Most every wedding day is spent controlling joyful chaos, and most often, there is at least one “oops” that escapes its way out of your lips. Stains on the wedding dress is one of many emergencies that makes its way onto the brides list of nightmares. But there are excellent solutions to this unsightly boo-boo, so if you find yourself in need of a quick fix for a stain, try to stay calm, asses the situation and try one of these remedies:
Have an emergency kit prepared.
Have on hand a clean white towel or cloth, cotton swabs, a credit card or dull knife, baby powder, a stain-stick or stain removal wipes, white chalk, rubbing alcohol, a bar of soap, hair spray and a hair dryer.
Always dab, never rub.
I have seen it put this way, “Think like a physician: first, do no harm.” Regardless of what type of stain it is, rubbing can cause the spot to spread or go deeper into the fabric of your dress. If there is residue or any substance that is laying on the fabric, scrape it off with a knife or credit card. Use a white cloth to blot up any moisture. Always work from the edges in. Working from the middle out will only spread the stain and make it bigger.
Determine the type of stain, and work from there.
For red wine stains: Use a dry white cloth to soak up as much as possible. Then soak the cloth in warm water and dab gently from the outer edges inward. Cover any stain that remains with white chalk or dust with baby powder.
For oily or greasy stains: Dust the spot with baby powder to absorb the oil, then wipe away the residue. Put rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab and gently dab from the outer edges inward. Cover any remaining spot with chalk or dust with baby powder.
For lipstick stains: Dab gently at the spot with a stain stick or stain removal wipe. Then dust liberally with baby powder or cover with chalk.
For ink stains: Dip a cotton swab in alcohol and dab the stain, using a clean white cloth underneath the dress as well to soak up any ink that comes through, then blot with a clean, dry white cloth. Another way to handle ink stains is to spray the area with hair spray, then blot with a clean, dry cloth. Cover any remaining stain with chalk.
For blood stains: Moisten with tepid water and blot from the outer edges inward. Cover any remaining stain with chalk or powder.
