Update & How to Get Mildew Off of Your Bags/Shoes/Etc.

Good morning everyone! I'm finally caught up enough to do a blog post. I went to Imagine Music Festival in Atlanta this past weekend, way too much fun! There was a 50%-60% chance of rain both nights but lucky for us, it only seemed to rain when we were in our hotel room.

I update my "About" section and added some new buttons, so be sure to check those out because they look super cool. I got them here, it's a great website I discovered yesterday that will cover all of your icon needs. Some free, some not, but you can sort by "free" or "premium" or "all". I also updated my blog header finally but I'm not sure how I feel about it so that might be changing again soon.

I was getting my bags out of John's closet so that I could pack, and to my surprise some of them had mildew/mold on them! Some of my shoes too! Gross. I wasn't too distraught until I saw that it was on some expensive-ish pairs of shoes and my backpack for school. Here's what I did:

You need:
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
Suede brush (I didn't have one so I used an old toothbrush that I cleaned)
Petroleum jelly
Lint free cloth (I used a sponge because I didn't have that either)
Suede brush (preferable but optional)
Dryer sheet (optional)

1. Take bags and shoes outside and gently rub the moldy spots with the suede brush (tooth brush) just to get the initial nastiness off.
2. Work petroleum jelly into spots in firm, circular motions. Note: I did not use petroleum jelly on my suede shoes. Just the water/vinegar mixture (see below).
3. Mix water and vinegar in a bowl. I found that 1/2 cups of each were a bit too much, but you may need more or less depending on how many things you are cleaning. Just make sure it's 1/2 and 1/2.
4. Dip cloth or sponge in mixture and dab on petroleum jelly areas, or just the mildew areas in the case of suede.
5. Let dry naturally, outside is preferable if the weather permits it.
6. If your garments smell, rub them with a dryer sheet.

It would be ideal if you have a suede brush to get the fabric back to its original state. I don't have one so I just made sure I was extra careful when cleaning the suede and lightly brushed over it with a toothbrush once it was dry. Lucky for me the spores weren't too deep so I didn't have to work that hard to get them out.

Well I hope that never happens to you so that you'll never have to use these tips, but they're here if you need 'em.

Also, happy September!

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What have you all been up to?