So I bought a beautiful, expensive, little black dress online and was in such a rush to see how it fit, that I quickly put it over my head. I never owned the famous "LBD", so I was excited to be able to finally fit into one and look cute after struggling with weight issues and never being able to wear dresses. It fit, luckily, but as I scanned further down, to my dismay, there were 3 patches of white around the thigh area! At first, I thought it was just dust from the packaging, but when it didn't come out and I put the fabric by my nose wondering if it could possibly be deodorant, I noticed the smell matched my own deodorant. I panicked and put some water on the spots, thinking the water would dissolve it, but the spots were still there this morning. I hate to have to spend on drycleaning plus the hemming the dress will obviously need, and I am worried that if I put it in the washer, it will fade and turn greyish. It is made out of black stretch polyester with lycra if that helps. I was considering trying a wet paper towel, but worried that the white lint left behind would make things worse. Has this ever happened to anyone? And if so, how did you fix the stains?
As other mother's have said, take a damp, old cloth and dab at the stains. I had to this to a poly/lycra tank Friday night and the stains were gone instantly.
I deal in used clothing for a living. Here's what we do -
Take an old piece of pantyhose that's otherwise unusable. Put a credit card inside of it, like a foot inside a sock. Take the thin edge of the card (while inside the hose) and scrape it against the fabric. With this action it will disappear/flake off the fabric. The only thing to be careful about is whether the fabric may abrade with this kind of pressure/scraping, but polyester is notoriously durable.
I'm not sure if you've tried or if it will work on that type of fabric but years ago I was told to rub out deodorant marks by rubbing the fabric together. Basically, using the same piece of clothing and wipe/rub it as if you were using a damp cloth (but dry not wet). It has always worked for me.
Try rubbing the fabric together where the deodorant is showing. It's an old trick that often works.
My mom always takes a hair dryer to them and they go away!
I don't think you need to worry at all about the stains being permanent. I would start by brushing the stains gently with a dry cloth (not a paper towel, because it will shed); if you have a dark cloth, all the better, because cloth can also leave lint. Next, dampen the cloth lightly and blot at the stain. Don't get rough or you can pill the fabric. For washing the dress, be sure to read the care label! Polyester lycra takes a long time to fade. If you do put it in the machine, gently daub some diluted detergent on the stains first. Turn it inside out and place in a mesh laundry bag, set the machine for gentle, use cold water and mild detergent. Hang dry or dry flat, since heat can set any residual stains. I have read that lycra actually benefits from occasional visits to the dryer; but again, check your care label. Enjoy your dress!
Put a sock inside out on your hand and rub the stain. It works everytime I do it. I've never tried using water first, but I'm sure it will still work. I always use my husbands socks - they are a little thicker than mine.
So easy, I've had to do it more times than I care to admit - I haven't found a fabric yet that it doesn't work for.
Oh N., this happens all the time. Take the dress to the dry cleaner and you will have your LBD to wear for years to come. Be sure to tell the dry cleaner what you did to try to get stains out and point out the stains so hey can mark them. Also, Note To Self, LBD first - then deodorant. Takr to the Dry Cleaners immediately before the stain sets and ruins dress.
Damp washcloth. Make sure it's an old one so it doesn't leave lint behind.
I always use a damp washcloth to get the stuff off. This always worked on a t-shirt, dress, etc. Just be sure to use a cloth that does not leave lint.
