Specialist Costume Cleaning for Dance, Theatre, Film & Performance

Professional care for performance costumes

Costume Care is a specialist costume cleaning company providing professional cleaning for dance, theatre, film, and performance costumes.

Costume Care

Specialist textile care

Our professional costume cleaning service uses a specialist Costume-Safe wet cleaning system – designed specifically for the needs of performance costumes, dance costumes, theatre wardrobes, and film & TV costumes.

Unlike traditional laundry and high-street dry cleaners, wet care gently yet thoroughly cleans delicate fabrics while protecting colour, stretch, trims and embellishments.

No harsh solvents

Traditional dry cleaning for costumes relies on harsh solvents that can leave residues, weaken fibres, and damage delicate trims over time.

Our wet care process uses water as the primary cleaning medium, combined with carefully formulated, textile-safe detergents.

Better for costumes, better for performers.

Responsible cleaning

Wet care eliminates the need for solvents and chemical discharge.

We use biodegradable detergents and efficient, controlled wet cleaning cycles designed for specialist costume cleaning – delivering exceptional results with an environmentally responsible approach.

It’s a more responsible way to clean – without sacrificing results.

Why Costume Care?

Built from industry experience

Costumes Care evolved from the UK's leading dance costume hire company – giving us unmatched insight into how costumes wear, perform, and need to be cleaned.

As our laundry requirements grew in scale and complexity, we invested in purpose-built costume cleaning services and specialist equipment, becoming one of the UK’s largest facilities focused exclusively on cleaning performance garments.

Today we offer our expert costume cleaning services to:

  • Dance schools and performance groups
  • Amateur theatre & drama societies
  • Professional theatre companies
  • TV and film production wardrobes

A specialist service

Costumes are not everyday garments – and they should never be treated like them.

We specialise in professional dance costume cleaning, theatre costume cleaning, and film & TV costume cleaning, with handling systems, machinery and expertise designed specifically for performance garments.

Our Costume-Safe cleaning process

Our proprietary wet cleaning system is developed exclusively for performance costumes:

  • Gentle wet cleaning protects fibres, stretch, trims and embellishments
  • No PERC solvents
  • No optical brighteners
  • pH-balanced, biodegradable detergents

This reduces stress on the fabric and fibres, extends costume life and ensures garments are clean, fresh, and stage-ready.

Quick Refresh

A gentle freshen-up for costumes before storage or between performances.

£2.75/item
  • Costume-Safe batch clean and dry
  • No spotting or pre-treatment
  • Minimum of 20 items
  • Reduced rates for 50+ items
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Centre Stage

Our most popular option for performance groups.

£6.95/item
  • Costume-Safe dedicated clean and dry
  • Basic inspection and pre-spotting
  • Minimum of 20 items
  • Volume pricing for larger bookings
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Encore

Professional cleaning for theatre, touring, film and broadcast.

£9.95/item
  • Costume-Safe dedicated clean and dry
  • Full inspection and targeted spot treatments
  • Priority scheduling for production clients
  • Minimum of 10 items
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Frequently asked questions

Is wet cleaning better than dry cleaning for costumes?

In most cases, yes. Traditional dry cleaning uses chemical solvents that can stiffen fabrics, weaken fibres and damage delicate trims over time. Our specialist wet cleaning process uses carefully controlled water temperatures and textile-safe detergents to clean performance costumes while protecting stretch, colour and embellishments. For dance, theatre, and performance garments, wet cleaning is often the safer long-term option.

What types of costumes can you clean?

We specialise in cleaning: Dance costumes and competition wear; Theatre and touring production wardrobes; Film and TV costumes; Stretch fabrics, mesh, sequins and embellished garments. If you’re unsure about a specific garment, just ask — we’re happy to advise before cleaning.

Do you remove stains from stage makeup and fake tan?

Yes — our Centre Stage and Encore services include pre-spotting and targeted stain treatment. Quick Refresh is designed for lightly worn items and does not include individual stain work. If a garment needs specialist attention, we’ll advise on the most suitable service tier.

Is your costume cleaning environmentally friendly?

Our wet cleaning process eliminates the need for solvent-based dry cleaning. We use biodegradable detergents and controlled, efficient cycles designed specifically for textile care. It’s a more responsible approach to professional costume cleaning — without compromising results.

Do you offer costume cleaning for schools?

Yes. Our Quick Refresh and Centre Stage services are particularly popular with dance schools and performance groups following show season.

Do you clean costumes for film and theatre productions?

Yes. Our Encore service is designed for professional theatre, touring productions, film and broadcast wardrobes. We provide targeted stain treatment and priority scheduling where required.

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