Since this is a pretty often asked question of late, I thought it would be a good idea to consolidate all the information in one thread. We have ring around ye collar here (http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php/topic,24530.0.html) and dusty bunny killers here (http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php/topic,24553.0.html).
Also, for dusty velvet hats, an old hair brush works really well. Just brush the velvet pile all in the same direction.
Any other tips?
When it comes to my outer Noble Garments, I hand wash them in my bath tub in warm water and 1/4 cup of AMWAYs L.O.C (Liquid Organic Cleaner). The mud and dust come right out with a good wash and rinse. I hang my garb out on a line with a good breeze, and my garb is clean and needs no ironing.
My Corset and other undergarments are Gently washed and hung dry. Bloomers and stockings get put in the regular wash and thrown in the dryer. For stains, I pre soak chemises and shirts with either Biz and hot water, or spray Shout and let set for a bit before I Gentle cycle wash them.
For my hats, I take a clean washcloth or a L.O.C wet wipe and do a good go over. For other bodices, wipe down with a wet wipe until I can wash them in the tub. All leather stuff is cleaned by hand witha damp cloth and L.O.C.
The care and cleaning of garb is never ending when it comes to festival time.
For my faerie wings I use a vacuum hose on the bodice (they are attached) then take them outside and spray the wings with the hose. (only do this if they are waterproof!!)
I Lysol everything as soon as possible! Spot cleaning in various forms is next. Bath tub wash after that. Machine wash those things I made to go in there.
Underthings, like bloomers and cotton farthingales (hoops removed)--wash gentle cycle with Dreft. hang dry.
Chemises, blouses and cotton partlets- Anything that comes in contact with your body-hand wash or wash gentle cycle with Dreft-hang dry.
Outer noble garb should not actually touch your skin-that's what undergarments are for. They should rarely need cleaning.
They are usually made from heavy upholstery fabrics, velvets (including velveteen), silks, expensive trims and pearls/beading. After wear- shake, air out, Fabreeze if needed and brush the dust off. In most cases regular mud will brush off after it drys.
Same goes for expensive bodices in exotic fabrics and trims, like Moresca.
Spot clean with Dryell if needed, avoid water if at all possible: You may dry clean if you trust your Cleaner-Only (very carefully) launder as a last resort; preferably by hand.
Water may not harm the fabric (my dress has been soaked in the rain more than once) but it DOES spread dirt around, if the fabric is a light color. if there is dirt/dust imbedded in the fabric-it will turn to ick.
If you've dealt with rain spots on silk you know what I'm talking about.
Leather should be carefully spot cleaned, or professionally cleaned only as needed.
Peasant garb in cotton or cotton blends can be washed/dried like street clothes. IMHO slightly faded colors look better on layering skirts and plain single color bodices.
Some manufacturers of the cheap garb will have 'dry clean' labels in them-this is more about inferior make and fabrics than necessity. Cotton and poly blends should be washed if they are worn next to the skin.
I agree with most of these folks. At the major theme parks one of the cleaners we used on wardrobe that could not be easily cleaned on a regular basis was an alcohol solution. Most isopropyl is about 70% (which is fine, but 90% is better if you can find it) which is mixed with water. You should mix a 2/3 alcohol to 1/3 water. It goes without saying that you should always spot test any solution before spraying down your outerwear.
I keep this in a spay bottle in my bin and spray down the outter items as soon as I take them off. Depending on the day you might be able to do this every other day if you are working cast on a run working weekend shows. If you are only working one day or visiting for a day, or if the day was particularly perspirationous then be sure it gets a treatment. Be sure to get the inside and outside and let it hang dry afterwards. Never put away your garb after wearing it without a cleaning.
Quote from: Dinobabe on June 08, 2015, 09:33:47 PM
I Lysol everything as soon as possible! Spot cleaning in various forms is next.
Quote from: Rowan MacD on June 09, 2015, 01:36:51 PM
Outer noble garb should not actually touch your skin-that's what undergarments are for. They should rarely need cleaning.
I was adviced to try hair shampoo and a toothbrush on difficult stains on skirt hems. And it worked quite well. Just don't rub too hard if you're not sure how colourproof the fabric is, or if the fabric is a bit delicate. And rinse well!
Any tips for cleaning the red dust out of white chemises when visiting the Minnesota Renaissance Festival?
The grounds are on red rock that they mine for baseball diamonds and such, and well, I swear it dyes linen!
Quote from: Naween on July 26, 2016, 12:33:53 PM
Any tips for cleaning the red dust out of white chemises when visiting the Minnesota Renaissance Festival?
The grounds are on red rock that they mine for baseball diamonds and such, and well, I swear it dyes linen!
Are you sure it is the dust and maybe not sunscreen? Sunscreen has a chemical in it that causes the 'rust' also.
All my Noble garb gets hand washed in the tub, warm water, cold rinse, with a few capfuls of AMWAY L.O.C. That is right. Liquid Organic Cleaner. Dirt and dust melt right off fabrics. I make sureI rinse off things well before hanging out on the line. The skirts are all wrinkly, but whe wind irons them out nicely.
I wash my Farthingale the same way. I leave in the hoop steel because itmis sized where I like it. The dirt comes right off with a gentle hand cleaning and thorough rinsing. Hang it out on the line with a sturdy a clippie hangar and dried within a few hours. No need to reset the hoops.
It was extremely muddy this past weekend at the MI Ren Fest, and the bottom of my wife's dress was caked in mud. I was kind of worried about it since it has a delicate filigree trim with some ornamental beads. The mud was absolutely caked on, but I followed Lady Kathleen's advice and it worked great. I soaked the skirts in the tub with some warm water and a little bit of All Free and Clear detergent, as I didn't have the organic cleaner. It took several soakings and a final rinse, but the dress looks brand new now.