Every morning I open up my e-mail and receive many wonderful comments and good questions.
Last week, I received a tip on how to remove a stain from a wedding or bridesmaid dress.
In all my years as a wedding coordinator, I don’t remember a bride or bridesmaid spilling anything.
Maybe that was partly because we made sure they didn’t drink or eat anything that could cause stains.
It’s really important for a bridal party to have food and drink around, especially if the photo session before the ceremony lasts for hours.
And often times, they do.
I asked the bride to bring things such as water to drink and cheese, crackers and green grapes to eat.
Someone is always in danger of fainting under the warm lights or the hot sun outside, so it’s always a good idea to have something in their stomachs.
But, there’s always the chance of spilling something other than food or water on your gown.
You might drop your makeup or lipstick or who knows what and have a catastrophe on your hands.
So, Janet sent this tip and I wanted to pass it along to you.
Now, mind you, I haven’t tried this tip myself, but it sounds like Janet has used it several times and I’m willing to try anything when it comes to removing a stain on formal wear, aren’t you?
Especially when someone else has already been courageous enough to try it and had success!
She even included detailed instructions.
Thank you, Janet!
She wrote:
“I saw your tips for brides and bridesmaids and I wondered if I might add to your suggestions? I always try to bring what I call a ” bride’s emergency kit “. It is actually only one thing, but it has saved the day many times. It is a product most people have probably heard of called Dryel. It was created to allow you to freshen up your dry cleanable clothes in your own dryer, but it also contains an excellent stain remover.
It seems that inevitably just before the wedding, either the bride to be or one of her bridesmaids, spills something on their dress. When it happens, I take the bottle of stain remover and the absorbent pad and am able to remove most, if not nearly all, of the stain. You just slip the enclosed absorbent pad under the stained material and apply the stain remover sparingly to the spot, being careful to keep the liquid and pad away from their skin and yours. The pad absorbs any excess liquid and also provides a safe area to, using the top of the closed bottle, gently work the stain around until it disappears. The product really is amazing!
Dryel is found at Walmart, Target, most grocery stores, etc. My daughter uses it when she doesn’t have enough time to take something to the cleaners.
So, I just went into our laundry room and found her container of Dryel in the cupboard.
This is what it looks like, if you’re not familiar with it:
And, sure enough, it has a stain pen right inside:
She’s a “Tide To Go” fan, so I bet she didn’t know about this little gem.
Janet wrote about a stain bottle. I don’t know if it’s the same solution.
I e-mailed her last week and haven’t heard back from her yet.
Have you tried this product and stain treatment yourself?
I’d love to hear your comments on this or other stain removing secrets.
If you accidentally cut your finger and it bleeds on your dress, here is a great solution. It’s found in this post on Fun At The Wedding Reception.
I am a bridal seamstress and I have used Dryel stain remover to remove stains on bridal gowns. It works great! I have never had a problem with it leaving visible rings either. I just make sure I use a dry cloth afterwards to “fan out” the wet spot. I didn’t know that they made a stain stick but I will look for it the next time I purchase Dryel.
That’s great. Thank you so much for your input on this!
Linda
Laurie,
Would Dryel work for red or white wine stains on taffetta? Looking at a used dress and the stains unfortunately have been present 2 years. Thanks!
How does Dryel work on satin dresses? I also do wedding gowns, special ocassion & bridesmaids. I had a problem with suntan lotion on a satin bridesmaids dress. Ended up making a whole new skirt. Glad I was able to match the fabric very well with rest of dress. Like your priceing technique. Will giver it a try. I have also called various shop about prices regarding zippers, etc. Will also check internet for curtains, etc. for style, length & adjust my prices accordingly.
Betty
Hi Betty,
I don’t have a personal testimony concerning Dryel on satin. I hope a reader who has will write in and let us know. I’m so sorry to hear that you had to make a whole new skirt, but it’s a good thing you could find the fabric! I am glad the pricing post helped you. Thanks so much for writing in!
Linda
I started making my own dress,it wasn’t finished a couple of days before the wedding on Saturday.One of my mother’s friends stepped in and completed my project.The morning before the 4 o’clock wedding,I try on the dress.I can not explain why,I twirled around and sat on the mahogany coffee table, freshly anointed with Old English polish.The HORRIFIED exclamations and tears you can imagine!! A second friend of my mother’s present that day,rushed the dress to her cleaner’s she saved the day!! I will always be grateful for my mother’s best friends!! They are all gone now,never forgotten!! Mom’s and their friends are the best support for a bride.
Oh, wow, what a story! How many years ago was this? I am so glad that the cleaners were able to clean it for you the same day. They literally saved the day, didn’t they? Awesome!
Thanks for sharing that encouraging story!
It’s so great to find practical tips that aren’t mentioned in the wedding mags! Also will remember the safety pin tip for the day and separate named dress boxes.
Thank you Linda for great advice and step by step photos, fab website, am inspired to learn more x
hi
would this stain removal tuff work on pen mark on the wedding dress, i have just received my dress and there is a pen line on the bodice and i have no idea how to remove it without ruining the dress
thanks
I removed permanent marker from wood furniture with Colgate toothpaste. Maybe it will work on fabric…
How about those nasty yellow stains u get on the wedding and baptism dresses. Is there a way I can get those stains out and then is there a way to package them so those stains dont come back. I really dont want to get rid of these keepsakes but dont want them yellow if my children would like to use them some day for their kids 🙂
Hi Sherry,
One of the products I can recommend is Vintage Soak (I think that’s the name of it). You can find it at most quilting shops. I would also Google the problem and try homemade remedies. Hope that helps!
I need to sew in darts for a bridesmaid dress that has boning in the bodice. It has halter style and straps. The dress is too big in bodice. It’s a size 10 and she’s a size 6.
Sounds like a good challenge. Did you have a question about it, or just wanted to leave this comment? I hope it all goes well. 🙂