'Stained' Christening Dress, desperately hoping someone can help me.

[Cruze]

Hi, quick back story I bought a beautiful Christening dress 4 years ago for my eldest daughter, I loaned it to my sister in law a year later & she 'hung' onto it.

Fast forward 3 years she has finally given it back to me today as it is my second daughters christening on Sunday.

The once beautiful crisp white lace dress is now a yellowy/brown colour. Very visibly not white anymore.

I am assuming it is nicotine stained, no one in my house smokes the dress was given to her in immaculate condition. My eldest only wearing it for 45 minutes as I didn't want it dirtied.

She is saying there is nothing wrong with it & that it just looks 'aged', clearly not the point.

It has been hung at her fathers house and he smokes 60 plus a day.

Can anyone please advise me if there is any hope? Can I do anything to try & restore it to white between now & Sunday?

I have googled but was hoping someone more knowledgeable with a tried and tested method might be able to point me in the right direction. I haven't tried anything yet.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[DramaAlpaca]

I would take it to a dry cleaner and see if they can help. I wouldn't want to risk trying to get stains out of a delicate fabric like lace at home.

Hope you manage to get it sorted in time.

[Cruze]

Thank you for replying. Unfortunately my dry cleaners were unable to get a 5 pence piece size spot of grease out of a dress today, managed to break the 'popper' style button & charged me £22 for the experience so I'm not that keen on a return journey so soon! I will ask around if anyone knows of a decent dry cleaners locally though.

Hopefully someone will suggest a solution of some kind that I can soak it in (fingers crossed!)

The dress isn't designer or a luxury item so to speak, it's ruined already so I am happy to 'risk it'.

I'm hoping there is something I can do as I have no time to buy her another dress so she'll have to be in 'everyday' clothes which isn't what I wanted.

[Seabright]

I would try soaking in Vanish Crystal White; it had got stains out for me in the past

[RandomMess]

I would try COLD water and vanish soap bar rub it in and then leave to soak and then wash. Worked on some vintage baby clothes for me - hanging in the sunshine to dry will help too - even if indoors.

[Imnotaslimjim]

If it were summer, I'd suggest soaking it inn lemon juice and hanging it in the sun (got a tomato stain out of a wool dress that way) but I'm not sure if it will work in winter sun

[MrsLettuce]

Does it have any washing instructions?

A soak with denture tablets would be your best bet, or net curtain whitener if that still exists.

[BranchingOut]

Try Glo White

Or, Ecover laundry bleach.

Honestly, I would put it in the washing machine with detergent and one of the above, on a gentle cycle plus extra rinse. I did it with my wedding dress, boned bodice and all!

[Rascalls3]

I would try a cold water soak in vanish crystal white for 12 to 24 hours first. If after 24 hours it has not improved sufficiently. I would use one of the machine wash whitening products such Glo Wash. I think there are several available. Throw in a scoop of Vanish crystal white for good measure.

[Rascalls3]

Sorry.... Glo White not wash

[Cruze]

Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone for taking the time to respond. I really do appreciate it.

I have put Glo White, Vanish Crystal White, net curtain whitener & denture tablets on my shopping list for after work.

The washing instructions say Dry Clean only & it is 100% polyester. It isn't an old fabric.

My major concern (other than not being able to improve the colour) is if it ends up really creased. Hopefully by keeping it hung up they will fall out.

Thank you again.

[homeaway]

I would wash it inside a pillowslip and turn the spin speed down on your washing machine if you can.

[Badvoc123]

Hand wash in bio Tex.
Then wash inside a pillowcase on a delicate cycle.
Def biological powder.
If it's sunny sun bleaches clothes if left out

[Bunbaker]

"The once beautiful crisp white lace dress is now a yellowy/brown colour. Very visibly not white anymore."

My old white christening dress is a yellowy brown colour. I think being kept in storage for so long affected it. There is just a possibility that this might have happened.

[Essexgirlupnorth]

If it comes put creased hand it up in a the bathroom with the shower on will remove the creases

[agoodbook]

sunshine is the best for whitening after a soak and wash. But - the best tip I had for whitening was to wash something and hang out in really cold weather and let it ice up,( this was for antique lace) - could it work with the freezer as a last gasp?

[canyou]

I use a christening robe made by my Great Grandmother 103 years and 40 babies ago
Fill a bath with Luke warm water dissolve NAPISAN in the water leave to soak, slosh around then change the water slosh again the pop into a pillow case and spin in the washing machine Dry flat in the sun. Iron cool with starch

[canyou]

Yes to PP hang out and leave the dew/frost gather in it then dry in the sun

[canyou]

Last post
I keep mine wrapped in linen and blue paper and other then one spot where my Great Grandfather spilt TB medicine on the back in a 50p size mark it is still pristine snowy white

[agoodbook]

you lucky person canyou my christening gown was handmade by my DSIL 34 years ago, but sadly, after 2 DD's not ben used again- my DGS was miles too big to fit in it! (Just had to use my mothers handmade knitted shawls) Mine is kept in acid free tissue paper inside a cotton pillowcase :)

[Cruze]

I have soaked it overnight in Crystal White & it is currently on a delicate cycle in the washing machine in a pillowcase.

Luckily the sun is out at the moment, hopefully it will stay like this for a few more hours!

I will update everyone later, hopefully with a nice picture of a lovely white dress!

Thanks you again.

[agoodbook]

Good luck!

[RandomMess]

Hope it works!

[Minisoksmakehardwork]

Would colour run remover maybe work if it's still stained looking? Dh had a white but yellowed with age polyester gown. It needed washing but had coloured embroidery on it too. Unfortunately the embroidery ran but when I used the colour run remover, the gown also came up a lot whiter than it had previously been.