You carefully chose your wedding dress for the most special day of your life. Now that the day is over, how can you ensure that your dress stays nice for eternity? One day you might want to pass on your wedding dress to your child or even grandchild. If you take proper care of it, your dress could last for decades. But knowing exactly what to do—and what not to do—is key. Here’s how to preserve a wedding dress yourself.
Clean the Dress First
Before you undertake the preservation process, you need to make sure that the dress is completely clean. You can do this yourself, or bring it to the cleaners to have the dress thoroughly cleaned. This will ensure that there are no stains or other spots on the dress. If you try to preserve the dress without getting it cleaned first, you will probably find that the stains have set years later, and can never be removed.
If you choose to clean the dress yourself, you need to be aware of the different materials that are commonly used on wedding dresses. Don’t use traditional harsh laundry detergent on the delicate materials in your dress. Never use bleach or a hot iron on your dress. Bleach will turn yellow on non-cotton fabric, and an iron will melt organza and polyester.
Use Acid-Free Paper to Store Your Dress
You’ll need to purchase special acid-free paper to store your wedding dress for any length of time. Other papers can leave stains on the delicate fabric of your dress. Wrap the dress in the acid-free paper and store it inside of the bridal box it came in. Seal it completely.
Use an Online Wedding Dress Preservation Service
One of the dangers of wrapping and boxing your wedding dress properly is damaging the fabric and not actually preserving it at all. A proper preservation box is specially sealed, with gauges on the box to ensure the temperature and humidity level is kept stable at all times. To preserve your wedding dress so you can be sure it will stay pristine, consider investing in an online wedding dress preservation service.
Once you place your order, a preservation box is mailed to you. You pack up your wedding dress and ship it back to the preservation company. They give your dress a museum-quality cleaning, repack your dress inside the preservation box, and ship it back to you. The box is now fully sealed and ready for decades-long wedding gown storage. With this service, all you have to do is make sure you store the box in a climate controlled room. This is a convenient way to keep your cherished wedding dress in a condition that is like new.
Considering the investment that you made in your wedding dress and how much it means to you and your spouse it’s worth it to preserve it for the memories. To learn more about caring for specialty fabric on dresses and gowns, contact Embassy Cleaners today.
