Thread: Getting shoe prints off a silk veil?

Help! Someone stepped on my light colored veil, probably when I dropped it after my entrance. There are about 3-4 full and partial shoe prints, but it's not clear if it's dirt or if it's from the black rubber of the shoe tread. Any tips as to how to get these out without ruining the veil? Can you use the usual veil washing techniques? I'm afraid of setting the marks by accident

ACK!!!

If it's an oily stain (likely if you were dancing at a restaurant) you might have luck using Dawn dish detergent applied directly to the stains but don't scrub!!! Jesennia might have some ideas since she works with silk but I've done this on the inevitable lip gloss/lip stick stain on one of my veils and it lightened the marks quite a bit. After treating the stains with Dawn I hand washed the veil in lukewarm water and rinsed with cold, then air dried.

It might be a good idea to test a corner of your veil in case there are color changes.

If the stain is still there dying it a darker or marbled color might be a good fix. I've had to do that too....my favorite yellow/gray variegated was in my purse (yep, my purse....always have zills/veil/costume part with me, lol) and the cap came off the tip of my felt tip calligraphy pen. The resulting black blotches wouldn't budge so that veil got dyed black. Turned out rather pretty!

Silk is a very durable and washable fabric, so washing won't hurt the silk itself. The question is whether the dye is washable and whether the footprint will come out.

If the veil is a solid light color and was dyed with fiber reactive dyes you could probably just toss it in the washing machine with warm or even hot water.

If it was dyed with silk acid dyes, the washability will vary from color to color, but it should stand up to a gentle hand washing in the sink with cold water. I wash my own silk items with whatever is handy -- laundry detergent, woolite, bar of soap, shampoo, whatever.

The only thing that is an absolute no-no is chlorine bleach. Chlorine bleach breaks down silk fibers and will cause the fabric to literally fall into pieces, or tear at the slightest touch. So no bleach or laundry products that contain bleach.

It is normal for there to be some unincororated dye that comes out during the washing. It doesn't mean that all your color is washing away.

Thanks for all the advice! Since I realized the dance studio floor is fairly dirty (things you learn with a light-colored veil), I'm going to wait to wash it until right before the next time I need it. Will keep you updated!