Caring for Your Belly Dancing Costumes
Belly dancing costumes are often made of delicate fabrics that cannot be washed, so how do you care for them properly and make sure you give them the longest life possible.
1. Before wearing your costume, make sure you take a shower and wash off any oils or chemicals that could stain or damage the costume. Natural body oils and perspiration can result in a stale smell and washing first will help preserve the costume for longer.
2. Naturally, you cannot prevent yourself from perspiring during a performance, so straight after a performance make sure you change out of your costume and allow it to dry and air out for a few days before storing. There are several good odor neutralizing sprays on the market that you can use to prevent stale smells lingering on your costume, but spot-test a small area first to ensure it will not damage the material.
3. Avoid wearing your costume around smokers or in smoky environments as this will cause your costume to absorb the odor. If you cannot avoid the smoke (for example, if you are dancing in a restaurant that allows smoking) then follow step two to try and eliminate odors before storing your costume.
4. Belly dancing costumes often include delicate bead and metal decorations. To protect these from damage you should avoid sitting in your costume for any length of time and only wear your costume for the duration of the performance.
5. Do not eat or drink in your costume and avoid people who are eating and drinking, to minimize the risk of spillages on your outfit.
6. Store your costume in a place where it can breathe properly (not a plastic bag) and do not hang a heavy costume from a clothes hanger by the arm holes as this will cause it to stretch out of shape. A good tip for keeping your costume fresh in storage is to put a fabric pouch filled with baking soda in the storage space with it, which will help absorb any odors.
7. Check the seams for tears and look for any loose or broken beading and sequins before storing your costume after a performance. This will prevent any last-minute panics when you retrieve it for your next performance.
Your belly dance costume is fragile and will have cost you much more than the other outfits in your closet. To ensure it looks as good next year as it does this year, give a little consideration to its storage and upkeep, and it will continue to do justice to your performance every time you dance.
About the Author
Issy Hart writes about the art of Belly Dancing in several blogs including Belly Dancing Costumes and Belly Dancing Music
1. Before wearing your costume, make sure you take a shower and wash off any oils or chemicals that could stain or damage the costume. Natural body oils and perspiration can result in a stale smell and washing first will help preserve the costume for longer.
2. Naturally, you cannot prevent yourself from perspiring during a performance, so straight after a performance make sure you change out of your costume and allow it to dry and air out for a few days before storing. There are several good odor neutralizing sprays on the market that you can use to prevent stale smells lingering on your costume, but spot-test a small area first to ensure it will not damage the material.
3. Avoid wearing your costume around smokers or in smoky environments as this will cause your costume to absorb the odor. If you cannot avoid the smoke (for example, if you are dancing in a restaurant that allows smoking) then follow step two to try and eliminate odors before storing your costume.
4. Belly dancing costumes often include delicate bead and metal decorations. To protect these from damage you should avoid sitting in your costume for any length of time and only wear your costume for the duration of the performance.
5. Do not eat or drink in your costume and avoid people who are eating and drinking, to minimize the risk of spillages on your outfit.
6. Store your costume in a place where it can breathe properly (not a plastic bag) and do not hang a heavy costume from a clothes hanger by the arm holes as this will cause it to stretch out of shape. A good tip for keeping your costume fresh in storage is to put a fabric pouch filled with baking soda in the storage space with it, which will help absorb any odors.
7. Check the seams for tears and look for any loose or broken beading and sequins before storing your costume after a performance. This will prevent any last-minute panics when you retrieve it for your next performance.
Your belly dance costume is fragile and will have cost you much more than the other outfits in your closet. To ensure it looks as good next year as it does this year, give a little consideration to its storage and upkeep, and it will continue to do justice to your performance every time you dance.
About the Author
Issy Hart writes about the art of Belly Dancing in several blogs including Belly Dancing Costumes and Belly Dancing Music
technorati tags:belly+dancing, belly+dance, bellydance, bellydancing, belly+dancing+costumes
posted by Issy @ 9:51 AM
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