McPherson Cleaners: Trashed the Dress? How Best to Clean It

Wedding Dress Revival

Can you imagine not having your precious keepsake forever, Ladies? After the searching and the expense, and the memories. What do you do when the wedding ceremony was just a little too much fun, or you trashed the dress on purpose . . . and now your glorious gown is no longer . . . so glorious? As with any item of clothing, wedding dresses are not exempt to needing a good cleaning. You must first determine the fabric(s) your gown is made of.

Tips for Cleaning Your Wedding Dress

Depending on the fabrics you may be able to wash it on a very gentle cycle in the washer, and even put it on a delicate setting in the dryer. If the dress is not made of silk, or has extensive beading, a large garment bag may do the trick without damaging the gown. However, with silk, which can be very sensitive, especially to water, you may be better off not subjecting such a delicate fabric to any potential water spotting.

Spot Treating

After much research, we found and speaking with friends who had practical experiences, that one of the best options is simply to spot treat only the dirty areas. Fabric again factors in, but poly blends and taffetas respond well to spot treatments then a gentle but firm hand washing in delicate liquid laundry soap really does wonders.

It can be an arduous process, hand washing because of adornments, beading etc, but with the right spot treating prior to the hand wash most times this process can work really well on your first try. Be gentle if this ends up your choice (a toothbrush will be a great spot treating tool) choose warm water, and use your bathtub as it makes it easier to handle when hand washing.

Hemline Stains

If the stains are at the hemline, trying filling the bottom of the tub with delicate soap as well as an OxiClean-type of laundry soap and let it soak overnight. If the stains are still visible, try gently scrubbing it with a toothbrush with a mixture of all color bleach and water, and then submerge the hem to soak it a while longer. Once the spots are removed, you can use the shower to rinse your gown. A hanging rack for drying will help your dress hold it’s shape.

Swift Action

If because of the type of fabric and all of the embellishments, you choose to dry clean your dress instead of tackling it alone, do so swiftly. Experts agree the sooner you get it to a professional cleaners the better off you and the dress will be, for many years to come.

Just Leave It to Us
Sound like a lot of work? Don’t worry. At McPherson’s Dry Cleaning, we do personal laundry service as well. Prefer to spend your summer enjoying it, instead of slaving over a hot washing machine and dryer? No problem. Just leave it to us!