Wedding Gown Cleaning, Can You Safely “Do-it-yourself”?

You might first ask yourself the question: “Why would you ever want to try and clean your wedding gown yourself?” You probably noticed that the wear tag says “Dry Clean Only”. So if you’re thinking of doing your own cleaning isn’t that taking an awfully big risk. Do you want to take the chance of damaging or destroying your cherished wedding gown?

One consideration of trying to clean your own wedding gown would be to save money. Everyone wants to save money….so let’s examine this situation a little further.

Read your fabric labels carefully. If your wedding gown is silk or a silk blend then don’t attempt to clean it yourself. If your gown and the lining are polyester then it is actually possible to do your own wedding gown cleaning.

But before you start the process you should also consider: Does the dress have beads on it? Are they sewn on or glued on? Does the dress have sequins? Are they sewn or glued on? You would need to be extra careful if the wedding gown is beaded or with sequins.

Ok, you still want to proceed!

Take special care around the hem of the wedding gown. You’ll need to use a detergent mix, or even “oxiclean” made into a paste. Gently scrub the dirty hem. Pay special attention also to the neckline and “arm pits” of the wedding gown. These areas also become more soiled than other areas.

Examine the wedding gown carefully for any other spots. Some wines will not leave a stain but should be scrubbed as well. Cake, food or natural oils from your hands can also leave areas that need attention.

If you are going to use a washing machine instead of hand washing, turn the wedding gown inside out before placing in the washer.

If you have a large capacity front loading washer then place the wedding gown inside and wash on the gentle cycle.

If you have a top load waster be extra careful. The washing action tends to twist your wedding gown up considerably.

Something else to consider before you start this whole process: are you going to try and press the wedding gown yourself or have it professionally steamed/pressed. Hand pressing with an iron is tedious and can damage - even scorch the fabric and it can melt the sequins.

If you are going to have your wedding gown professionally steamed/pressed check before hand to see what they will charge. Sometimes your local dry cleaner will charge nearly as much for steaming and pressing as they do for their whole service. (see the article on local dry cleaning compared to professional Wedding Gown Preservation).

To actually save money, time and stress you should consider having your wedding gown professionally cleaned and preserved.

Several companies provide a complete kit to make it easy for you. The wedding gown preservation kit will contain everything you need. It will contain a shipping bag and box, a customer invoice, sealing tape and complete instructions. You’ll need to place your wedding gown in the plastic bag, the invoice in the bag, the dress/invoice/bag into the box. Seal up the box with the sealing tape provided and place the pre-paid shipping label on the box. Everything is pre-paid so all you need to do is take the completed package to any UPS/Fed Ex. Store.

Your wedding gown will be shipped to you (no extra cost) to any address in the US (whatever address you have placed on the invoice).

Go ahead and google “Wedding Gown Preservation” and you’ll find several options. Look over the websites and prices and choose the best option for you.

By Erlene Clifton