Help getting slim out of princess dress...

[SlimeCrime]

Sorry, very dull post alert!

My young daughter got a beautiful Disney princess dress for Christmas. However unfortunately she also got a big tub of bright pink slime and somehow (not sure how exactly as her Grandad was "supervising" her at the time) she got a lot of the pink slime on the dress.

I need advice on how to remove it. It's such a shame as the dress really is lovely.

The fabric is netting.

I have let the slime dry as I thought it would brush off, but now it's well and truly stuck. I have tried brushing it with an old toothbrush, but to no avail. The dress is also light up so not sure putting it in the washing machine is an option due to the electronic element. I could hand wash the netting part without getting the electric bits wet though (I think).

Help Mumsnet - I was hoping the wealth of parenting experience here would mean someone had solved the same dilemma and may be able to offer advice?

Thank you!

Not quite. Acetone can be very useful for removing e.g ink stains from clothing and for removing dried on glue (which is why it may be useful for slime). You must be careful with it of course, but acetone can absolutely be used on some fabrics in some cases.

Thank you. I will try the ice. I think we can live with a stain, but hopefully if I can remove the actual slime it will be a bit less noticeable.

I am now kicking myself and wondering if I would have been best to try and rinse it out when it was wet. I stupidly thought leaving it to dry would be best.

If you can, try a small test patch on an unnoticeable area of a vinegar-baking soda paste. Have a Google, there's various instructions.

Make up the paste, leave it on a small test patch for a bit, then see if the slime lifts off. See how it affects the fabric and the slime.

Is it a terrible thought that a replacement dress may now be reduced in the Boxing Day sales?

I have much, very unwanted, experience of dealing with the bastard stuff! I wouldn’t recommend rolling it off if I didn’t have direct experience it would work. A bit of talc or cornflour helps it to congeal. The caveat is that I haven’t done this on such a fragile fabric as netting. Freezing helps but in this case it will knacker the electronics for the lights.

Could you sew some big sequins over the pink bits?

Thank you all for the replies!

I am pleased to report that I have had some success.

I put a bag of frozen peas over the areas with slime on (using baking paper as a barrier to keep the fabric dry) then used a silicone scourer to gently rub the slime away, and dusted away the loose bits with an old toothbrush. It has worked beautifully! I did have to be careful not to scour away the silver patterns on the dress, but thankfully was mostly able to avoid any damage to these by rubbing on the reverse side of the fabric where possible.

The fabric is still stained pink, but because it is netting the stains are quite faint in appearance. Definitely an improvement and my daughter is happy.

Thank you for the assistance. I am very grateful and glad I posted (I don't think I would have thought to use ice/cold by myself).

Very impressed with suggestions and OPs stirling attempt to remove it. Barely noticeable now.

I don't have children but for blood (obviously completely different but you never know) I've soaked it in cold water with a lot of salt in so you could always give that a go, nothing to lose and no harm to the dress as it's just salt water?

It looks like the bastard stuff has got into the gaps in the mesh which is adding to your problems - could you try very gently rubbing a needle along it to try and scrape it off - pick one small section to test it first?

I'm sure others with experience of the stuff will have better solutions but thought I'd add a "could try" suggestion for the interim - not sure if adding some washing liquid to the salt water would stop it working? How about scrubbing a small area with some washing up liquid?

ETA - didn't read full thread that's a fantastic removal job OP, I think the pink tinge almost looks part of the dress as it's in a neat faint line - just tell daughter the princesses wanted to add leave a faint pink tinge to make her princess dress extra unique

Note to self - secrete any slime away before potential future children open it! It would be really useful if MN had a "bank" of solution threads like this one/how tos

Vinegar dissolves slime.....

Excellent OP, glad you got rid of them! They're barely noticeable now.

Fairy liquid is my go to for most stains. Have you tried that?

I'd try dissolving a dishwasher tablet in some warm water and soaking it for a while.

Well done OP!

Expected to read of someone trapped in a dress after too much festive food.
Well done , @SlimeCrime , you did a good job.

Spay it with white vinegar. It will dissolve the slime. I used to go slime parties for kids and always took a bottle of white vinegar.

After you try all the useful ideas above, if you're left with a stain, would some kind of spray paint make it look a bit better?

Duck tape to 'wax' the worst of it off?

I'm glad it is sorted OP.
Bit of a tangent but I'm curious as to how you can wash the dress in general if it has electronic bits in it ?