As the owner of character costumes, you understand just how important upkeep and cleanliness really is to the overall look. In fact, if you don’t invest the necessary time and money into standard cleanings, you could eventually even impact the overall lifespan of your costume. You need to make sure you provide your costume with the proper maintenance and care that it deserves, so that it not only looks great, but feels great every single time you put it on.
Here are 5 amazing cleaning tips that you can keep in mind to ensure you have a spotless and beautiful costume for years to come.
Disinfect Where You Touch
When you own character costumes, you often end up spending quite a bit of time using them, and to make sure they stay sanitary, you’ll need to invest some serious cleaning time to the areas that you touch the most. This will include areas such as the hands, feet, head, and mouth of the costume. There are many different spray disinfectants which will be sure to do the job, but if an awkward smell still lingers even after you’ve cleaned it, you may want to try adding a few dryer sheets to the costume to absorb those unwanted odours.
Do Not Dry Clean
While it may seem like the perfect, easy solution to a stained costume, the process that they use in dry cleaners can actually completely destroy your costume. Chemicals and intense heat are used to remove the stains and leave a fresh look and smell to the clothes they clean, which is perfectly fine for standard clothing, but incredibly damaging to the materials used in costumes. In fact, choosing to use this method of cleaning will only lead to you having to spend hundreds on repairs, if you don’t have to buy a completely new costume altogether.
Machine Wash Fabric Parts
If your costume has easily removable and flexible parts, taking advantage of washing machines is definitely a great option. Things such as gloves, shirts and pants, jumpsuits, and other fabric features of your costume can go into the machine with cold water and a mild detergent. Place the spin on a gentle cycle and let it go. This will help ensure that these parts of your costume are thoroughly cleaned so that you can look great each and every time you go out.
Spot Clean Foam Pieces
Just like the fabric parts of your character costumes, the foam pieces on your suit will also need to be thoroughly cleaned. However, to ensure you don’t end up causing extensive damage, spot cleaning is the most preferable method. Use warm water and a mild detergent to create a solution that’s both effective and safe for the materials. Then, using a bristle brush, lightly scrub away at any stains you might see. You’ll probably want to engage in this cleaning step, either outside or in a garage or basement, as an excessive amount of water will fall through the costume. If you have a wet vacuum cleaner on hand, it’s a great way to take care of the mess once you’re finished.
Be Patient and Air Dry
The fabrics and materials used in creating character costumes are often extremely delicate, and while you may be in a bit of a rush sometimes, the best drying option will always be to hang them out to air dry. Throwing in a machine dryer can quickly result in shrinkage or even colour fading. Stay on the safe side and let a light breeze be your answer for easy drying, after a nice wash.
