Can dry cleaning remove stains on my Prom dress?
January 4th, 2010 | by prom |
Valeria S asked:
I have this really pretty dress I want to wear to my Prom. The only thing is it was my sister’s dress but I’ve fallen in love with it. It looks like it has hot sauce stains or dr pepper not exactly sure lol. Would dry cleaning remove these stains? How much does it cost? What are some alternates to removing these stains?
5 Responses to “Can dry cleaning remove stains on my Prom dress?”
By lennie on Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
Before bringing it to the cleaner try this.
Place a clean cloth in back of the stain,take 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol and add 1 tablespoon of water . Now gently pour this onto the stain,(you don’t need to use it all) wait about 1/2 hour and then dab dry. put a clean cloth in the back again and rinse with clear water. This should do it.
if necessary use a few drops of dish detergent and clean the rest of the stain.
By Tamara9954 on Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
How long have the stains been there? They’re probably set in if it hasn’t been worn for a while. If they are yellow/brownish stains and the dress was kept in a plastic bag, they are probably moisture stains that pretty much won’t come out. If you are going to take it to a dry cleaner DO NOT pre treat the stain or work on it at all – you’ll just set it and make it more difficult to remove. My best advice is to take it to the dry cleaner, they can tell you if they think the stain will come out and how much it will cost. Dry cleaning is a lot cheaper than a new dress.
By ladiebug98 on Jan 10, 2010 | Reply
Absolutely DO NOT pretreat it. Depending on the material it’s made of..You could damage it.
Take it to the dry cleaner and have them spot treat it. They have So many different chemicals to treat it with.
By bevierg on Jan 12, 2010 | Reply
I would try oxi clean and wisk or tide. They usually get everything out
By JouJou73 on Jan 14, 2010 | Reply
Listen to the readers who tell you to keep your mitts off it and take it to the Dry Cleaners. Any stains should be ideallty treated after an event and not left to set for a long time. It will be harder not knowing what material it is, what colour it is (this is a big thing also) and what the stain is.
If the dress were white I would say to treat it in the bath with Martha Gardener’s Wool Mix and leave soak overnight then hang on a coat hanger over the bath until drip dried but you dont give any indication of the colour, the fabric and you dont know what the stain is. So, take it to the experts – they do this for a living. Whenever you wear a dress like that to a big event, take it to the dry cleaners for cleaning the day after. Make them aware of any spills and try to remember what the spills are. Treat any immediate spills with club soda and a cotton white cloth (new) or napkin etc. preferably at the function. Then the next day take the dress for proper treatment. Club soda gets out most stains including red wine if treated immediately. It is difficult once a stain has set. Once dry cleaned you can wear it again or if you do not think you will wear it for years, have the dry cleaners put it in a box with acid free tissue paper that will stop moisture stains from forming and the dress from yellowing (if white). Never leave plastic bags over your clothes. These cause moisture stains. Rather, get yourself a few garment bags in material (a breatheable fabric is best) and pop good dresses into these with a couple of cedar balls in the bottom of the bag – they dont stink like camphor balls and keep the moths away.