I have learnt a lot about latex since starting my internship with Eustratia last year and the most vital thing I have learnt is how to care for your garments in order to get the most out of them. Despite the growing popularity of latex clothing, not everyone is aware of how to care for this delicate fabric. As I regularly post about latex I thought this would be an appropriate post, and hopefully something you will find useful.
The following information is courtesy of Aesthetic Contradiction, and you can find her original blog post here.
Things to Avoid
- Direct sunlight (discolours and degrades)
- Smoke (discolours)
- Oil/wax (degrades)
- Perfume and scented products (degrades)
- Metal, particularly copper and nickel (stains)
- Sweat (degrades)
- Water/humidity (rots)
- Heat (melts/degrades)
- Sharp objects/long nails (tears/damages)
- Sun-cream (discolours)
- Leather (production oils can degrade)
- Greasy food (degrades)
The effects of staining can sometimes be reversed by washing, talcing and placing the garment in a dark, air tight container for several months.
Dressing Aids
When wearing pull on latex items, use talc or water based lube. Lube is normally better for very tight garments as it's easier to distribute but talc is preferable for items such as leggings and stockings to prevent sticking behind the knee.
Shining Your Latex
Not compulsory but great for achieving the 'wet look'. Silicone lube or spray is most commonly used, you can get products like Pjur cult that doubles up as dressing aid and shiner and vivshine which is recommended to be used while washing the latex but can also be applied by hand.
Washing
Wash your latex as soon after wearing as possible. If you come back from a night out where you have been sweating, it’s probably easiest to just get in the shower with (make sure the water isn’t too hot though). If you can’t wash it straight away, make sure you cover it in talc or corn starch to absorb any liquid on the surface.
As a general rule, wash your latex in a bowl or bath tub of lukewarm water using a mild detergent or soap. This can range from unscented soap to mild/baby shampoo to washing up liquid. Just run the lather or bar of soap lightly across the surface of the latex and rub with your hands. Afterwards rinse it properly, making sure no suds remain. At this stage, if you would like to add silicone oil (pjur/vivishine) to your wash and save yourself having to shine it later on, you can fill the bowl/tub up again with fresh water and add a few drops of your selected oil, along with the latex. Swoosh the latex around the bowl/tub with your hand make sure all areas come into contact with the oil to ensure an even shine.
Drying
When you have finished your final rinse, dab the latex with a towel to get rid of excess water and hang on a plastic hanger to drip dry. Try to avoid metal clothes maidens as they can become rusty and stain your garments. Also anything that causes your garment to be doubled over is not advisable as it can stop it from drying properly. As latex is a natural product and can rot, it is preferable that it is allowed to dry as quickly as possible. When areas of the latex have retained excess water you may notice discolouration, commonly referred to as “water marks”. These are usually temporary but could develop into something more serious if the latex isn’t allowed to dry.
Packing
When your latex appears dry it is time to wrap it up and store it safely in a dark, dry place.
First of all, make sure you dust your newly washed garment with talc/corn starch to absorb any excess moisture. The powder should also stop it from sticking to its self but I also wrap it in tissue paper at this point. This stops the latex from sticking to its self as well as the outer packaging and also minimises creasing and offers some protection from the sun in the event of transportation. White/natural tissue paper is recommended so you don’t have to worry about it staining lighter coloured items.
Most people pack their latex in clear, grip lock bags. You can squeeze the air out of them which makes your garments easy to store and carry. They also usually make it easy to guess which garment is in each bag but you can also add labels to them if you have multiple items that look similar.
Large items can also be placed on hangers and in garment bags or wrapped in plastic bags.
Be especially careful with items containing metal components and make sure the metal doesn’t come into contact with the latex (particularly for light colours). You can wrap tissue paper round them or stock masking tape over them (particularly useful for press-studs).
Storing
Some people have a latex closet, others prefer to store theirs in plastic boxes/bins but I prefer drawers for the majority of my items. I only store large, mixed media or structured items in the wardrobe and I wrap these up properly to stop them coming into contact with other items that might stain them. I wouldn’t recommend storing items of clothing made in standard grade latex on hangers for extended periods of time as they may stretch.
Obviously light and transparent colours requite extra care as they discolour easily. Black and dark coloured latex will probably be fine, even if you don’t take all the measures listed here, but as a general rule, the better you look after your latex, the longer it will last.
