You spent several hours deliberating over which gown would best suit you on your wedding day.

So, the big event is finished, and you want to make sure your dress lasts forever.

Your daughter or granddaughter may one day desire to wear the dress you wore on your wedding day.

Your garment can survive for decades with the right maintenance.

But the secret to success is knowing precisely what to do and how to avoid making any mistakes. This article will teach you how to properly store your wedding gown.

The dress you wore on your wedding day likely played a significant role in making the day as wonderful and memorable as it was.

Honestly, you undoubtedly spent a pretty penny on your stunning gown, so you'll want to preserve it in excellent condition.

As a memento of one of the most special days of your life, you may choose to give it to your granddaughter or a female cousin to wear on her wedding day.

Regardless, you'll need to know the proper method for washing a wedding gown.

Expensive wedding dresses are frequently designed with exquisite fabrics, beading, and other embellishments.

After dropping a tonne of cash on the big day, the last thing you want to do is shell out another grand to keep your dress in pristine condition.

That's why it's crucial that you preserve your wedding gown the right way.

Learning how to properly clean and maintain your wedding dress will ensure that it retains its like-new condition for years to come.

DIY Wedding Dress Care and Preservation

Cleaning Instructions for the Bridal Gown

Make sure the dress is spotless before beginning the preservation process.

You can either hand-wash the garment or take it to a dry cleaner for a professional cleaning.

This will eliminate the possibility of any marks or stains appearing on the dress. It's likely that the stains on the garment will become permanent if you attempt to keep it without having it cleaned beforehand.

It's important to know what fabrics are typically used in wedding dresses if you plan to clean it yourself. It would be a bad idea to wash your dress with regular detergent because of the delicate materials used to make it.

Dresses should never be ironed or bleached. Fabrics other than cotton will become yellow when bleached, while organza and polyester will melt when ironed.

Cleaning your gown yourself could be a possibility if you're the hands-on kind and it's not made of silk or taffeta.

When the bride doesn't have strong feelings about the dress, as can be the case with a secondhand gown, she may try to clean it herself.

While it is possible to launder your own wedding dress, here are few things to keep in mind:

You Should Read the Tag on Your Clothing to See How to Properly Care For It

• Cleansing using regular soap and water can harm the fibres of silk and other delicate fabrics, so it's best to avoid using them.
• Don't press the polyester organza on your dress too hard, since it could melt. By applying too much heat when pressing by hand, organza will likely lose its crispness. Don't turn the iron up too high.
• You should only use brushes with extremely soft bristles on your garment. Bristly brooms can rip and tear soft fabrics and yarns.
• Do not bleach any part of your gown. The results of cleaning a wedding dress with bleach, being one of the strongest chemicals available, will likely be permanent, for better or worse.
• If the dress has embellishments like beads or sequins, you should also look for specific care instructions for those. Don't risk having your dress ruined by not reading this tag first.

Prepare the Washing Area by Disinfecting It

The bathtub is the most convenient setting for dealing with a gown, whether you need to spot treat it or give it a full wash.

If you clean and sanitise the tub first, you won't have to worry about any residue getting washed along with your dress.

Letting it soak in some kind of a big bucket will do the trick in the absence of a bathtub.

The First Step Is to Treat the Affected Areas Individually

• Always make sure the stain remover is safe for the fabric by performing a test spot on an inconspicuous area of the garment before using it on the rest of the stains.
• Isolate the stained fabric layer to prevent the stain remover from seeping through to unaffected areas of the clothing.
• Instead of rubbing, gently pat the cleaning solution into the spot using your hand wearing gloves. In order to remove more stubborn stains from a dress, it is recommended to soak it in stain remover for 15-30 minutes before washing.
• Spot-treat your gown instead of doing a full wash by rinsing it in cool water after using stain remover and drying it with a low-heat blow dryer to prevent watermarks.
• Inspect the outer and inside surfaces of the shirt for any blemishes. Here's where perspiration marks are most likely to appear.
• Make a solution of 5 ounces of water to 1 part dish soap and fill a spray container. Apply cleaner and scrape with a bristle brush to clean up grimy areas. Hang up to dry.

Thoroughly Clean The Dress

• The cleaned tub should be filled with cool water to at least reach the hem of the dress.
• Combine half a cup of stain remover with one cup of mild liquid detergent, such as a sensitive hand-washing detergent, and stir well.
• Keep the quality of your dress by soaking only the skirt in the bathtub for up to twelve hours while keeping the bodice dry.
• Soak your dress in warm water for at least two hours, and then use the soft bristle brush to clean the filth out. To remove dirt off the dress, you can also use a clean white sock.

Wash and Dry

• After rinsing the dress, head to the shower rather than the bathtub to save water. Once the water has been removed from the tub, give it a quick rinse under running water and fill it back up with cold water. Repeat soaking the clothing to remove any remaining detergent.
• The garments should be dried by either hanging them on padded hangers or laying them flat on a wide drying rack.

If your dress is straightforward and made of a material that can be hand cleaned at home, then you should eliminate the stains and carefully inspect the dress for damage before storing it.

If you want to keep the dressing gown mildew-free, make sure you let it dry completely before storing it.

Do not expose the dress to any kind of light, especially the sun or a light source indoors.

Don’t Forget the Shoes, Veil or even the Bouquet

Even if you know how to wash a wedding dress, the finishing touches on the outfit are the shining shoes and gorgeous bouquets.

You probably haven't given much thought to keeping these together with your gown, but it's actually rather simple to do so.

Stains and grime may usually be washed away from fabric wedding shoes with a little mild soap and a little water. The best way to care for leather footwear is to polish them often and wipe them down with a moist cloth.

When you're done cleaning your shoes, place everything using an acid-free paper and keep them in a safe place, like your wedding gown preservation box.

Press the bouquet or cover them with wax and put them inside a bag to keep them fresh for your wedding day.

Storage Tips for the Wedding Gown

If you're going to be responsible for your own dress and accessories storage, make sure everything is neat, clean, and dry before putting it away.

It's best to keep metal buttons and other embellishments like artificial jewels and decorations from degrading the fabric of a belt or headband by keeping them in a separate storage space.

Shoes and handbags made from leather are also susceptible to this problem.

Materials and Location for Storage

The best way to store a wedding dress is flat, in a box that's just the right size. The strain on the seams of garments left hanging causes them to stretch out of shape and eventually tear.

Never store anything important in an ordinary carton box unless it specifically says it can be used for archival purposes.

There is no risk of acidity from using these because they are constructed of acid-free paper.

If you want to minimise fibre breaking caused by wrinkles, buying the largest size possible is your best bet.

Plastic storage boxes should be used instead of cardboard if you cannot get archival storage containers or if you are worried that the box may be crushed.

In order to prevent damage to your fabric keepsakes, the box should be crafted of cast polypropylene.

To ensure you have the right kind of box, search for the number 5 inside the recycle triangle or even the initials "PP." Yellowing can occur in some other plastics.

Forget about keeping your bridal gown in the dry cleaner's plastic storage bag!

Invest in a white, hundred percent cotton cloth bag or construct your own out of a white cotton blanket if you intend to keep the dress hanging.

Here are some more tips in selecting the materials and location in storing the wedding dress:

• To avoid snagging your garment, avoid using a wire hanger. It can rust and develop holes in the cloth. The loops are the best way to hang your dress. It's important to remember that letting a heavy gown hang for too long can cause the fabric to tear.
• Wedding dresses should never be kept in plastic. Chemicals released by decomposing plastic might have a negative reaction with the fabric of your dress, perhaps ruining it.
• Make sure your bridal gown is well protected by wrapping it using an acid-free wax paper before storing it away. Don't use coloured tissue paper in case it bleeds onto the item you're wrapping.
• Ensure there's many layers of cloth or acid-free wax paper separating the dress from the wood if you plan on putting it in a wooden crate, especially a cedar box. The clothing will be irreparably damaged by the acids in the wood.
• Absolutely acid-free cardboard does not exist. Though you're storing your wedding gown in cardboard, even if it's supposed to be acid free, you should probably replace the box after five years.
• It's best to keep your garment in a dry, cold place. Due to the basement's dampness and the subsequent growth of mould, it is not a good place to keep wedding dresses. The dress will fade if kept in a hot or sunny place. You should hang the clothing in a closet for the finest results.

Steps in Storing the Wedding Dress

Clean your hands thoroughly with soap and water before you touch the bridal gown again.

You shouldn't put any kind of lotion or moisturiser on the pieces, since they may get stained.

Use only fresh, white cotton gloves for optimal results. Lightly pack the dress's sleeves and bust with acid-free wrapping paper to give it structure.

Then, inside the box or receptacle, lay the tissue on the bottom to protect it. Be sure to use lots of tissue to cushion each fold to avoid serious creases.

A second set of hands to hold the gown while you pad each fold would make this task much simpler.

Do the same with each separate piece of jewellery and the veil. Be careful not to overstuff the container.

Smaller, separate boxes are ideal for storing heavy goods like belts and shoes.

Find a spot that fits those three criteria: dark, chilly, and dry.

Stay out of the garage, the attic, and any other places where the temperature can reach dangerous levels.

The safest place would be indoors, up off the floor, and away from any pets and outside walls or pipes that could rupture.

Get the Dress Some Fresh Air Every Once in a While

Your bridal gown needs to be taken out of storage and air-hung from time to time.

This will make the fabric less damp and mildewy by allowing air to circulate through it.

Wash your hands thoroughly beforehand, and remove any traces of moisturiser, cosmetics, leaking hair dye, or nail paint from your skin.

You can either pay for professional preservation services to repack the dress using a  new tissue paper and vacuum seal the box, or you can do it yourself with the right tools.

Once a year, you should take a look at your wedding keepsakes. Keep an eye out for stains, and get them taken care of as soon as possible if you see them.

If stains are noticed quickly, you have a higher chance of getting rid of them.

To prevent unnecessary creases and stress on the materials, you should inspect the goods thoroughly, then use clean hands to fold them slightly different ways and cushion them with the tissue.

Treasure the Dress

Although this do-it-yourself solution won't prevent all damage to your wedding gown, it will help a great deal.

Professional wedding dress preservation services are highly recommended if you want your gown to be kept in pristine condition for your big day.

They use methods that can only be achieved in a professional setting. You can use this do-it-yourself method to protect your wedding dress so that it lasts for generations.

If you take the time to properly store and preserve your wedding gown, you can wear it again on your anniversary, give it to your daughter, or keep it as a keepsake to remember your big day.

There is no better way to protect your investment and the memories attached with your dress than to keep it in pristine condition for years to come.

After your honeymoon is over, don't forget about these dress-related reminders.

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

It's probable that the beautiful and memorable wedding day you had was in large part due to the dress you wore.

If you take the time to learn how to clean and care for your wedding dress, it will look as good as new for years to come.

How to take care of and store your wedding dress is covered in this article. You should never bleach or iron a dress.

When bleached, fabrics other than cotton turn a yellowish hue, while organza and polyester melt under the heat of an iron.

To learn how to take care of your clothing, read the label. Don't bleach the hem or sleeves of your dress.

Do not wash your gown, but rather spot-treat any stains with a stain solution, then rinse in cold water and dry using a low-heat hair dryer.

It is suggested that the skirt be lathered in the bathtub for up to twelve hours while the bodice is left dry.

However well you may know how to clean a wedding dress, the sparkling shoes and beautiful bouquets are the real showstoppers.

You may easily keep these with your dress. It is possible to remove most messes with only light soap and water.

Putting a wedding dress in plastic is a bad idea. Replace cardboard boxes with plastic ones for storage.

Your clothing will last longer if stored in a dry, cool environment.

The cellar is too moist and mouldy to store wedding gowns. Before touching the wedding dress, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

The dress's sleeves and bust can be given some structure by being lightly packed with acid-free wrapping paper.

Always use enough tissue to cushion each fold to prevent wrinkles. The wedding mementoes should be reviewed annually.

Watch out for stains, and if you notice any, treat them right away. This do-it-yourself procedure is a great way to safeguard your wedding gown.

Content Summary

• Regardless, you'll need to know the proper method for washing a wedding gown.
• Learning how to properly clean and maintain your wedding dress will ensure that it retains its like-new condition for years to come.
• It's important to know what fabrics are typically used in wedding dresses if you plan to clean it yourself.
• Do not bleach any part of your gown.
• Spot-treat your gown instead of doing a full wash by rinsing it in cool water after using stain remover and drying it with a low-heat blow dryer to prevent watermarks.
• Soak your dress in warm water for at least two hours, and then use the soft bristle brush to clean the filth out.
• Even if you know how to wash a wedding dress, the finishing touches on the outfit are the shining shoes and gorgeous bouquets.
• When you're done cleaning your shoes, place everything using an acid-free paper and keep them in a safe place, like your wedding gown preservation box.
• The best way to store a wedding dress is flat, in a box that's just the right size.
• Forget about keeping your bridal gown in the dry cleaner's plastic storage bag!
• It's best to keep your garment in a dry, cold place.
• Do the same with each separate piece of jewellery and the veil.
• Once a year, you should take a look at your wedding keepsakes.
• Professional wedding dress preservation services are highly recommended if you want your gown to be kept in pristine condition for your big day.
• You can use this do-it-yourself method to protect your wedding dress so that it lasts for generations.

FAQs About Wedding Dress Cleaning and Storing

How do I protect my wedding dress in storage?

The dress should be kept in an acid-free container and away from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures (think under a bed). To keep the air inside the box from being too humid, you can put some silica desiccant packets in there. Another option is to hang the dress in a cool, dry closet using an acid-free plastic garment bag.

How do you store your wedding dress yourself?

The best way to protect your dress from the effects of time is to store it in acid-free paper. If you want to preserve your wedding dress for a long time, you'll need to invest in acid-free paper. Using alternative papers can damage your dress's delicate fabric. The dress should be stored in the bridal box it was purchased from the bridal shop, wrapped in acid-free paper. Completely lock it up.

Where do you store your wedding dress?

Keep your wedding dress out of direct sunlight, heat, and moisture. Make sure to keep it in a dry place, preferably one that has never been invaded by insects or mould.

What happens if you don't preserve your wedding dress?

Gowns don't turn yellow from exposure to air; stains do.

Experts advise that the seal on your wedding dress should never be broken, and that if it is, you should get it resealed immediately. Untreated stains are a major contributor to the yellowing of stored wedding gowns.

How long does it take to dry clean a wedding dress?

The time it takes to get your wedding dress dry cleaned can vary depending on how many layers it has and how busy the dry cleaning company is. For the best results, a dry cleaning of a bridal gown should be given at least three days.