Getting rid of stains on the smell of an oily rag is Julie Roper’s thing.
Mrs Roper has been removing blemishes from clothing donated to the SPCA Op Shop in Washdyke since it was opened in October last year.
She said some clothes arrived in a pristine condition, all neatly folded, however there was a portion which needed work before they could be sold.
‘‘Especially menswear, men wear their clothes to death’’.
For most stains she used white vinegar and baking soda mixed into a paste, which she would apply to the mark.
The paste worked on everything from pesky sweat stains all the way through to rejuvenating brass and silver jewellery.
She said for the donations which arrived smelling of tobacco or other odours, she put the clothes on a heavy wash and instead of using liquid softener she poured in some disinfectant.
It did not have to be a pricey brand, as Mrs Roper said the store used cleaning products in the Pams brand which did ‘‘wonders’’.
She said not all clothes could be restored to their former glory, especially the items with holes in them.
However, not many donations had to be discarded.
When in a condition which could not be easily resold, towels, sheets, face clothes and bedding were used by the organisation in kennels nationwide.
With many boxes of clothes to be processed and brought into the store, the only thing they were in short supply of were volunteers.
In weekends they had no volunteers at all, which meant — while the shop was open — there were many things which would not be able to be done.
Mrs Roper said despite some of the clothing having Max or Veronika Maine labels the shop would not be raising prices as they not only wanted to help the animals nationwide, but struggling families too.
