You cautiously selected your wedding dress for the most one of a kind day of your life. Now that the day is over, how can you make certain that your gown stays fantastic for eternity? One day you might prefer to omit on your wedding gown to your child or even grandchild. If you take desirable care of it, your dress could last for decades. But understanding exactly what to do and what not to do is key. Here are 5 DIY tips when preserving your wedding dress yourself.
- Clean The Dress First
Don’t be fooled despite their overall delicacy, a lot of wedding dresses take quite a beating throughout the reception. Eating, drinking and dancing exact a toll on a dress, particularly if it’s white or some other light color, so getting it cleaned after your wedding ceremony is an absolute must. Before you undertake the upkeep process, you want to make certain that the dress is definitely clean. You can do this yourself, or bring it to the cleaners to have the costume utterly cleaned. This will make certain that there are no stains or other spots on the dress. If you attempt to preserve the gown barring getting it cleaned first, you will in all likelihood discover that the stains have set years later, and can in no way be removed.
A clean gown makes storing it and retaining it in pristine condition that much easier, however, the intricate beadwork, embellishments, and extra clothes on many wedding dresses can make cleaning them yourself very difficult. You can attempt to spot-clean the occasional wine stain, however, it’s fairly difficult to spruce up the most tricky gowns yourself.
- Spot-Treating Stains
Perform a thorough inspection of your dress. Look over the dress for any stains, taking into account what the stain consists of. Make certain you have the cleaning supplies you will need. Take a good look at the hemline. Unless you lifted your dress everywhere you went on your wedding day, the dress is not that dirty. Wedding dress hemlines are like extraordinary massive dry mops that clean the flooring of church buildings and reception centers! Inspect the specific layers. Wedding clothes can consist of greater than one layer of fabric, so it’s a desirable notion to appear over each layer for any stains. Inspecting each and every factor of your dress will help you recognize what needs to be cleaned so you can plan accordingly.
Moreover, you need to test the spot cleaner. Use a heavy stain remover (e.g., Stain RX) as soon as possible, however before you use it on your wedding gown, be certain to test it on a small area to make sure it doesn’t wreck the fabric. Pick out a spot that is not sizeable and takes a look at it in that area. Separate your layers with a paper towel. While cleaning a stain on one layer, place a piece of paper towel beneath so the stain does not transfer to that layer. The paper towel must absorb the stain so it doesn’t transfer onto any other section of your dress.
In addition, pat the stain out with the stain remover. Don’t rub the stain remover into the costume due to the fact your gown is fragile and may additionally tear. Instead, apply the stain remover then use a wet towel to gently push away from the stain. Apply this technique to the edges of the stain. Lastly, use a hair dryer to dry the water off the dress. Leaving it to air dry may additionally create water rings in the dress.
- Mind The Fabric
You have chosen your perfect wedding dress primarily based on how its excellent details and subtle fabrics made you feel and the love it represented. To retain these feelings properly, it’s necessary to apprehend that extraordinary sorts of fabric and detailing require distinct kinds of care. Whether your dress is chiffon, satin, organza, charmeuse, lace or tulle, you’ll choose to pick a professional wedding gown cleaner that is familiar with the applicable cleaning techniques for your dress.
If you choose to clean the gown yourself, you need to be aware of the unique materials that are commonly used on wedding dresses. Don’t use normal harsh laundry detergent on the subtle materials in your dress. Never use bleach or a warm iron on your dress. Bleach will turn yellow on non-cotton fabric, and iron will melt organza and polyester. Here are a few common wedding dress fabrics and our recommended cleaning strategies for each:
- Tulle: Hand wash, using only soap flakes or gentle soap. Use warm water; do not wring. Dry out of direct sunlight.
- Chiffon: Dry clean only.
- Organza: Dry clean only.
- Charmeuse: Dry clean or hand wash using a silk-wash product in cold water. Then air dry.
- Satin: Dry clean or hand wash in cold water with mild detergent. Then air dry.
- Laces: Hand wash with cold water with high-quality gentle soap. Massage soapy water evenly and soak for 30 minutes. Rinse and lay flat to dry.
- Use Acid-Free Paper To Store Your Dress
You’ll need to purchase a distinctive acid-free paper to store your wedding gown for any length of time. Other papers can leave stains on the refined fabric of your dress. Wrap the dress in the acid-free paper and save it inside of the bridal box it came in. Seal it completely.
We know you don’t like putting your gown on a hanger and sandwiching it in your closet between coats and the skirt. Hanging a heavy wedding dress can distort its form and leave it exposed to the elements, which is a fabric tragedy ready to happen. But you can’t just shove a dress in an attic or below the bed with no protection, either.
What must a bride do? A large garment bag is better than nothing, but if you can find the money for it, spring for a proper chest or, at the very least, a sturdy, water-resistant box. Wrap the dress in pre-washed, colorless cloth and place it gently in the chest. Wrapping it in colorful paper or print fabric can lead to color transfer—believe us, you don’t want that.
- Use An Online Wedding Dress Preservation Service
One of the risks of wrapping and boxing your wedding dress properly is damaging the cloth and not actually preserving it at all. A perfect preservation box is specially sealed, with gauges on the box to ensure the temperature and humidity level is kept stable at all times. To hold your wedding gown so you can be sure it will continue to be pristine, think about investing in an online wedding gown preservation service.
Once you place your order, a preservation box is mailed to you. You pack up your wedding dress and ship it back to the preservation company. They give your dress a museum-quality cleaning, repack your dress inside the preservation box, and ship it back to you. The box is now fully sealed and ready for decades-long wedding gown storage. With this service, all you have to do is make sure you store the box in a climate controlled room. This is a convenient way to keep your cherished wedding dress in a condition that is new.
Should I preserve my wedding dress? this might be the question you asked after reading this article. Your wedding dress was a huge investment; why wouldn’t you want to protect it and keep it around? Proper wedding gown preservation will keep your gown away from any harmful damage and will allow you to relive your cherished day for years to come.
Considering the investment that you made in your wedding dress and how much it means to you and your spouse it’s worth it to preserve it for the memories. So, we recommend you invest in wedding dress cleaning early on after the wedding and before the honeymoon if possible to ensure any stains are quickly taken care of. If you want professional care for your wedding dress, do it here.
