Giving your loved ones burlesque costumes is a better way of rewarding them and making them happy. For children, dress costumes are symbols of emotion and happiness. But do you know how you can prolong the longevity of your burlesque costumes? Well, if you don’t, the first step is to clean and store them well. Most burlesque costumes online shops stock attract all kinds of stains; sweat, dust, fake (or real) blood stains, food particles, gum, make-up stains, markers and so on. Unlike normal clothes, most of these outfits need extra care when cleaning and storing them.
Here are a few rules that need to be followed for proper cleaning and storage of costumes.
1. Hand-washing
Burlesque costumes with rhinestones and sequins do well with hand washing. The rule of thumb here is to use a rather gentle detergent and super cold water. This keeps the dye from bleeding. If you have a mesh garment bag, turn the outfit inside out and place it in there after drying it out in the sun.
2. Spot cleaning
Sometimes, certain areas of the costume have stubborn stains that need extra cleaning. These include heavy perspiration areas such as underarms. You can clean the spots using a homemade solution and a wash cloth or a cotton swab. Mix one part of dishwashing liquid and one part hydrogen peroxide, use the cotton swab to apply the solution on the spot, and finally rinse the dress with cold water.
3. Machine wash
Burlesque costumes made from nylon, polyester and acrylic can be machine washed. Be sure to use a cold setting and feel free to add bleach to white garments. Hang the garments to dry when you are done washing.
4. Dry cleaning
Check the special instructions on the tag behind the costume. If it says “dry clean only”, you may want to void handwashing or machine washing it to avoid running and further damage. In most cases, costumes made from rayon, pleather, wool, and velvet fall in this category.
5. Ironing
Avoid ironing your costumes as contact with hot iron may utterly damage them. Use a garment steamer instead or better still, hang the garment and let the wrinkles drape out on their own.
6. Storage
Store your costumes in a garment bag, sealed container or an old pillow case. Ensure the place is dry and cool. To keep the costume fresh, utilize cedar and moth balls.
Clearly, cleaning and storage of Burlesque costumes is not rocket science. Once you know the right cleaning method for the specific outfit, you can double or even triple its longevity!
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