It was with you, excited, all the way to the hotel and receiving that emotional look from that special someone and all your loved ones. The embodiment of the most important day of your life, but also of an investment. Your wedding dress has earned all your attention and the best care in order for you to continue to enjoy its beauty for many years to come.
Lace, embroidery, delicate fabrics… Learn how to clean it and to keep it looking its best.
Trust cleaning professionals
Throughout your big day, your wedding dress will be a casualty of accidental and unavoidable stains: wine, sauce, lipstick, grass, soil… For a quick fix, just dab the stain with a white cloth to absorb the excess. Do not use water or salt and do not rub, you will only worsen the damage.
The most important thing is to have your wedding dress cleaned as soon as possible after the wedding to prevent embedded and stubborn stains when washed. Given the complexity of the fabrics and their composition, it is preferable to use a professional cleaner to clean the wedding dress properly. To help him/her in his/her mission, take the time to explain the nature of the stains to the cleaner. Indeed, a make-up stain and a wine stain will not be cleaned in the same way, nor with the same products.
Better yet, use an eco-friendly cleaner that will use organic, mild and solvent-free products. Les Nettoyeurs Écoperformants Daoust offer you the “Super Whitening” treatment, a unique ecological bleaching process using an oxygenated, chlorine-free and odourless agent, ideal to preserve the full brightness of your white dress.
Choose the right support
To your wedding dress in the best condition, avoid unwanted pleats by laying your dress out on a chair or folding it in five in a box.
Plastic storage boxes and covers are not suitable for preserving a wedding dress long term. This type of storage prevents the fibres from breathing and can cause discoloration or yellow the fabrics.
It is therefore recommended to use a certain type of support to hang your wedding dress. The use of a hanger is a good solution, but choose it carefully. Metal, for instance, could rust over time and cause stains on your dress. A wooden hanger often has a certain coat on it and could release oils causing unsightly stains. Finally, a plastic hanger may not be strong enough and bend under the weight of the dress. Therefore, the ideal would be a hanger padded and covered with fabric. To protect it, choose a protective cover made of thick, non-woven fabric.
Store it in the right place
Once you have found the right protective cover, it is strongly recommended to store your precious dress in a safe and secure place.
It is best to keep it in a living room, at room temperature. Try to avoid places such as attics or cellars, which will often be far too humid for the proper storage. Parts exposed to great temperature changes could cause the fibres to become brittle.
Avoid moths at all costs
These little bugs are your dress’ nemesis. They are usually attracted by dust and dirt. It is therefore advised to air your precious wedding dress regularly to remove any dust that may have accumulated on it, which will attract moths. A great excuse to admire it once a year!
To be on the safer side, you can also use a biological moth repellent in your wardrobe, renewable every three months. Be careful that it does not come into direct contact with the dress.
Watch out for Grandma’s old school tips
Grandmas’ remedies are often welcome and practical on a daily basis. However, not all of them are good, especially when it comes to caring for delicate fabrics such as lace or silk. For example, blue tissue paper, for a long time it was recommended to keep your wedding dress and protect it from yellowing, but actually it fades over time to bright white… So take her advice with a grain a salt.
The same applies to preconceived ideas, such as “champagne doesn’t stain”. If it does not appear immediately, the champagne stain may resurface up to one year after the event if it is not treated in time.
In order to keep all rumours to a minimum and make sure you make the right choices to take care of your wedding dress, don’t hesitate to ask a professional cleaner for advice and answer any questions you may have.
Daoust Eco-efficient Cleaners understands the importance of this iconic outfit and its great emotional value. These experts in ecological cleaning will take great care of your wedding dress in order to preserve its splendor and all the memories attached to it.
In August, take advantage of a free estimate to clean your wedding dress when you bring it to the store.