Thread: Wait.... you can *wash* belly dance costumes?

Hello, All!

As I've been discovering Bhuz, I've read several posts in which others reference "washing" their bra and belt sets. I believe I even read somewhere where a dancer put her custom-made Bella in the washing machine. My first teacher always taught me that there's no way to wash a costume. She always said you can only replace the lining when it gets nasty.

Does anybody out there actually wash costumes by submerging them in water? What detergent do you use? Do you wash your good costumes? (I can't imagine putting my fabulous vintage Pharonics---a real prized possession--in the washing machine.) Very curious about this and about how costumes hold up.

There comes a time when lining changing is not enough.

Handwashing is usually safe but always test the beads and sequins in an "out of the way" area for color fastness. Some older glass beads with silver and gold inside them MAY be ruined by water.

I hand wash and dry flat in the hot sun when possible.

I figure it's better than letting dust, tobacco smoke, sweat and such stay as is.

I wash the bra of my bedlahs after every few performances unless they're only a dance or two. I fill a bucket with lukewarm water and add a few drops of wool wash. I swirl the bra around for a few minutes then rinse a few times and lay out flat to dry. I've done this with Pharaonics and Bellas, and while the Bellas didn't hold their shape perfectly, popping an orange or grapefruit into the cups while it dries helps. I've had a little of the gold come off sequins, but it's only noticeable in the water, not the costume itself.

Test the fabric, too. Some colors/fabrics have a tendency to run and fade when washed. If you do put a costume in the washing machine, use a lingerie bag or an old pillowcase to keep the fringe from tangling between pieces or getting caught in the machinery, and be prepared for the bag to change color if the dye runs or metal embellishments leach mysterious chemicals.

Definitely keep it away from the clothes dryer, unless you have a model that supports no-tumble drying on a rack with no heat.

Princess Farhana frequently publishes directions on how to wash beaded costumes. Essentially, the procedure comes down to:

Do a spot test first, to make sure the colors won't run.
Fill a bathtub half-full with cool water and a very mild detergent, like Woolite or baby shampoo or even a mild dish-washing soap.
Swish the costume gently for one minute.
Drain the tub, fill with clean water, and swish to rinse.
Repeat this rinsing process three or four times. Any soap residue left in the garment will put the natural deterioration process on fast-forward.
Remove costume from water and roll pieces separately in clean towels. Squeeze gently to absorb mositure.
Arrange the costume on a FLAT surface on top of a dry towel (not in direct sunlight!). On highly-embellished costumes, this may take up to a few days.
Your costume and fringe will now sparkle like new!
She also has an interesting approach to cleaning costume coins, rhinestones and crystals, kuchi jewelry or ethnic items from unknown metal alloys - toothpaste! She says it is less acidic and much less abrasive than jewelry polish, and will remove dirt and tarnish with removing the patina.

Her current advice is at http://www.princessfarhana.com/articles/costumes.htm

Wow. Thanks so much for the advice, everyone!

I'm so used to thinking of my costumes as precious treasures that I've never entertained the idea of washing them before. Up until now I've always sprayed them with a special spray called "Fresh Again" that's sort of like Febreeze for uniforms and other costumes that you can't wash.

Thanks again. I'm hoping to try your suggestions for handwashing on one of my older costumes (still too squeamish to dunk my Pharonix or Hanans in water though. Maybe one day when they get smelly enough.)

The advice on this thread is great. I think the biggest keys to success are rinsing very, very thoroughly and getting as much moisture out of the beadwork as quickly as possible.

I found a four-shelf fan-assisted drying station from Hamilton Beach for cheap at a discount store (Ross), and it's turned out to be really useful for costumes as well as everyday laundry. The effect is pretty much the same as draping the costume over a drying rack and aiming a fan at it, but this takes up a lot less space and allows easier reshaping of the items. It fits nicely on top of my washing machine. I wouldn't necessarily pay $45 for it as advertised here --
http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach...2354571&sr=1-1
-- but it seems like a real steal at under $20.

I've had holographic sequins curl up and lose their color from getting wet, and older bugle beads lose some of the metallic paint from the inside and therefore their shine from being washed. I would suggest spot testing before dunking. I'd be cautious with paillettes and metallic sequins, also.

I've washed bedlahs in the sink before with a little bit of laundry soap. After rinsing it out very well, I'd roll it up in a towel and put a little pressure on it so the towel can soak up a lot of the water. Then, I would change the towel and let it lay flat to dry.

Originally Posted by maurazebra

Princess Farhana frequently publishes directions on how to wash beaded costumes. Essentially, the procedure comes down to:

Do a spot test first, to make sure the colors won't run.
Fill a bathtub half-full with cool water and a very mild detergent, like Woolite or baby shampoo or even a mild dish-washing soap.
Swish the costume gently for one minute.
Drain the tub, fill with clean water, and swish to rinse.
Repeat this rinsing process three or four times. Any soap residue left in the garment will put the natural deterioration process on fast-forward.
Remove costume from water and roll pieces separately in clean towels. Squeeze gently to absorb mositure.
Arrange the costume on a FLAT surface on top of a dry towel (not in direct sunlight!). On highly-embellished costumes, this may take up to a few days.
Your costume and fringe will now sparkle like new!
She also has an interesting approach to cleaning costume coins, rhinestones and crystals, kuchi jewelry or ethnic items from unknown metal alloys - toothpaste! She says it is less acidic and much less abrasive than jewelry polish, and will remove dirt and tarnish with removing the patina.

Her current advice is at http://www.princessfarhana.com/articles/costumes.htm

This is exactly what I do and it works great! Of course after several times there will be some color loss on beads, sequins, etc, but its better than a stinky, dirty costume! If the lining or hem of skirt is particularly dirty, I will use a toothbrush to gently scrub, which usually gets out most of the grime. But you must be quick about it, don't want it to soak for too long...

hello moonlightbellydance

here is a link to bellylornas blog, she was my teacher here in scotland and is now a top dancer in cairo. she has written about washing costumes and so much more interesting stuff.

BellyLorna: The sparkle cycle!

Originally Posted by MoonlightBellydance

Hello, All!

As I've been discovering Bhuz, I've read several posts in which others reference "washing" their bra and belt sets. I believe I even read somewhere where a dancer put her custom-made Bella in the washing machine. My first teacher always taught me that there's no way to wash a costume. She always said you can only replace the lining when it gets nasty.

Does anybody out there actually wash costumes by submerging them in water? What detergent do you use? Do you wash your good costumes? (I can't imagine putting my fabulous vintage Pharonics---a real prized possession--in the washing machine.) Very curious about this and about how costumes hold up.

How are you guys washing elaborately decorated skirts? Are you putting your $300 Pharaonics Arabesque's in the washing machine or bathtub? Do you wash your skirt after every performance?

I have for years now bought undecorated skirts in many colors and made them interesting by layering different colors, tucking at the hip, etc. different tricks like that to give the impression of more pizzazz. With a bedlah, I can add felt linings and then rip those out when they're dirty, but you can't really wear anything under your skirts to absorb sweat. Not to mention their hems getting dragged across nasty floors. I have been washing these skirts after every performance, but like I said they're undecorated so it's not a problem.

This is probably borderline neurotic of me, but I HATE it when beads/sequins lose their colour due to washing (and they will - especially gold ones). Never-the-less, no one wants a stinky costume. So... here's what I do:

New costume? Build a felt liner. Tack stitch it onto the existing liner. Five uses? Throw it out, start again. Felt is cheap, so there's no point in washing the felt to reuse it.

Eventually the original liner will need attention. Soft bristle tooth-brush, and a 1/5 Woolite/water mix. Slowly, carefully scrub the liner with the tooth-brush. Painstaking and slow, but worth the effort. Wipe clean with a warm, wet cloth, and air dry.

What to do when the liner finally goes? Remove it, and using the same soft toothbrush technique carefully scrub the backside of the fabric. Be careful not to saturate the fabric too much - protect those beads and sequins! Wipe clean with a warm, damp cloth, and air dry. Replace the liner.

Extra work, but worth it if you want those beads and sequins to keep their shine!

i've done the swish-in-the-bath-tub with woolite and warm water. my gold bedlah was so dirty that the fringe loops were leaving marks on my light colored skirts so i had to wash the beads. i gently rubbed the bedlah with the tips of my fingers, then rinsed it under the running tub-faucet to get all the soap out.
normally after hand washing i wrap the garment into a towel, roll the towel and step on it to squeeze the water out before hanging to dry. i do this for my skirts, which only have sequins on the hems, but for the bedlah i just blotted-squeezed it, one hand on each side with the towel folded over the end. i would probably do the same as bedlah for a decorated skirt (like the lycra skirts with heavy clusters of beading and sequins)
i dried the bedlah on a sweater-rack with those little dryer-balls in the cups to help them keep their shape as they dried (these are great because you can position them where-ever you need for your shape, and they have those bumps all over, which keeps the air circulating as it dries) it was winter, so instead of putting it in the sun outside i put a window fan under it, blowing air through the costume to get it dry before it could mildew or anything.
it was SO MUCH BRIGHTER! it's really gold now, i didn't realize how coppery it looked until after it dried and noticed the difference. i won't be making a habit of it, but it worked out very well for me.
(i would be HORRIFIED to put one in the wash machine tho. it's too violent)

The worst thing that happened to me ... I washed a pearl encrusted, lime green, rusched chiffon Eman bedlah. As soon as that baby hit the water, the pearls began to flake the coating off the plastic beads which then became a dead white. They were a beautiful champagne color before that. Flakes of color went everywhere. I took off and replaced over 300 large pea sized plastic beads and replaced them with good swarovski glass pearls.

Another vote for the bathtub-swish method, but I only do it once a year or when things get really filthy. Febreze is my first line of defense, then replacing the lining.

Just in the last year, I've started dancing in a hookah bar. This is a whole new level of disgusting for costumes! The smell, the soot in the air, the black sooty floor... *shudder* I've gone to separate bra/belts and skirts to make it easier to clean things. I will wash even a heavily decorated skirt in the washer, in a pillowcase, with cold water and a little detergent.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Just in the last year, I've started dancing in a hookah bar. This is a whole new level of disgusting for costumes! The smell, the soot in the air, the black sooty floor... *shudder* .

Oh, ick! Lauren this sounds awful. I hope you are at least getting extra compensation! (But ladies, consider that secondhand hookah smoke causes increased risk of cancer & heart disease...might not be worth it...)

Just to chime in on the tail end of this thread: I have cold water hand-washed a costume but it was not one with holographic sequins (which already lose their color with just regular wear). I would only use cold water and woolite black (to prevent any color transference. And I wouldn't soak longer than 3 minutes.

About houkah bars... I danced for a while in several houkah bars. The damage to your costumes is horrific. The odors and colors are just "special." I'd recommend if you end up going this route, to get 1 or 2 dark, simple costumes (like a classic Sahar) that you can wear and wash whenever needed without worrying about pearls, beads, or sequins losing their color. Definitely not a place for the Pastel colored Pharaonics or a Bella.

Oh yesss, hookah bars are the worse... for sure.

Have to say ladies, even after all this concurrent advice, I am STILL scared to submerge them!