When preserving your wedding dress, there are a few common mistakes to avoid. First, never attempt to clean the dress on your own.
Professional cleaners are the ones to trust with anything as delicate as this, even if you are a good housekeeper.
Keep the dress in a dry and cool location. In the presence of high temperatures and humidity, the fabric may fade or disintegrate.
Finally, make sure to have the garment checked for wear and tear on a regular basis. Take these easy measures to keep your dress looking as stunning as the day you wore it.
Mistakes often made when attempting to preserve a wedding dress include the following:
Trying To Clean Your Dress By Yourself
Silk, lace and rayon are common examples of delicate fabrics used to make wedding gowns.
Attempting certain cleaning materials could result in irreparable harm.
Don't ruin your carefully curated garment by opting for the cheapest dry cleaner or attempting to clean it yourself.
It would be best if you got your wedding dress preserved by a professional. They have trained professionals and state-of-the-art facilities to handle your gown with care.
Attended an outdoor ceremony, and now your dress is dirty? Don't waste your time trying to remove the stain on your own.
Materials like silk, rayon, and lace are typically reserved for the most special of occasions, making them ideal for use in wedding gowns.
However, these materials may still be damaged even if you try to clean them well.
You probably put a lot of thought and consideration into picking out this dress, so don't ruin it by going with the cheapest dry cleaner or trying to clean it yourself.
Instead, have your clothing carefully stored by a professional service. They have the staff and facilities to properly care for your gown.
Don't Follow The Cleaning Instructions
The most common error people make when cleaning their wedding dress is to disregard the care guidelines.
Care instructions for such delicate garments are printed right on the garment tags.
These dresses will include care labels that specify whether they should be machine washed, hand washed, or dry cleaned, as well as the maximum washable water temperature.
It's easy to keep your wedding nightgown in pristine condition with these cleaning tips.
Using A Cleaner Who Is Not An Expert But Who Cleans Wedding Dress
Preserving a wedding dress begins with a thorough cleaning, but that's no job for any dry cleaner.
Instead, it would be best if you found a cleaner with extensive experience and a focus on bridal gowns.
A qualified expert can select the most appropriate cleaning process, as there are several types of bridal dress fabrics and embellishments.
Before making a final decision, it's a good idea to get referrals and suggestions from others and read reviews written by previous clients.
There are several bridal shops that offer preservation and cleaning packages for the dress.
This bundle may seem like a great price, but before you buy it from the store, you should learn more about the provider.
Stains Were Not Pre-Treated.
You placed great spiritual value on your wedding dress, and now you must pay a hefty sum to wear it because wedding dresses are typically more expensive than other formal wear.
In addition, due to the fact that you will be walking among your guests throughout the wedding ceremony, stains are typical on these dresses.
Therefore, the beauty of your wedding dress could be ruined if you washed it without addressing any stains it may have picked up.
Using Inappropriate Storage Materials
Dresses should be kept in acid-free containers or muslin, an unbleached cotton fabric.
This will lessen the likelihood of yellowing and other forms of degradation.
The storage container's lid should fit snugly to keep out dirt, dust, insects, and light.
If your trunk has a see-through window, choose one made of acetate or polyester rather than plastic.
If you're keeping your wedding dress in its original plastic garment bag, you should know that this is the most dangerous storage option available.
Macari advises that this can cause gradual yellowing over time. Instead, it would be best if you kept your robe in an acid-free container that shields it from light and air.
Since then, experts in the field have been offering services to preserve bridal gowns by vacuum sealing them for long-term storage.
Your dress will remain in pristine condition as long as the fabric is permeable to the air. Clothes will yellow quickly if exposed to plastic fumes.
Mould and mildew might form in your gown if you keep it in plastic.
Don't store your robe in a plastic or dry-cleaning bag. A cotton wedding dress storage bag is available for short-term use.
To keep it safe from insects, dust, sunshine, and filth over a lengthy period of time, a professional wedding dress preservationist recommends storing the garment in an acid-free maintenance chest.
The Washing Machine Is Overloaded
One of the most common mistakes brides make is to wash their wedding dresses in a machine.
They sometimes overfill the washing machine to conserve time and effort, even while washing delicate items like bridal gowns.
However, it is harmful to the appearance of your expensive clothing and your washing machine. So, if you care about the appearance of your wedding dress, please don't do it.
Keeping Your Gown In An Unsuitable Location
Keep your dress somewhere cool and dry. It's a common error for brides to store their wedding gowns in a dark, damp place like the attic or basement.
Your attic's potentially scorching temperatures (up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit) make it a major preservation risk.
In addition, broken pipes in the basement or a leaking roof are always a possibility. You can be sure that water will make its way to your dress if this occurs.
Clean Using Dark-Colored Clothing.
It's a common oversight that can be easily avoided when taking care of your wedding dress.
Your white wedding dress has a greater potential to absorb the dye from your other, darker garments.
As a result, it may ruin the elegant appearance of your gown.
Failure To Invest In A Good Dry Cleaning
An excellent cleaning is the first step in wedding dress preservation, but this is not a job for any dry cleaner.
First, verify that the cleaner has the experience and expertise in handling bridal garments.
A professional expert will have a variety of methods at their disposal for smoothing out the unique fabric and embellishments on your bridal gown and will be able to choose the one that works best for you.
Don't just take your dress to any dry cleaner; find one that specialises in preserving bridal garments.
Conant warns cleaners that spills of sugary drinks like white wine or ginger ale may not always be dissolved in dry cleaning since they can dry clear.
As time passes, the sugar will caramelise, turning the stains a deep brown colour.
Use Of Strong Chemicals
Cleaning your wedding dress with harsh chemical-based cleaners might damage the fabric, so it's best to utilise gentler methods instead.
While it may be tempting, following the care instructions specifically prohibiting the use of bleach on your brilliant wedding dress and matching nightgown can help preserve their vibrant colours and elegant styles.
Not Properly Cleaning Your Gown
If you've been lucky, your dress hasn't gotten any noticeable stains, but it probably still has some undetectable ones hiding in it.
You're certain to have sweat and scent stains on your gown after spending the day and night posing for pictures, embracing family, and getting down on the dance floor.
Fabric will eventually discolour and deteriorate if these stains are not removed. If you want to prevent stains on your gown, cleaning it immediately is recommended.
After the wedding, you should get your wedding dress cleaned no later than 30 days.
Think about adding this to the list of things the bridesmaids can do for you if you plan on taking off on your honeymoon immediately away.
Hang It Up For A Long Time
It's one of the easiest things to avoid when caring for your wedding dress. Wedding dresses and nightgowns tend to get longer when hung, so if you hang them for longer than recommended, they may lose their original shape.
MyDressBox is are wedding dress cleaning and preservation specialists servicing all major cities in Australia and New Zealand, including Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Sunshine Coast, Wollongong, Geelong and many more.
Conclusion
Some common mistakes people make when trying to preserve a wedding dress are as follows.
Avoid wasting money on a cheap dry cleaner or ruining your carefully picked garment by washing it yourself. If you follow these steps, your wedding nightgown will remain in superb condition for years.
The first step in preserving a bridal gown is careful cleaning, but that's not something a dry cleaner is qualified to do.
An experienced cleaner will know exactly what method will work best for each variety of wedding gowns.
Muslin, an unbleached cotton cloth, or acid-free containers are ideal for storing formal attire.
Brides often think they can save time and energy by throwing their wedding dresses in the washing machine.
However, putting your dress in plastic could lead to mould and mildew.
A trained expert can iron out the wrinkles in your one-of-a-kind dress using any of a number of different techniques.
Your wedding dress will be permanently stained with sweat and perfume by the end of the night.
The fabric will fade and wear out if the stains aren't treated. So don't take your wedding gown to any dry cleaner; instead, look for one that focuses on delicate items.
Content Summary
- When preserving your wedding dress, there are a few common mistakes to avoid.
- First, never attempt to clean the dress on your own.
- Keep the dress in a dry and cool location.
- Finally, make sure to have the garment checked for wear and tear on a regular basis.
- Attempting certain cleaning materials could result in irreparable harm.
- Don't ruin your carefully curated garment by opting for the cheapest dry cleaner or attempting to clean it yourself.
- It would be best if you got your wedding dress preserved by a professional.
- Don't waste your time trying to remove the stain on your own.
- Materials like silk, rayon, and lace are typically reserved for the most special of occasions, making them ideal for use in wedding gowns.
- Instead, have your clothing carefully stored by a professional service.
- They have the staff and facilities to properly care for your gown.
- The most common error people make when cleaning their wedding dress is to disregard the care guidelines.
- Preserving a wedding dress begins with a thorough cleaning, but that's no job for any dry cleaner.
- Instead, it would be best if you found a cleaner with extensive experience and a focus on bridal gowns.
- There are several bridal shops that offer preservation and cleaning packages for the dress.
- Therefore, the beauty of your wedding dress could be ruined if you washed it without addressing any stains it may have picked up.
- Dresses should be kept in acid-free containers or muslin, an unbleached cotton fabric.
- The storage container's lid should fit snugly to keep out dirt, dust, insects, and light.
- If you're keeping your wedding dress in its original plastic garment bag, you should know that this is the most dangerous storage option available.
- Instead, it would be best if you kept your robe in an acid-free container that shields it from light and air.
- Since then, experts in the field have been offering services to preserve bridal gowns by vacuum sealing them for long-term storage.
- Mould and mildew might form in your gown if you keep it in plastic.
- Don't store your robe in a plastic or dry-cleaning bag.
- A cotton wedding dress storage bag is available for short-term use.
- To keep it safe from insects, dust, sunshine, and filth over a lengthy period of time, a professional wedding dress preservationist recommends storing the garment in an acid-free maintenance chest.
- One of the most common mistakes brides make is to wash their wedding dresses in a machine.
- However, it harms the appearance of your expensive clothing and washing machine.
- Keep your dress somewhere cool and dry.
- It's a common error for brides to store their wedding gowns in a dark, damp place like the attic or basement.
- Clean Using Dark-Colored Clothing.
- An excellent cleaning is the first step in wedding dress preservation, but this is not a job for any dry cleaner.
- First, verify that the cleaner has the experience and expertise in handling bridal garments.
- Don't just take your dress to any dry cleaner; find one that specialises in preserving bridal garments.
- Conant warns cleaners that spills of sugary drinks like white wine or ginger ale may not always be dissolved in dry cleaning since they can dry clear.
- Cleaning your wedding dress with harsh chemical-based cleaners might damage the fabric, so it's best to utilise gentler methods instead.
- If you want to prevent stains on your gown, cleaning it immediately is recommended.
- After the wedding, you should get your wedding dress cleaned no later than 30 days.
- Hang It Up For A Long time it's one of the easiest things to avoid when caring for your wedding dress.
FAQs About Preserve Wedding Dress
What Does It Mean To Preserve A Wedding Dress?
The term "wedding dress preservation" refers to the specialised cleaning and packaging process used to extend the life of your gown's beauty. The preservation process lessens the likelihood of the gown becoming yellow from oxidation and keeps it from being mouldy.
What Is A Preservation Box For Wedding Dresses?
A bridal gown preservation box is a specifically built and chemically treated hermetically sealed box designed to archive your material so as to not let the elements and wear and tear harm the garment.
Why Should You Preserve Your Wedding Dress?
Preserving a wedding dress is a popular choice for many brides, but the main one is that it ensures the garment stays in pristine condition for future generations to enjoy.
For this reason, some mothers hang on to their wedding dresses.
Other brides choose to repurpose the gown into a veil, a vow renewal dress, or a baptism gown for their children.
Some brides don’t plan on recycling the dress but wish to hold on to it as a cherished souvenir.
It's only natural that you would want to save the dress, as you've put a lot of thought, effort, and possibly even emotion into it.
In circumstances where the outfit is to go unused for a long period of time, preservation is crucial.
Is Cleaning Your Dress Enough?
It's important to get your dress cleaned by a professional after the wedding to eliminate any traces of champagne, grime, or sweat. Stains may not be seen at first, but they become increasingly noticeable as they age and become oxidised.
Stains can be removed by cleaning, but having your garment preserved will ensure that it doesn't fade, brown, creas, mildew, or mould over time.
In the course of the preservation process, your gown will be examined with ultraviolet light to reveal any unseen stains.
Where Do You Store Your Wedding Dress After It’s Preserved?
Preserving your clothing for as long as possible requires keeping it in a spot that is both clean and temperature controlled, away from curious hands and paws.
Avoid the attic and the basement because of the extreme temperature swings that might occur there.
Sunlight, moisture, and oil from your fingertips can all cause your dress to fade, mildew, and stain. If you need to move your gown, lay it flat with the right side up, and be as careful as you can to keep it level.