Cleaning

• Dry clean as little as possible. The chemicals are harsh on the costume material. If dry cleaning, check care instructions and avoid dry cleaning costumes with rhinestones as heat will damage them.
• Clean armpit area with a mix of water and alcohol; use clear deodorant to avoid stains.
• Some fabrics can be washed on cold setting, a lingerie bag will definitely be useful. Use cold wash for synthetics, permanent press and cotton.
• Lycra, spandex, tulle, wool, silk and anything with sequins should be washed or cleaned by hand. For tutus, hand wash just the panty part.

Drying

• Some fabrics can be dried in the dryer on low heat;
• Others should be towel dried: take a towel with the garment, hand roll it while squeezing water out. Then lay flat costume on a dry towel.
• Use steamer to remove any wrinkles;
• Hang tutus upside down on a hanger to dry;

Storage

• Make sure costumes are dry before storing them; use a muslin or a plastic garment bag and hang lighter costumes;
• Heavier costumes may stretch so put them into a garment bag and store in a plastic bag with as little folds as possible.