The mehndi is over, and your daughter’s embroidered set is lying on the bed with a juice stain on the sleeve and a few threads pulled loose at the hem. It cost close to Rs. 3,000, she needs it again for the walima next week, and you are not sure whether the washing machine will ruin it.
This guide explains how to wash embroidered kids clothes at home: what to check before the water touches them, how to hand wash or use the machine without snagging the thread, and how to store the set until the next function. The advice is general garment-care practice, so the care label on your child’s outfit always comes first.
Wash Embroidered Kids Clothes Cold, Inside Out and Gently
Use cold water and a small amount of mild detergent, turn the garment inside out, and never wring or scrub the embroidery. Hand washing is the gentlest option. If you use a machine, put the garment in a zipped pillowcase or mesh bag and choose the gentle cycle. Dry it flat or on a padded hanger in the shade rather than in a hot dryer.
What to Check Before You Wash
Read the label and look at the thread
Find the care label sewn inside the side seam or neckline. If it says hand wash only or dry clean only, follow it, and for a heavily worked festive set that is worn only a few times, dry cleaning can be the easier route. Then look at the embroidery: loose loops, raised sequins, beads or metallic thread (the golden tilla or zari work common on festive sets) can snag, so treat those pieces as delicate even if the label is silent.
Test for colour run
Dampen a hidden spot, such as the inside of the hem, and press a clean white cloth or tissue on it for a few seconds. If colour comes off on the cloth, wash that garment alone and rinse it quickly instead of soaking it. Strongly coloured pieces are the ones to test first.
Secure loose threads first
Washing can pull on a loose thread and make it worse. Do not cut it flush with the fabric. Secure it with a stitch on the inside, or take it to your darzi (tailor) before washing.
Hand Washing and Machine Washing
Hand washing, step by step
- Fill a clean basin with cold water and dissolve the detergent completely before the clothes go in, so no powder is left to sit on the embroidery.
- Turn the garment inside out so the embroidered side faces in, then press it under the water.
- Move it gently with your hands for a short time. Do not rub the embroidery against itself.
- Drain the basin and rinse in fresh cold water until no soap is left.
- Press the water out between your palms, then roll the garment in a dry towel. Do not twist it.
Machine washing, if the label allows it
Turn the garment inside out, close any zips and hooks, and put it in a zipped pillowcase or mesh laundry bag so sequins cannot catch on the drum. Choose the gentle cycle with cold water and wash it with other soft items, never with jeans or anything with zips. Take it out when the cycle ends, because damp clothes left in a heap can pass colour from one piece to another.
Drying and Storing Between Functions
Lay the garment flat on a clean towel, or hang it on a padded hanger away from direct sun. Direct sun can fade strong colours, and high heat can pucker stitching, so air drying is the safer choice. Lay a wet gharara or dupatta flat instead of hanging it, because the weight of wet fabric can stretch it.
Once it is completely dry, fold it with the embroidery facing inward and a sheet of plain tissue between the layers. Keep it in a cotton bag or on a shelf rather than in a sealed plastic bag, which can trap damp air. If the set will come out again for another wedding this season, this keeps the embroidery from rubbing against itself in the cupboard.
What This Looks Like at Tebeena Wears
If a new set is on your list for the wedding season, here are four girls’ festive sets from the current range, with the sizes in stock at the time of writing. The 6-7 Years size is not offered on these sets. Check the care label on whichever one you choose.
- Zaitoon Kaftan Embroidered Two Piece Set, Rs. 2,999. Rich embroidery on a relaxed kaftan silhouette. In stock in 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12 Years; 13-14 Years is sold out.
- Chandni White Embroidered Two Piece Set, Rs. 2,999. Delicate white embroidery on a matching set. In stock in 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12 Years; 2-3 and 13-14 Years are sold out.
- Peach Petal Embroidered Two Piece Set, Rs. 2,999. Delicate peach floral embroidery. In stock in 4-5, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14 Years; 2-3 and 3-4 Years are sold out.
- Feroza Girls Embroidered 3-Piece Gharara Set, Rs. 3,499. Shirt, gharara and tasselled dupatta, all in shesha silk with golden embroidery and sequin work. In stock in 4-5, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14 Years; 2-3 and 3-4 Years are sold out. With this much sequin work, hand washing or the label’s instructions are the safer path.
You can browse the full range in our girls two piece suits collection. If you are still deciding what your child should wear to each function, the kids wedding outfit guide walks through mehndi, baraat and walima.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a twin-tub washing machine with a spinner?
Washing in the tub is fine for lightly embroidered pieces, but skip the spinner for anything with sequins, beads or metallic thread. The fast spin can press the decoration against the drum and pull stitches. Squeeze the water out gently by hand and roll the garment in a towel instead.
How do I remove a food or juice stain from the embroidered area?
Blot instead of rubbing. Dab the stain with a cloth dipped in cold water and a drop of mild detergent, working from the outside of the mark inwards, then rinse the spot with a clean damp cloth. Avoid bleach, which can strip colour from fabric and thread alike, and test any stain remover on a hidden spot first.
Can I iron an embroidered set?
Check the label for the right heat first. Iron from the back with a thin cotton cloth between the iron and the embroidery, and never press directly on sequins, beads or metallic thread, because heat can damage them. If the fabric is silk or another delicate material, use the lowest setting the label allows.
Should the shirt, gharara and dupatta go in the same wash?
Only if the colour test shows nothing runs. Pieces in different colours or fabrics are safer washed separately, because a dupatta in a lighter shade can pick up dye from a deeper gharara. When in doubt, hand wash each piece in its own basin of fresh cold water.
Before the Next Function
Cold water, inside out, no wringing, shade drying, and a bag if the machine is involved: that routine suits most embroidered outfits, provided the label agrees. Fix loose threads before washing, store the set folded with tissue, and photograph the care label on your phone so you still have it after the tag fades or gets cut out. The next time a set comes home, do the colour test before the first wash.
