Lace, fishnet, wetlook and faux leather: washing and storing partywear and lingerie
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
By material that works: lace and mesh, tights with elastane, wetlook and faux leather, costumes and accessories. Plus how to store everything until the next party.
After a costume party, the entire pile usually ends up in one laundry basket: the costume, the tights, the set underneath, the socks, and the scarf. One wash at 40 degrees later, the tights are laddered, the mesh fabric has pilled, and the wetlook set has developed a dull, sticky spot. A shame, because most of these materials can last for years — provided you treat them differently. Below is what works for each material, and how to store everything so it's still wearable for the next party.
First, check: what is it actually?
Party wear and lingerie are rarely made from a single material. A set is often elastic woven fabric with a lace trim, a costume is polyester with a print, and tights are a finely knitted nylon-elastane blend. What they share: thin fibers, elastic threads, and glued or stitched details that don't do well with heat and friction.
The washing label is your starting point. In short: the tub with a number is the maximum temperature, a hand in the tub means hand wash, a crossed-out tub means do not wash. The triangle is about bleaching, the square about drying, the iron about ironing (the dots indicate the setting), and the circle about professional cleaning. If there's no label anymore — which happens with party items — then hand washing in cold water is the safe choice.
Lace, mesh, and delicate lingerie
This is the category where most mistakes happen. Lace and mesh are sensitive to two things: snags (from your own underwire, from a zipper, from another garment) and centrifugal force.
Wash by hand in lukewarm water, or on a delicate wash cycle at a maximum of 30 degrees with a low spin speed.
Use a laundry bag. Close hooks and zippers before putting the garment in.
Do not wring. Press out the water between two towels and lay flat to dry.
Keep fabric softener away from elastic material: it leaves a layer on the fiber, causing the elastic to spring back slower.
Tights wear out not from wearing but from snagging and heat. Three things that make a difference: trim long nails or put them on with gloves, wash them separately or in a bag, and never dry them on a heater. Heat damages the elastane; what follows is tights that sag instead of spring back.
For models with a silicone band, such as Panty Stockings with Silicone Lace (€ 7.95), also apply: no fabric softener and no cream or oil where the band sits, otherwise the band will no longer stay in place. For Stockings White (€ 9.95) and Tights with Leopard Print (€ 9.95), cold hand washing and flat drying are enough — a few minutes of work, and they will last an extra season.
Wetlook, patent and faux leather
These are not ordinary fabrics: they are textiles with a smooth coating. This coating is why it shines, and at the same time the part that breaks down. What you especially avoid: hot water, the tumble dryer, ironing, and prolonged contact with another smooth layer.
Do
Don't
Wipe inside out with cold water or hand wash
Machine wash at 40 degrees
Pat dry with a soft cloth
Tumble dry or on the heater
Store hanging, with space in between
Folded at the bottom of a bag, with creases that set
Place a cotton cloth or tissue paper between layers
Store two coated parts directly on top of each other
A Wetlook Lingerie Set Black size 40/42 (€ 24.95) will look good for years if stored hanging and dry. If it lies folded in a warm closet for six months, the creases will then be impossible to remove.
Costumes, accessories, and adhesive products
Costume sets are usually polyester and tolerate a regular wash better than lingerie — but not the details. For a Maid Set L/XL (€ 19.95) or the Superhero Costume Men with Cape and Mask (€ 19.95), these are the print, the elastic, and any appliqués: wash inside out, cold, and do not iron over the print.
Accessories each require something different:
Headbands and ears, such as the Bunny Ears Set 3-piece (€ 19.95): do not immerse. Wipe the fabric with a slightly damp cloth and let the metal headband dry.
Adhesive products such as Boob Tape Sandy with Nipple Covers (€ 10.00) are not washable; the tape is for single use. Store the roll cool and dry, as the adhesive layer loses its grip in a warm bag.
Storing until the next party
Half of the damage does not occur in the wash but in the closet. Three rules cover everything: store dry (moisture causes odors and stains), store separately (smooth material separate from lace, something with studs separate from mesh), and without pressure (not at the bottom of a full box). A cardboard box with a lid works better than a plastic bag: cardboard allows moisture to escape. Label the box with its contents — then you won't turn your entire closet upside down for one pair of stockings in October.
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