How to Take Care of Your Neckties

Last updated on December 14, 2015

Neckties are an irreplaceable part of suits and are hence, very important to the image one wishes to project. Not taking care of your precious neckties should be considered a sin. With a few helpful tips, you can make your neckties last longer and don’t lose their grace.

Wearing a good suit projects success, respect and style in equal measure. Apart from the obvious reason of making men look good, suits and by extension, neckties demand respect because they make you feel confident by elevating your attire to the next level.

Taking care of your solid color neckties that you invested in or received as a gift from someone special is a bit you must do.

Tips and Tricks

1. Untie Properly

Pulling the small end through the knot to untie the tie will leave lasting creases. Reverse the steps used to tie the tie to avoid that. Don’t just rip it off when you get home. Leaving it knotted will also leave permanent creases. Once it is untied, hang it somewhere properly instead of stuffing it in a drawer.

2. Necktie Storage

Hanging neckties in a tie rack is very important for your delicate neckties, especially silk, which tend to fade over time. Neckties are expensive and investing in a tie rack will preserve their essence. Remember, a chair is no place to hang a tie. It is important to hang it properly because it allows the necktie to unravel on its own. For travelling, roll your neckties gently and keep them in a travelling case. Keeping them in your shoes would do too.

3. Remove Wrinkles

Hold the narrow end of your necktie with your thumb and start wrapping it around your hand; it should do the trick of removing wrinkles. Avoid ironing because you don’t want the solid color of your necktie to fade. Using steam to remove wrinkles is the way to go, just hang it while taking a bath and the steam from the shower should do the trick.

4. Treat Stains

How to ruin a necktie in one step? Stain it. Unconsciously, you might spill food or beverages on your necktie, but do not panic. Spot treat it by using cold water to blot the stain. If the stain is greasy, apply talcum powder or baking soda as they will absorb the grease and make it easier to get it cleaned later. Spot cleaning with lemon juice and vinegar have been proved to be effective methods for stain removal. Suppress the temptation of using stain-removers as they will only make things worse especially for your solid color neckties.

Do’s

1. Blot the stain instead of scrubbing it.
2. Get your precious solid colored neckties dry cleaned rather than washing them at home.
3. Use a tie tack to keep it out of food.

Don’ts

1. Do not tie your knots too tight.
2. Do not put your necktie in the washer, it’s not a shirt.
3. Do not use it as a bib, no matter how tempted you are to remove that food crumbs from your suit.

By taking proper care, your neckties will last you a long time saving you both money and time. Simply put, treat a necktie as you would a girlfriend. Gently, and with love. If you do that, she might just end up staying forever.