Three Tips For Caring For Embroidered Items

Embroidery can be an effective way of customizing some of your clothing items. While embroidery is fairly common, it is also a fact that many people will simply fail to adequately maintain these items, and this can cause their embroidery to suffer excessive wear and tear. By taking some basic precautions, you should be better able to protect your applique embroidery against common forms of wear.

Consider Using Fabric Sealant

Staining and discoloration can be among the more commonly encountered issues when it comes to your embroidery. When embroidery is not properly sealed, it can be prone to developing stains from spills. Additionally, it can be possible for exposure to harsh sunlight to further degrade the embroidery by causing the pigments in the embroidery to start to degrade. You will be able to combat these problems fairly effectively by utilizing a fabric sealant. When a fabric sealant is applied to the embroidery, it will be able to prevent the fabric from absorbing pigments and the sealant may block the ultraviolet light from damaging the pigment in the fabric. These sealants should be applied after every few washes and the laundry detergent that you use to clean your fabrics can be harsh enough to strip away this sealant.

Avoid Using The Dryer

After you have washed your embroidery, you may want to use these items as quickly as possible. This can lead to you attempting to use the dryer to quickly dry out these items. Unfortunately, the dryer can be extremely harmful to your embroidery as the intense heat can degrade the fabric of the embroidery or the threading that holds the applique in place. You will need to simply allow the embroidery to air dry if you are to avoid these potential issues. When air drying these items, you should place them in an area that will receive ample airflow as this will help to expedite the drying process.

Be Prepared To Wash The Item Twice The First Time You Clean It

The first time that you washed embroidered items, you may find that there are small amounts of pigments or adhesive backing that can come loose. These materials may end up being visible on the embroidery. While you may assume that this indicates that the embroidery is ruined, it is a common issue to encounter. Luckily, it can often be corrected by simply washing the item again as this will remove these particles from the embroidery, and while this may add to the time needed to clean your embroidered items for the first time, it can be an essential step in caring for these items.