<p>My D has a beautiful dress that the care label says: Do not dry clean or wash. Spot clean only with cold water and mild soap. Do not iron.
I should have read the label before she bought it, but it is to late for that now as it has been worn.
It is 100% silk that is crepe like in feel with lots of small beads. The crepe chiffonish overskirt has some food grease stains.
Any suggestions for getting the stains out?
Thanks</p>
<p>I did a bit of internet research and it looks like your best bet would be to spot clean with a very mild soap (no enzymes, no bleach) using as little water as possible. The water should be lukewarm; neither hot nor cold. The longer the food is left on the more susceptible the fabric is to damage. That goes for perspiration damage as well.</p>
<p>Sounds like a prom dress that got something spilled, which is much like what happened my senior prom to a friend. She had a chiffon dress that was yellow that had gotten something brown-ish on it, and we noticed it about a week after prom. Oops. However, we just winged it and this actually worked extremely well:
Use a very mild soap and warm water and let the area soak for 5-10min. We rubbed it a bit with our fingers and lightly scratched at it just to cover all of the fibers. Then, we took laundry detergent and pretty much washed that little spot by hand. Just make sure to be VERY gentle to not stretch the fabric. Then, dry it on a low-heat (not cool, but not anymore than half way on the heat setting) so it revives its natural size and shape.
Steam cleaning is another possibility, and I know dry cleaners will do this for a small price. </p>
<p>On a side note, a friend who is a tailor told me that dresses like this respond very well to detergents, as long as they are not the kind with bleach in them (it will take out the coloring of man-made materials). The only reason it says not to wash the dress is because the material can be easily torn/mangled in washers, since washers are very harsh on clothes. That, and the dryer heat will kill the dress. The heat will take off most embellishments, as will dry cleaning, because the beads/sequins/etc etc etc are often delicately sewed or glued on so they are simple and don’t distract from their effect on the dress.
My best suggestion is take it to a professional cleaners. They’ll be able to spot clean and shouldn’t cost you more than $10, which is nothing on a $100+ dress.</p>