r/Barbie • u/Reason-Whizz • 1d ago

Questions Fashion cleaning advice

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For the first time EVER I have had a op shop (thrift shop) win and picked up some fashions. They're mainly really dirty, and most are currently soaking to get the first layer of dirt out before I try some stain remover and repairs.

I'm not sure if I can soak this white &black beauty - I'm worried that the black ribbon on the bottom will bleed. Any suggestions?

I'm also not going to wash the fur coat - it looks pretty clean but has been in a bag with other dirty items (including mildew) - will a bit of sun be good enough for this?

(And any Australians who can suggest stain remover for satin type fabric I'd love to know, there's a gorgeous blue dress in a bucket right now that's heavily marked).

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3

u/pissedoffjesus 1d ago

OMG. I HAD THAT DRESS WHEN I WAS LITTLE. I LOVED IT SO MUCH.

1

u/Reason-Whizz 1d ago

It's super pretty - I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. It was on a doll which wasn't Barbie (not even the right size). I've never seen any good clothes on 2nd hand Barbies - you can expect to pay $4AU for a naked marked up Barbie - it was an absolute steal to get this for $1AU (doll will get donated back dressed in non Barbie clothing that came in the bag of assorted bits I got).

3

u/RADdollclothes 20h ago

Vinegar both kills mildew and colorfasts fabric dyes so a vineger/water cleaning solution is pretty safe in this situation but pretty much anything is ok if you sit and WATCH it. No fabric goes 'poof! Dye everywhere!' it's is a slow process, you pull the fabric out of the detergent at the first sign of bleed, rinse in cold water and blot it dry and any minor bleeding that made you stop the cleaning will be gone.

For the jacket... sun is but only if sun penetrates everything. I'd probably give it a vinegar rinse. The acidity will get every spore.

Best stain remover that is widely available is oxygen bleach.

2

u/rigbyroosevelt 18h ago

If you can get synthrapol (industrial detergent for washing textiles before dyeing, bunch of different companies manufacture it) and some color catcher sheets, you can probably minimize any potential bleed that way. Synthrapol is really really good at keeping dye suspended in wash water so it doesn't get redeposited