How to remove a pen mark and makeup spot from a wedding dress?

rose000

hey, girls
By the back zipper is a pen mark and also a makeup spot. The fabric is Georgette,but the tag in the dress says Polyester shell and lining. My sister is unsure on how to treat these stains. Any professionals that can help us with this problem would be
great! she need to remove these stains quickly! Thanks again for any of your help.

kellya01

Pen marks depend on the type of ink.  Here is a website that shows each type of ink and ways to remove it.  As you said, the quicker you remove them, the better off your dress will be.  

http://housekeeping.about.com/od/stainremoval/a/inkstains.htm

Make-up is considered an oil-based stain, so try this website's suggestion: 

http://housekeeping.about.com/od/surfacefabric/a/oilstains.htm

Georgette is just another type of weave that is also made from polyester, kind of like Satin is typically made from polyester.  If there are other materials involved, like the lining, you will want to try to separate the two materials at the spot you're trying to clean so you don't get bleed-through on to fabrics that aren't stained. 

If the above home remedies do not work, there are little bottles of powerful stain remover at the regular grocery store called Carbona.  They have a variety of carbona for each type of stain.  

My mom used to live by Borax laundry booster -- you could also try making a little paste out of borax and a little bit of water and using that just on the spot, and then dab it off after it sits for a minute or two.

As far as professionals ... most of the 'professional' cleaners wouldn't be on TK boards as vendors aren't allowed.  I am just posting because we are clumsy and have to remove a lot of stains in our house... and this is how we do it!! 

Good luck!! :-) 

sister2groom

Take it to a professional. A wedding dress is way too important to screw around with home remedies. That being said, if you do try to do it at home, make sure you test the product you're using on an unnoticeable part of the dress first, because the remover itself might stain or damage certain fabrics.

bdriley

There was a dark mark on the back of my dress after my first alterations were done.  They used a Dryel pen to remove it.  Seemed like they used it for all marked dresses.  Check the label of the stain remover before you use it though.  It might have limits on the type of fabric it works on.