The 5 Steps of Wedding Gown Cleaning and Preservation
Are you wondering about cleaning your wedding gown after your special day? Are you curious what happens to your wedding gown after you drop it off at the dry cleaners? In this post, I’ll take you through the steps of cleaning and preservation of your wedding gown.
- Pre-Inspection and Mark-In
After inputting your wedding gown into our software system, we inspect it for spots, stains and any damage. We look for any lace, beading or trim that will require special attention. Then we attach a tag to identify the gown and so we know it belongs to you!
- Pre-Treatment
Next, we pre-treat any stains by hand. We have an assortment of stain removal agents used to treat different types of stains. Some of the stains we most commonly see are heavy soil of dirt along the hem, wine or make-up along the bodice or body oils on the inside of the bodice. We do a thorough inspection for these and more types of stains.
- Cleaning
After pre-treatment, we check the care label and determine the best cleaning method for your gown. Fabric content and trim typically determine the safest and most effective cleaning method. Some gowns are dry clean only and must be dry cleaned while others are wet cleaned. Following cleaning, we inspect your gown for any stains that may not have come out and will make another attempt to remove them.
- Pressing
Once your gown is clean, it is hung to be pressed and steamed. Our presser pays close attention to detail and takes care to steam the wrinkles from each layer individually.
- Inspection and Packaging
Your gown is inspected one more time and is now ready for packaging. We will hang it in a garment bag. Or, if you have chosen to have your gown preserved using our MuseumCareTM preservation system, it will be packaged in one of our museum quality acid free boxes nestled in acid free tissue. The preservation box is ideal for storing your gown long term to prevent yellowing and deterioration of the fabric. Your wedding gown is one of the few tangible pieces you get to keep from your wedding day. So, if you are planning on keeping your gown we always recommend having it preserved.
There you have it, the journey of your wedding gown through the cleaning process! As always, if you have any questions about cleaning or preserving of your wedding gown please reach out to our Wedding Gown Specialist, Kathleen.