Costume Care Instructions
Costumes are to be gently laundered (BY HAND, in cold water with mild detergent and hung on a plastic hanger to dry) and should be taken care as if they are your own.
"DO NOT put the costumes in a washer or dryer"
Use a mild detergent such as: Woolite, Dreft or Ivory Snow (follow label directions for manufacturer's recommendation). Whatever detergent you choose be certain it does NOT contain bleach.
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Fill a sink or basin with cold water and a small amount of mild detergent, swirl water with your hand to make sure detergent is fully dissolved and mixed.
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Immerse fabric in water making sure it is completely covered with water.
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Gently swirl and squeeze the garment working the suds through the fabric do not pull, stretch or wring the fabric.
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If the garment has a stain gently use a sleeve or other area of that garment to rub out stain.
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To remove makeup from inside neckline, turn costume inside out, apply a small drop of mild soap to a soft tooth brush, and gently brush the make-up stains in a circular motion until completely gone.
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Let garment soak for 2-3 minutes.
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Lift the garment out of the water and gently squeeze excess water out of the garment, do not wring or twist it. Place on a dry towel to catch excess water.
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Drain water from the sink or basin, refill it with fresh water and swirl the garment around to rinse.
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Repeat steps 7 and 8 until there are no more suds in the water.
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After the final rinse lift the garment out of the water, gently squeeze excess water out of the garment.
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Lay the garment flat on a dry towel. Roll the towel and garment up (like a jelly roll) and gently press on towel to remove excess water. Repeat process on second dry towel if necessary.
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Hang garment on a plastic hanger if it won't stretch and let dry. If the garment does stretch place flat on dry towel, reshape and allow to dry.
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If the garment becomes wrinkled use a hand held steamer or hang in a bathroom (away from water) with the hot water running to create steam.
If you find it necessary to iron the garment do so on a low setting, place a buffer fabric (i.e. pressing cloth, pillow case or kitchen towel) over the garment. Costume fabrics will scorch if the iron is too hot. Be careful that the iron does NOT come in contact with the sequins or rhinestones, they will melt.
Having your costumes professionally dry cleaned is another option but you assume the risk if damaged.
When storing your costumes at home take them out of the garment bags and remove plastic to allow the fabric to breathe.
DO NOT use hair spray or other aerosols near your earrings, sequins or rhinestones; overtime it will damage the finish.
If a stain will not come out by using these methods, the costume becomes scorched, damaged, or if the fit has you concerned please contact Toni Kreitzer immediately, to schedule a time to look at the costume and figure out a solution (in other words don't wait until the last minute!!!).
