How to Wash and Store a Lace or Embroidered Girls' Dress
An heirloom dress is made to be worn: to birthday parties, family photos, Sunday dinners and pumpkin patches. With a little care it will still look lovely when it is time to pass it on. Here is everything we recommend.
Before the first wash
Always check the care label first; it has the final word for each piece. Most of our cotton dresses with embroidery and lace follow the routine below.
Washing
- Turn it inside out to protect embroidery, buttons and lace.
- Use a mesh laundry bag so lace and ribbons don't catch on other clothes.
- Cold water, gentle cycle, or hand wash in a basin.
- Mild detergent, free of chlorine bleach. Chlorine weakens cotton and lace and can leave yellow marks over time.
- Wash with similar colors. White and ivory dresses look brightest when washed only with whites.
Stains: act quickly, use cold water
Food, grass and milk are part of a happy childhood. The secret is to treat stains before they dry or go through the dryer.
- Milk, formula, food and other protein stains: rinse from the back with cold water. Hot water can set them.
- Fruit and juice: rinse in cold water, then apply a gentle stain remover and wash as usual.
- Grass: work a little liquid detergent into the spot, let it sit, then wash.
- Test first. Try any stain remover on a hidden seam, especially near embroidery.
An important tip: sugary spills like juice or cake can look invisible when wet but turn brown months later in storage. Always wash a dress before putting it away, even if it looks clean.
Drying
Skip the dryer. Heat can shrink cotton, pucker embroidery and age lace. Gently reshape the dress while damp and hang it on a padded or wooden hanger, or lay it flat on a towel, away from direct sun.
Ironing
- Iron while the dress is still slightly damp, or use steam.
- Iron embroidery from the back on a thick towel, so the stitches stay raised instead of flattened.
- Use a pressing cloth over lace and appliqué.
- Choose the cotton setting, unless the label says otherwise.
Storing it for the next sister
- Clean it first, always (see the sugar tip above).
- Fold it with acid-free tissue paper inside the folds and sleeves to prevent creases and yellowing.
- Use a breathable cotton bag or a box, not plastic, which can trap moisture.
- Keep it somewhere cool, dark and dry, like a closet shelf, not an attic or basement.
- Remove metal pins or clips, which can rust over time.
- Refold once a year so creases don't set in the same place.
A note on tags and memories
Some families tuck a small card into the box: who wore the dress, how old she was, where it went. Years later, that little note becomes part of the heirloom too.
For lace and embroidery details, see our guides to types of lace and hand embroidery.