Quick answer
How do I wash a dance costume
When the costume came back from the last competition smelling like backstage and you need to clean it before the next one without losing rhinestones or ruining the fabric.
Quick read
Most competition costumes should be spot-cleaned only. Machine washing strips rhinestones and sequins. Spot clean decorated panels with a damp cloth. Hand wash undecorated fabric bodies in cold water if needed. Air dry flat or hanging. Steam from 4-6 inches on medium heat to remove wrinkles. Store hanging in a garment bag between events.
Gear for this situation
What to do
- Check the care label before doing anything else. It's usually sewn into an interior seam. 'Dry clean only' means dry clean only: most professional competition costumes are not designed to be washed at home. If the label is missing or worn off, treat the costume as dry-clean-only as the safe default.
- Spot-clean rhinestones, sequins, and beaded panels with a damp cloth only. Never submerge decorated sections in water, soaking solution, or a sink. The rhinestones and sequins on competition costumes are attached with heat-set glue or hand-stitching, and water loosens both. Use a clean white cloth or cotton round dampened with cool water and a drop of gentle soap (no bleach, no alcohol-based cleaners, no stain spray directly on decoration). Dab, don't rub.
- Hand wash undecorated fabric sections if needed. If the bodice or shorts have a fabric panel with no decoration, those sections can be gently hand-washed in cool water. Support the weight of the costume so the decorated sections don't get submerged. A folded towel can be used to keep decorated areas out of the water while you gently work the fabric panels.
- Air dry flat or hanging: never use a dryer. Lay the costume flat on a clean towel, or hang it on a padded hanger. Heat from a dryer loosens rhinestone adhesive, shrinks synthetic fabrics, and can melt sequin coatings. Even a low-heat setting damages competition costumes over time.
- Steam (don't iron) wrinkles. Use a garment steamer from 4-6 inches away on medium heat. Never press an iron directly onto sequins or rhinestones: the heat melts the coating on sequins and will strip them from the fabric. If you don't have a steamer, hanging the costume in a bathroom during a hot shower removes most wrinkles within 15-20 minutes.
- Air out after every use before storing in a garment bag. Sweat and deodorant residue build up over a season and degrade fabric if stored without airing. Hang the costume in a ventilated space for several hours after a performance, then store hanging in a labeled garment bag. Fold-and-box storage traps moisture and creases decorated panels.
Common mistakes
- Don't machine wash a competition costume. Even on 'gentle' or 'delicate' cycle: the agitation and spin cycle detaches rhinestones, warps sequin panels, and distorts stretch fabric. A single machine wash can permanently damage a $150-$350 costume.
- Don't iron sequins or rhinestones directly. A flat iron or clothes iron pressed onto sequins melts the reflective coating and fuses the sequin to the fabric. Always use a steamer and keep it moving at a safe distance.
- Don't use bleach, alcohol-based stain remover, or acetone near any part of the costume. These strip dye from fabric and dissolve the adhesive on rhinestones. Even rubbing alcohol used on a rhinestone can cause it to fall off.
- Don't fold and box a damp or sweaty costume for storage. Moisture trapped in a sealed bag causes mildew and odor that are much harder to remove than fresh sweat. Air out fully before bagging.