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Halloween is a time for sweet treats, scary movies, and costumes galore. However, after all the Halloween shenanigans are over, those costumes can get seriously messy. Sticky candy, sugary drinks, sweaty trick-or-treaters…costumes are put through the ringer.
Parents invest a lot of money in Halloween costumes, so keeping them in tip-top shape is super important. Plus, costumes make great dress-up material and could even be passed down between siblings! Here’s our suggestions on how to properly clean and store them, rather than just do away with them.
Hand washing costumes is probably the best option
Halloween costumes are usually quite delicate and are likely to just fall apart in the washer. The best rule of thumb is to hand wash children’s costumes. Halloween costumes are often very cheaply made and are sewn with just basic stitching, so the washing machine will likely be too rough and abrasive. Many will even say on the tag, “Not machine washable”, so always check first.
Check the labels and the material
Costumes made from materials like cotton, polyester, nylon or acrylic can probably be machine washed. Always check the tags first. Whether you’re machine washing or hand washing, be sure to turn costumes inside out to protect appliques, sequins, buttons or any extra things that make the costume complete!
Use a gentle detergent, regardless
Whether you’re hand washing or machine washing, use a gentle, natural detergent. Harsh detergents with lots of added chemicals have no business with any laundry, let alone delicate garments like princess dresses and Batman get ups. Plus, you don’t want harmful chemical residues irritating your kids’ skin. Instead, try our Active Wear Detergent to hand wash the garments in a sink or use a couple tablespoons in the washer on a delicate cycle.
Watch out for these materials
Costumes made of tulle, spandex and with embellishments should be carefully hand washed and lined dry. Not only are those materials especially delicate, but extra decorations can catch on the material and damage it. As mentioned earlier, if the material is cotton, polyester, nylon or other traditional fabrics, it’s probably okay to machine wash and tumble dry on low, but always read the tags first.
Air dry costumes, just to be safe
Because the materials in Halloween costumes are so delicate, we recommend playing it safe and air drying them.
Use low heat to remove wrinkles
So what to do about wrinkles… If there are wrinkles, try a low setting on a steamer or iron, but of course, read the instructions on the tag before doing this. Remember that many children’s costumes are inexpensively made and could get damaged from high heat.
Now that you can wash and preserve those costumes, siblings can rewear them next year, your kids can play dress-up, or you could donate them! Happy Halloween, everyone!
