I don’t have many absolute requirements, but there are two things I’m very strict about – I won’t microwave any type of plastic container, and I never let my family wear new clothes before washing them. But what about a Halloween costume? We have a lot of costumes in the house, from a sparkly tulle witch dress to a padded Stay Puft Marshmallow Man toddler jumpsuit, but I don’t think I’ve ever washed one. Should you wash your new Halloween costume from the packaging? What if your child insists on wearing a Black Panther costume over and over again before the holidays and you need to get the ketchup, mud stains, and toothpaste out of your clothes before trick-or-treating?
Where is the laundry witch when you need her?
Part of me feels like obviously you don’t need to do this, especially in packaged clothing, because no one has the chance to try it on, touch it, or have it really “contaminated” in any way. But another part of me can’t quite wrap my head around slipping into a brand new piece of clothing off the rack. I think it’s the material that confuses me: How on earth do you wash a polyester costume with Spider-Man muscle padding?
But really, it’s just a matter of personal preference. Wendy Saladyga, Fabric Care Specialist and Technical Performance Manager at Henkel Persil, told me that since so many people (especially children) wear clothes underneath their garments, you can easily skip the pre-wash stage . Saladiga warns that if the garment will be in direct contact with your skin, you may want to follow the garment’s washing instructions and check those instructions carefully, as not all garments are machine washable.
If this is a garment made of synthetic materials, you real Clothing tags need to be checked. “To clean delicate synthetic garments, I recommend turning them inside out and washing them in cold water on a gentle cycle,” says Salatiga. “Air drying is the best option for synthetic garments. Tumble drying fabrics can cause friction and damage the decorations on the garment. Laying them flat to dry is the best method.
Now, what if you wore this costume before Halloween, or want to re-wear it and need some stains removed? Salatiga recommends “pretreating the stain directly with a small amount of enzyme detergent and letting it sit for five minutes before washing.” Persil Original Everyday Clean is a good option, but be sure to check stain removal before drying. If you throw a stain in the dryer without it being completely removed, the heat from the dryer will further set the stain.
Halloween also comes with certain stains, and whether your costume is a synthetic costume made from plastic bags or a homemade costume made from items found in your dresser drawer, you’ll need to know how to remove these specific trick-or-treat stains. ” stains. Those stains are a sign of better times, but they can’t last forever, right?
Saladiga recommends removing sticky lollipop chips and chocolate stains from clothing with a blunt tool to remove excess residue, then “rinsing with cold water and pre-treating with a small amount of stain-resistant cleaner.” If For grass and mud stains, rinse with cold water, scrub gently with liquid detergent, and wash as usual.
For Halloween makeup stains, Saladiga says you want to try to gently scrub as much of the makeup off the fabric as possible, then rinse with cold, warm water to remove any unsettled makeup. Pretreat with pretreater or liquid detergent, let sit for five minutes, then wash. For oily makeup – you know, like clown paint or face paint that turns you into Elphaba evil — Soak stains in a water-based detergent solution before cleaning.
But let’s be honest, Halloween is not a good time to do laundry. Whether you use your own pieces from the closet to complete the look or pick something from the Target aisle, Halloween costumes are worth enjoying. Let the kids wear those Star Wars clothing and Bluey Jumpsuits and witch gowns until they’re ripped and frayed… then gently pop them in the washing machine and start over.
