How To Clean a Wedding Dress

Wondering how to clean a wedding dress? You’re in the right place. It’s important to do your research so that you understand the best practices for wedding dress cleaning and care—especially if you want your gown to stay looking its best long past the big day.

As one of New York City’s top wedding dress cleaners, we have decades of experience cleaning and preserving these precious garments. We also meet with lots of clients who are confused about what they should be doing at home to keep their wedding dress in the best condition possible. To provide some assistance, we’ve outlined our best tips for keeping wedding dresses clean, plus some advice on ensuring they look stunning for years to come. Here’s what you need to know.

The Basics of Wedding Dress Cleaning and Preservation

All bridal gowns are unique, but there are some general guidelines that should always be followed when it comes to wedding dress cleaning and preservation.

1. Know what you’re working with

Different wedding dress materials have different requirements when it comes to cleaning—and many of them can’t be washed using traditional methods and products. For that reason, it’s critical to understand what a dress is made of and what specific care requirements it has. A good way to do this is to speak to the retailer and/or designer who you purchased the dress from, as well as to carefully read the care label.

2. Work with a pro

While we certainly understand wanting to keep costs down after spending so much on the dress (not to mention the wedding itself), for optimal cleaning it’s always going to be better to leave it to a professional. Nobody understands the intricacies of care required better than bridal gown cleaners, who, in addition to providing a proper cleaning, can also safely preserve and/or store the dress for you. Search “wedding dress cleaning near me” to find reliable cleaners in your area, or ask us about our nationwide services.

3. Clean before preserving

Another mistake that people often make is thinking that a wedding dress is clean just because it doesn’t look outwardly dirty. Some stains however, such as perspiration and makeup, might not be obvious right away but can develop over time. And the longer a stain sits, the more difficult it is to remove. Resist the urge to skip cleaning entirely and make sure that your wedding dress gets thorough care before it goes in a preservation box.

4. If you must wash at home, do it by hand

It probably goes without saying that you should never toss your wedding dress in the washing machine. But what do you do if you’re in a bind and need to spot treat a stain quickly? You’ll need to do it by hand. Use a very gentle detergent and cold water, which is less likely to alter colors or the texture of the material. Take a clean cloth and dab detergent and a bit of water onto the stain, working slowly until the stain is eliminated. Then use another clean cloth to remove any detergent residue before allowing the material to air dry completely.

5. Use the correct type of preservation box

All preservation boxes and bags are not created equal. You’ll want a preservation vessel made of cast polypropylene, which is designated by either a #5 in a triangle or the letters “PP.” If you have other ideas in mind, talk to your dry cleaner first to ensure it will be suitable, since otherwise you’ll end up doing a lot more harm than good with your preservation method.

Trust Your Wedding Dress to Cameo Cleaners

Our team of professional cleaners knows just what to do to care for your wedding dress, with expert wedding dress services that include cleaning and preservation. Contact us today to learn more, or schedule a free pick-up!