How Safe Is It to Dry Clean a Wedding Dress?

Shopping for a wedding dress can be a long and tiring process, but when you set your eyes on “the one,” you will be incredibly satisfied and happy. When you try the gown on and it fits you perfectly, you start to feel like the most beautiful bride. Your wedding day comes and goes, so what happens to your beautiful wedding gown after the big event?

Because of its sentimental value and the money you spent on it, you would want to preserve your dress. Before storing your wedding dress, the best thing to do is to take it to a professional dry cleaner immediately after your wedding.

You may be wondering if it is safe to dry clean your wedding dress. Many brides are skeptical about having their gowns washed in a laundry shop because of their expensive yet delicate fabrics. However, dry cleaning the gown will prevent permanent stains and ensures it retains its shape.

Things to Do Before Dry Cleaning Your Wedding Dress

When you take good care of your gown after the wedding, you will have the option of lending it to your sister or daughter in the future or having it rented out for extra income. Once you decide to dry clean the wedding dress, the first step is to look for the best company to preserve your gown.

Leaving your expensive piece of clothing in the hands of a professional cleaner gives you peace of mind. You have the assurance that the dry cleaner has handled many different wedding dresses in the past, so they know how to take excellent care of your gown.

When you take the dress to the dry cleaner, to ensure your dress is safe to clean, they will take the following steps:

1. Check the Label

Most clothes have a label with instructions on hand washing or dry cleaning. Your wedding dress should have that tag, which the cleaner will read to know what products to use during cleaning and the precautions to take.

The tag also includes instructions on ironing the fabric. There will also be a warning about harsh chemicals that could damage the dress’ shape.

2. Inspect the Stains

Once the professional wedding gown cleaner confirms that it can be dry cleaned, they will inspect the dress for stains. Wedding days are exciting and busy, leaving the dress soiled by the end of the event.

Since food and drinks are part of every celebration, wine, colored drinks, or cake frosting can make their way to the dress. Some of these stains may be hidden in the folds and can go unnoticed.

When the cleaner inspects the dress, they can spot these hidden stains and ensure they are addressed. Being dry cleaning professionals, they would know where to look for stubborn stains.

3. Check the Accents

Accents on the wedding gown make the dress more stunning. However, some of these accessories can get damaged when exposed to harsh solvents, compromising your wedding gown’s aesthetics. On top of that, the glue holding the accents may also melt, damaging the fabric and making your gown look bare.

To ensure everything in your expensive gown remains intact even after cleaning, ask the dry cleaner to inspect every single part of your gown, especially the accents and what holds them together.

4. Avoid Storing It for Cleaning Later on

Most newlyweds go on their honeymoon immediately after the wedding. The bride will likely be unable to have her wedding gown cleaned until after the vacation.

Leaving your wedding gown uncleaned for a prolonged period causes the stains to cling to the fabric permanently. This will make it impossible to eliminate the stains, causing yellowing on your expensive dress.

If you are going on a honeymoon immediately after the wedding, assign a close relative or friend to take the gown to a trusted dry cleaner. After thoroughly and carefully cleaning the gown, they will make sure to preserve it in a storage box for you to pick up after your honeymoon.

Benefits of Hiring a Professional Wedding Gown Dry Cleaner

Wedding gowns are delicate because of their unique materials and fabrics. Besides, you don’t want to compromise this dress’s monetary and sentimental value, so hiring a professional dry cleaner is the best option for you. The advantages of hiring a wedding gown dry cleaner are the following:

1. It is convenient.

Wedding dresses have many fabrics sewn together, which take dressmakers a lot of effort and time to put together. Your dress is so delicate that you may think handwashing is your only option. But handwashing such an elaborate dress may be too difficult, so a reputable wedding gown cleaner will take the load off your back.

Dry cleaners know exactly how to handle and clean your wedding gown without damaging it. These professionals also offer other services like pick up, cleaning, packing, and delivery to your home.

2. It saves you time.

A dry cleaner will efficiently wash your expensive wedding gown and other clothes while you focus on doing other essential things, like catching up with work or spending time with loved ones.

The cleaning company will also deliver your gown to your doorstep, saving you time and money if you have it pick it up yourself. Most dry cleaners don’t charge extra fees for deliveries and offer affordable rates to their clients.

3. It protects and preserves your gown.

The services of a wedding dress dry cleaning company do not end with just the washing. They also fold and store these precious gowns in special boxes to ensure no oxygen and moisture can enter. Moisture causes mold growth on these fabrics, leading to permanent stains.

Dry cleaning companies also use suitable detergents to protect the fabric. However, before hiring a wedding gown dry cleaner, check how long they’ve been operating to ensure they have the track record and expertise to do the job right.

Checking their website for customer reviews can also be helpful. This will prevent you from hiring cleaners with many negative reviews because you will likely have a similar experience. Another important factor to consider is whether or not a dry cleaner’s rates are reasonable and fit your budget.

Wedding dresses come with many precious memories, as well as sentimental and monetary value. Hiring a professional wedding dress dry cleaner will help you preserve it by keeping your dress looking beautiful and pristine for many years to come.

Sources:

https://boutiqueeventsgroup.com.au/is-it-safe-to-dry-clean-a-wedding-dress/

https://www.lgfcleaners.com/blog/benefits-of-hiring-a-wedding-dress-cleaning-company/

https://mydressbox.com.au/blogs/wedding-dress-cleaning-news/is-it-safe-to-dry-clean-a-wedding-dress

https://www.brides.com/story/is-wedding-dress-preservation-worth-it