4 Common Stains on a Bridesmaid Dress and How to Treat Them

CARING FOR YOUR BRIDESMAID DRESS:

How to deal with impromptu stains—and what works best to make them disappear.

Know how to treat common stains on bridesmaid dresses

As a bridesmaid, your dress needs to stay looking beautiful well after the ceremony. And as a bridesmaid, your dress will also endure champagne toasts, beauty blunders, dance floor mishaps, grassy fields, even potential puddles. Here, ALL the ways to keep your bridesmaid dress clean throughout the wedding, plus what to keep on hand, and most important, how to get the dress where it needs to go!

Traveling with Your Bridesmaid Dress

As a general guideline, keep the dress in its original garment bag, as flat as possible. If you’re traveling by car, hang the dress up and lay the skirt flat on the seat. If you're going by plane or train, there will likely be a place for you to hang the dress upright.

General Mishaps: How to Treat a Dress Stain

For any bridesmaid dress stain, start by using a clean white towel to blot away moisture or a dull knife to lift away any residue. If the stain is oily, immediately sprinkle with baby powder to absorb the oil. Always spot treat the stain by working from the outer edges toward the inside. Before using any type of stain removal stick, be sure to test it on the underside hem to make sure there is no color change or damage. After the wedding, we'd advise further spot cleaning at home or a visit to the dry cleaner to make sure all the stains are out.

Red Wine Stains

Wedding toasts can often mean spills. Use a clean white towel to absorb as much wine as possible. Then dab gently with a warm, damp cloth, moving from the outer edges of the stain to the middle. Cover up any discoloration with baby powder.

Food & Grease Stains

Cover the stain with baby powder to absorb the oil, then let it sit for 15 minutes and brush away. Repeat if necessary. Wet a cotton swab and dab from outer edges of stain to middle. Cover any remaining stain with baby powder.

Makeup Stains

Try using a stain removal stick, dabbing from the outside edges toward the center. Cover with baby powder.

Dirt Stains

First, rub with a dry towel. Then gently use a damp cloth to remove the stain. Be sure not to rub; just lightly brush the fabric with the cloth.

What Every Bridesmaid Needs: Your Style Emergency Care Kit

We recommend traveling everywhere with the following:

• Baby powder
• Safety pins
• Double-sided tape (for accidental rips)
• Cotton swabs
• Stain removal pen
• Mini lint brush

Most important, have a great time at the wedding, dance the night away, and celebrate your bride. At the end of the day, it’s only a stain.