Hand wash only in lukewarm or cold water. If the leotard is red/scarlet/other shades of red – please read last paragraph. Use any brand of bubbly dish soap or Ivori Snow liquid detergent. Do not soak; do not use bleach, harsh or granular detergents or liquid fabric softener. Carefully rub dirty spots which are usually neck, underarms and panties. Rinse in cold water. Place your leotard on a towel; try to “layer” the back skirt, panties and front skirt with small towels or by folding the one towel you are using. For large sizes second towel is recommended to cover the leotard from the top. Roll up the leotard in 2 towels pressing hard trying to soak up all the water from nylon. Press the “roll” for a few seconds to make sure as much water as possible is soaked up. Parts of towel should be soaking wet.
Hang the leo upside down for 10-15 min by placing the hanger into panties to let them air dry a little without layers of skirt being around them. Hang the leo right side up with hanger in the shoulders. It should be dry in a couple of hours.
Please note: when the leotard is wet, glue under rhinestones might look white and the mesh might look “stained”. It is normal. After drying glue becomes invisible and the “stains” disappear. If your leotard has a lot of silver/gold paint, it’s better to rub the dirty spots first, before fully submerging the whole leo to minimize the time silver/gold paint is under water – it washes off easily. Other colors of hand painting (if any) are not susceptible to water damage.
Champion leotards are made from Italian fabric that “bleeds” red color if placed in warm water. Please use ice cold water for washing and ice cold water for rinsing. Rub the dirty spots first and then submerge the whole leotard under water. If water becomes bright red it’s normal. The water color will not affect mesh or other leotard colors. The leotard will not become faded.
