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Kenneth asked: How do I clean the white fur on my Santa suit? I have a Crimson Rubies Regency Santa suit. I have had the suit for five years, and the white faux fur trim has a pink tint to it. Is there any way to have this cleaned without damaging the suit?
Most Santa suits are dry clean only, and the Crimson Rubies Regency Santa suit is no exception. What’s more, even those with colorfast fabrics may bleed or, in time, cause the white to blush pink. The ideal way to take care of this problem is to ask your dry cleaner to “spot clean” only, but if you’d like to try to fix it at home you can take these steps.
You Will Need:
- Water
- Clean white wash cloth(s)
- Color safe laundry detergent
- Bowl
- Towel
Steps to Remove the Stain:
- Fold a large towel inside the suit in the area you’ll be cleaning to prevent accidental color bleed.
- Mix a few drops of laundry detergent in a bowl with some water. Be careful not to use too much detergent because any residue left behind will attract dirt.
- Dip a clean white wash cloth in the water and detergent.
- Gently blot at the pink stains. Do not scrub, or you risk damaging the fabric.
- Repeat, working your way around the affected areas. Turn the washcloth frequently, assuring you always use a clean spot to avoid spreading the stain.
- Once you no longer see an improvement or notice color transfer to the washcloth, stop trying.
- Allow the costume to air dry.
- Work through the fur with your fingers to “fluff” it once it’s dry.
Additional Tips and Advice
- If you choose to spot clean both red and white sections, clean the red first and allow it to dry completely before working on the white areas. Use great care not to let the damp red fabric contact or bleed onto white sections.
- Don’t use bleach. It may damage and/or yellow fabrics.
- Whether you dry clean the suit or spot clean at home, you won’t be able to restore fabric to its original condition.
I took my “dry clean only suit” to a dry cleaner and the color ran into the white. How do I get it out?
This suit says not to wash or dry clean. There is a sticky spot on the white fur. Would Woolite be better to clean with than detergent?
Martha,
Yes, Woolite is more mild than most detergent and recommended for more delicate clothing. Baby laundry detergent is also more mild than most detergents.
Around the collar and in the front where there is Santa’s hair sweat it is kind of yellow so I was wondering how I could fix that. Also, on my miss Santa dress the white for around the top is beginning to get a little dingy looking.
Diris,
You can use the method above for the sweat stains, but use shampoo instead of laundry detergent. If that doesn’t work, you can try using a pet enzyme digetser, such as Nature’s Miracle or Kids ‘N’ Pets. They can be found in the pet aisle of most supermarkets. (Don’t use an enzyme cleaner if the fur is real wool though.)
For the Santa dress, try the methods in the guide How to Clean Faux Fur. If those don’t help, try washing the fur with a little OxiClean. Good luck!
Source: HowToCleanStuff – How to Remove Sweat Stains from a Baseball Cap
Source: HowToCleanStuff – How to Wash Dingy Whites