How To Clean A Wedding Dress

Your wedding dress represents a large investment, and more importantly, a piece of memorabillia of that wonderful day, that is worth preserving in a pristine state! Perhaps you even plan to offer it to a daughter one day. And if you prefer to sell your wedding gown, or pass it on to someone else, having it in a clean condition is important.

Accidental stains can easily occur at the reception or any other time during the whole event. The sooner it is dealt with correctly, the more likely it is to come out. However, if is small and not really noticeable, it may be better to wait until the dress is taken off to clean it, as you may just end up spreading the stain and making it noticeable!

Warning: any attempt at stain removal may result in discolouration or setting the stain, so if you are unsure what to do, just gently dab off (you could also use a little soda water fairly safely) as best as possible, and leave for the professionals after the wedding.

In pre-planning for your wedding, it might be a good idea to make yourself up a small emergency stain removing kit. Then, if you, or any of your wedding party or guests have a stain problem, you are prepared!

Emergency Stain Removal Kit
Soda Water
Baking Soda
Talcum Powder
Salt
Borax (mix 4 tablespoons to one litre)

A pre test on an inside seam is advisable to see if a substance is safe to use on your wedding dress, as different fabrics react in different ways, and you may discolour your dress.

Always gently dab, never rub or scrunch.

Blot up any loose material or excess liquid before beginning stain removal.

Wine Stains: Dab or soak area with soda water. For red wine, some borax solution may be needed.

Blood Stains: Saliva can work wonders in removing blood. The next step is to soak the spot in water with salt mixed in.

Most Food/Drink Stains (coffee, tea, chocolate, egg, soft drink, fruit juice): Borax solution.

Berry Stains: Lemon juice or vinegar

Greasy Food Stain: Sprinkle heavily with talcum powder or baking soda. Allow it to soak up the stain for several minutes, then shake/gently brush off.

Vomit: Borax solution.

Ink: Try hairspray, leave for a few minutes, then dab.

Lipstick: Sprinkle with baking soda or talcum powder. Gently scrape.

Grass: Try a sugar and water solution.

Before storing your wedding gown, it is important that it is cleaned- even if there are no visible stains- both for its appearance and to lessen possible insect infestation. After the wedding is over, you can either take your dress to a dry cleaner or attempt to clean it yourself. Naturally, the sooner either is done, the better. If you are off on honeymoon, it may be a good idea to pre-arrange for whatever is to be done, and have a responsible person allocated to do it.

Dry Cleaner
Make sure you take it to a dry cleaner who has experience in cleaning wedding dresses. Ask friends and relatives for recommendations. The dry cleaning process can be quite strenuous for delicate garments, so don't trust this job to just anyone. Check that they will use *virgin* solvents, not recycled, and that they know which solvent is safe for your particular gown.

Show the dry cleaner any stains, and also where any not very visible/cleaned spills occured, as they may need pre-treatment. Also, point out any damamged (torn, threadbare, fraying, pulled seams etc) areas that may need extra care. Also, some decorations may need to be removed for the cleaning process, so make sure you discuss this thoroughly with the dry cleaner.

Cleaning Your Wedding Dress Yourself
This should only be attempted if you are sure that the materials used in your wedding gown are safe to be washed in water, and you have confidence in being able to do it successfully. Once again, you may need to remove some decorations, as they may not be able to stand up to extended immersion.

Be cautious of what detergents you use, as some- especially those containing any kind of bleach- can cause yellowing in years to come. If you can find one without perfumes, colourants and whiteners, all the better. The bathtub is the easiest place to wash your wedding dress, as there is plenty of room so that it doesn't have to be folded or crumpled. Soak in water- it can be warm or cold- depending on what dirt/stains your dress has and any likelihood of shrinkage- and a small amount of your chosen detergent. Leave soaking for about 15 minutes, then gently sponge any visible stain areas. Change the water and soak for another 15 minutes.

Rinse gently until absolutely no suds remain. This could be done outside, laying on an outdoor table on towels/sheets, by gently squirting down with your hose. Do not squeeze or ring the garment. Dry flat, in the shade, on a table covered in towels. When it is no longer very drippy, you could dry it inside on a table, or even your bed, thickly covered with towels. Do not store until completely dry. This may take more than a day, depending on the dress and temperature.

It is probably a good idea to leave it safely airing for a few days, before packing away. Make sure you store it in an acid free box and any tissue paper you wrap it in is acid free. Keep in a dry place, out of direct sunlight.

Barinya takes no responsibility for any stain removal attempt which goes wrong! Wedding dresses especially need to be treated with extreme caution and it is often best left to professionals.