishing, and being cautious while wearing – you can ensure that your latex will look brand new. Not to mention, with the right maintenance that latex probably will continue to shimmer, stretch and awe for years to come!
Pauline Harley