DIY Wedding Dress Cleaning Tips

If you decided to clean your wedding dress yourself to save much-needed cash, read on. The following tips for DIY wedding dress cleaning will help you avoid a wide variety of mishaps.

Prep The Tub

Wash your wedding dress by hand as long as the material isn't silk. Clean the heck out of your tub first to provide your dress with an ideal cleansing environment. Fill your tub about halfway with warm water and a quality detergent such as Tide.

Clean The Dress, Including The Hem

Let the dress soak for about an hour before cleaning the hem with a white sock soaked in clean water and Tide. If the sock doesn't get the dirt out of your hem, use a soft brush. Examine the underarms, neckline, etc. for visible dirt, then rinse and hang your dress. Let the dress dry on a non-metal hanger.

Look For Wood Splinters

Inspect your dress for wood splinters. If you do find some, remove them as carefully as possible with tweezers. 

Steam The Dress

Steam your dress if desired to further remove wrinkles. Hanging the dress after cleaning it should remove the wrinkles, however if you want to steam it hang the dress in your bathroom after a super-steamy shower. This should help remove any leftover wrinkles.

Request Professional Stain Removal

Commission professional wedding dress stain removal if you still notice stains after cleaning your dress. Research wedding dress preservation companies and look for one that hand-cleans dresses on-premise and utilizes a careful stain removal process. Reputable wedding dress preservation companies also provide you with the perfect storage container--an acid-free box featuring acid-free paper. Such boxes are ideal for storing wedding dresses, as they protect gowns from yellowing and mildew.

Hope these cleaning and preserving tips help keep your dress in great condition! Good luck!