You spent months picking out your dream wedding gown and meticulously ensured every detail was perfect for the big day. The dress is likely one of the most expensive garments you will purchase in your lifetime.
So it makes sense to preserve your precious investment and irreplaceable memories by cleaning your dress, and restoring it to its original condition, after the festivities are over.
We’ve been cleaning wedding dresses for over 20 years and we’ve seen lots of mistakes made by brides in that time. Here’s our list of the 7 wedding dress cleaning mistakes to avoid.
Mistake 1: Waiting Too Long to Clean It
Don’t let your gorgeous gown become discoloured, or permanently stained, by waiting too long before cleaning. Stains from body oils, sweat, champagne, grass, dirt, seawater and food/drink can set permanently if left untreated for too long.
Ideally, you should have your dress cleaned immediately after the wedding. At a maximum, wait no longer than 1-2 months after your wedding date. The sooner the better for stain removal and preventing lasting odours.Mistake 2: Attempting to Hand Wash It at Home
It may seem tempting to DIY clean your dress at home and “save the money.” But amateur washing risks shrinking fabrics, damaging delicate beading/lace, and setting in stains further. You simply don’t have the proper space, drying setup, steamers, or stain removing solutions at home to clean it properly. Trust your expensive gown only to the wedding dress cleaning professionals.Mistake 3: Letting the Bridal Shop Clean It
While some bridal salons include free post-wedding cleaning, it’s usually best to use your own trusted, professional cleaner instead. Many salons outsource cleaning to third parties who lack gown expertise.
Do your research to find the best dedicated wedding dress specialist cleaner near you with extensive experience, proven track record, specialised techniques, and eco-friendly gown solutions.
Mistake 4: Trusting a Regular Dry Cleaner
When it comes to your precious wedding gown, don’t take risks by trusting it to a regular dry cleaner. Most lack the specialised equipment, solutions, and expertise in delicate fabrics that wedding dress cleaning requires.
They may shrink or damage intricate beading, lace, and fabrics. Only professional specialists with training in gown preservation and ideal storage conditions will meticulously clean your cherished keepsake using customised techniques.
Regular dry cleaners simply aren’t equipped for the intricacies of handling wedding dresses. Invest in the quality your gown deserves.
Mistake 5: Attempting DIY Stain Removal at Home
Things like lemon juice, vinegar, and bleach-based treatments are too harsh for delicate and porous wedding dress fabrics. Only gentle, specially formulated stain removers should be used.
Improper stain removal attempts at home can end up permanently discolouring or damaging parts of the gown fabric before a professional cleaner can properly treat it. Leave it to the experts.
Mistake 6: Vacuum Sealing It Without First Cleaning
Never seal an uncleaned gown! This compresses all the acidic sweat, body oil stains, food debris, and odours directly into the fabric and embellishments. Over time, this causes permanent discolouration and deteriorated fabrics.
Always have your dress professionally cleaned first before any type of vacuum sealing for storage or preservation.
Mistake 7: Putting your dress in the dryer
One of the most damaging things you can do to your wedding dress is to put it in the dryer. The high heat and tumbling action are a recipe for disaster when it comes to delicate fabrics, intricate beadwork, and other embellishments that are commonly found on wedding gowns.
The heat can cause shrinkage, distort the shape of the dress, and even melt certain types of decorations like sequins or synthetic lace.
Always consult with a professional cleaner who specialises in wedding dress care for the best drying methods suitable for your gown.