What worn items are trapped in your closet?

Do you have moth munched holes in your sweater — or stained handbags that can't be removed? Well it's time to bring those damaged items out of your closet and into rehab. Jennifer Sucov of Real Simple magazine shares helpful tips on how to repair your favorite items, and go over what we should toss out:

Repair to the Closet
We all have skeletons like these in our closets: a wine-stained blouse, a mangled sweater, a slashed handbag. They linger there in the dark for weeks, months, sometimes even years. The good news is that many of your old loved ones can be resurrected and worn again. The trick is knowing when it's worth the time, cost, and effort to revive them. Here, clothing-care experts, leather specialists, and shoe shamans weigh in to help you determine when particular wardrobe items—from snagged sweaters to stained totes—can be restored to good health and when you should resign yourself to giving them a proper burial.

Can you save your...Skirt with a slack elastic waist?

• If the elastic runs within a hemmed fabric casing, the fix is a cinch. It can be tightened or replaced by a seamstress for $20 or less.

• If the elastic band was created using elasticized thread, which is visible on the underside and tends to give out more easily, the time and the expense of replacing it may not be worthwhile. Fixing this kind of elastic waistband runs $45 on average and usually requires a special machine (though in some instances, a seamstress may be able to repair it by hand). "Even with more expensive clothing, it's typical that the elastic doesn't always have the same life expectancy of the garment itself," says Joseph Hallak Jr., owner of Hallak Cleaners and president of the National Cleaners Association, in New York City.

Either way, compare the original cost of the clothing with the cost of the repair to see which option makes the most sense.

ODDS OF REVIVAL: 50-50.

Moth-munched cardigan?

• A small hole in a sweater can be fixed, but you should deal with it immediately, says Jane Rising, manager of training at the International Fabricare Institute, in Laurel, Maryland. A tailor or a dry cleaner can take care of a tiny opening, especially if it's along a seam. (Be sure to bring the extra thread that came with the sweater, if you have it.)

• A large hole—the size of a pencil eraser or bigger—must be rewoven by a tailor, which can get pricey ($35 to $100 a hole).

• A pull in a sweater, meanwhile, is usually a snap to mend. Just thread the offending yarn through the eye of a needle, then push it through to the inside of the sweater.

ODDS OF REVIVAL: Very high.

Stained handbag or tote?

• With canvas totes, you can remove light dirt stains at home by rubbing the soiled area with a dry gum eraser. But don't spot-clean; it will leave a water ring. Heavier stains on fabric bags require professional hand cleaning by a handbag expert (as opposed to a dry cleaner, whose machinery can cause more harm than good). A handbag cleaner can remove some marks, including oil and lipstick, but ink is almost impossible to get out, says Chris Moore, owner of New York City's Artbag, which specializes in repairs and cleaning.

• With vinyl bags, washing with soap and water should do the trick.

• With suede and leather bags, take them to be cleaned by a handbag expert. It's worth noting that suede bags are more expensive to clean than leather ones because they take twice as long to recondition. Fees can run from $60 to $125 for leather and $100 to $175 for suede and fabric.

ODDS OF REVIVAL: Good.

Tip: Remove pills that crop up on knits with the prickly side of a piece of Velcro.

MORE FROM HOME & GARDEN

Home & Garden Section Front

Don't dump your old stuff — donate it! ConsumerMan: Clean clothes, stinky problem   One man’s trash is another man’s house   Simple ways to live green   High-tech homes of the future on display   Make your Thanksgiving table beautiful   Beware of hidden home dangers   How to trim your utility bills   Easy tricks to spruce up your kitchen   Easy solutions for stinky cleanups Home & Garden Section Front   Add Home & Garden headlines to your news reader: