8 Tips for Cleaning Your Wedding Dress
It's most likely you spent quite a bit of time and money finding your wedding dress, and that's why you want to ensure you take as much care of your wedding dress after the big day, as you did before the big day!
Whether you wish to keep, donate or sell your wedding dress, preservation and cleaning is an important factor. Wedding Dresses are generally made of quality and delicate fabrics that need to be nurtured, and cannot be cleaned like any old other dress. If you want your dress to be of great quality well after the fact or in a brilliant state to get the best re-sale price, then professional wedding dress cleaning is a recommended investment.
If you do not take the right steps to professionally cleaning your wedding dress, this could lead to yellow stains, oxidation, permanent creasing or even mould. So, let's chat about how we can avoid all of the above, and why you don't need to stress about the dress.
A great option for any Bride in Australia looking for professional wedding dress cleaning is definitely My Dressbox Wedding Dress Cleaning Specialists, we had an indepth discussion on everything you need to know about professional wedding dress cleaning.
8 Questions about Wedding Dress Cleaning
- Why should I get my Wedding Dress professionally cleaned?
- How long after the Wedding should I get my wedding dress cleaned?
- Would it be an issue if I cleaned my wedding dress 5 years after the big day?
- What is the best way to preserve the quality of my wedding dress for years to come?
- What stains can a professional wedding dress cleaner remove?
- How much does it cost to professionally clean a Wedding Dress?
- What is the best way to store my Wedding Dress?
- The MyDressbox Wedding Dress Cleaning Specialists, what's their difference?
Why should I get my Wedding Dress professionally cleaned?
Today’s wedding gowns are made from a vast range of materials, fabrics, and adornments and it’s difficult to predict with certainty how a garment will react to different laundry products and cleaning methods. A specialist bridal laundry has extensive experience with the many materials used in wedding gowns, and will know the best possible way to care for every mark from fake tan and perspiration, mud and grass stains, to red wine and champagne.
How long after the Wedding should I get my wedding dress cleaned?
Generally speaking you should get your gown cleaned as soon as practically possible after the wedding – mainly to get it out of its garment bag, which is not typically suitable for long term storage. The sooner you get it cleaned, repaired, steamed and into an acid-free box, the sooner it is protected from damp, yellowing and other signs of ageing. That said, gowns will come clean years after the fact, and MyDressbox have cleaned gowns 5, 10, even 20+ years after the big day which have come out beautifully!
Would it be an issue if I cleaned my wedding dress 5 years after the big day?
We routinely clean gowns 2-5 years after the big day and 95%+ come out beautifully. The main issue with time is the way and state in which the gown is stored. Stains will come out years later, but they can leave the fabric underneath the stain discoloured, and depending on how the gown is stored, they can begin to yellow prematurely. The maximise your chances of a great result, sooner is better, but a few months wont hurt!
What is the best way to preserve the quality of my wedding dress for years to come?
All you really need is to store your cleaned gown in an acid-free storage box. You can go to the additional expense of a preservation box, but these are typically reserved for antique or museum pieces. Proper preservation boxes are vacuum sealed with an inert gas which prevents you from inspecting and truly reminiscing over our gown. We believe an acid-free storage box is the simpler, cheaper way to store your gown and it allows you to check on it from time to time and show it of to daughters and nieces in the future. A quality acid-free box will protect your gown for 10+ years.
What stains can a professional wedding dress cleaner remove?
There really aren’t many stains that can’t be removed or at least greatly reduced. Red wine, grass stains, makeup, fake tan, dirt and even cow manure – when you get married on a farm! – we’ve seen and removed them all. Specific fabrics, certain French crepe and wetsuit like materials can really trap some stains. We can normally tell when a particular stain/fabric are going to be problematic and can discuss it with you before we clean it – so just get in touch if you’re not sure about your gown.
How much does it cost to professionally clean a Wedding Dress?
Excluding a box, insurance and any needed repairs, specialist dry cleaners typically charge from $250 to $1000+ to clean a gown depending on the size, style, fabrics used and how dirty it is. MyDressbox set out to make wedding gown cleaning affordable and easy for all brides. We clean 95%+ gowns for less than $400, including an acid-free storage box, repairs and full insurance.
What is the best way to store my Wedding Dress?
Gowns should not be stored on hangers as, particularly heavier gowns, can stretch their seams. Most gown bags, especially plastic based ones, are not suitable for long term storage (over 12 months) and can cause early discolouration to the gown. Short-term, fold your gown into thirds and store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and pests. Longer term, an acid-free storage box with a tightly fitted enclosure to prevent dust and insects getting in is optimal.
The MyDressbox Wedding Dress Cleaning Specialists, what's their difference?
MyDressbox are a wet cleaning service, which means we don’t use dry cleaning chemicals to launder for your gown. Gowns are cared for by hand using gentle techniques appropriate for fine beading and sequins. We include full insurance as standard and offer a nationwide service in Australia and New Zealand.
We hope that ABIA & MyDressbox Wedding Dress Cleaning Specialists have given you a better insight into what is involved when cleaning your dream bridal gown.
