Dress can't be washed or dry cleaned! What to do?

theoretica

Adding salt to the water can help reduce colour running.

Beenie

Colour catcher sheets are great. If the dress is truly unwearable then you've nothing to lose by a gentle machine wash.

I've bought things on ebay or charity shops and risked a machine wash. It works fine 90% of the time.

theoretica

If you machine wash it, be prepared to have beads that need resewing.

Why not get your daughter to handwash her own dress?

honeythewitch

I would either cut out the label and take it to the cleaners, or wash it in stone cold water.

YORKSHIRELASS

For me the question would be "how much would I be bothered if I washed it and the dress was ruined?".

I bought a floor length evening dress from fleabay for £30. After deciding to take my high heels off for dancing the bottom of the dress was filthy. I was prepared to lose the £30 I paid for the dress if I ruined it so put it in the wash on delicates. It was fine but one or two of the marks on the hem didnt come out, only noticeable on close inspection though.

I think as you say probably the biggest issue here is about the possibility of the colours running.

Spendless

honeythewitch wrote: »

I would either cut out the label and take it to the cleaners, or wash it in stone cold water.

It's some years ago now, but when I married, during alterations the label on my wedding dress had been removed by the shop I bought it from. I married abroad and had a Church blessing at home a few weeks later, so wanted to wear the dress again. The dry cleaners refused to clean the dress without the label, but said they would do it, if I found out what sort of material it was due to it being my wedding dress and needed. I was able to provide this by contacting the bridal shop where I bought it. They dry cleaners cleaned it, but the lacy bit at the front went white, and a different shade to the rest of the dress. It was noticeable to me and my Mum, but not so much to the other guests who looked at the gown as a 'whole'.

Several years on, and I wanted to use the gown again. This time to cut off the train to turn into a Christening robe for DD. It was dirty once more, from the blessing and I'd never tried to have it cleaned again. This time I took the view that even if I could persuade another dry cleaners to clean once more, it had cost £50 the first time and for that I could buy DD a robe, so I stuck it in a pillow case on a cool wash. It came out fine.

rosie383

What do colour catcher sheets actually do? Do they grab molecules of dye that are floating around in the water?

And if I do decide to risk it, do the colour catchers go inside the pillow case?

Tigsteroonie

I don't know how they work, but I know that I can put dark and white items in the same wash with 2 colour-catcher sheets and the whites will stay white - the sheets go dark grey. It is a mystery to me!

I buy the Dylon brand, I've never tried cheaper versions.

lily117

I use the cheaper colour catchers from Savers, 20 sheets for £1 and I've even cut them in half if colours I'm washing aren't too dark.

lisa110rry

Rosie, it's Sunday, how did it go?