A wedding dress is the most beautiful dress that many women will wear and most want to keep as a memento of the magic of their wedding day. However, during the wedding ceremony and over time, a wedding dress can acquire stains, even if the wearer is exceedingly careful. Stains over time cannot be prevented. The cleaning of these stains does not have to be turned over to a professional - it can be performed at home in many circumstances.
The first thing you should do is inspect the dress thoroughly for any stains. The hems of long dresses in particular can gather stains just from being swept along the ground. For hem stains, run a few inches of warm water in a bathtub and swirl liquid laundry detergent into it until it is sudsy. Keeping the bodice and most of the skirt out of the bathtub, place just the hem into the water and allow it to soak for an hour. Using a toothbrush, very carefully massage the hem stains with the bristles to remove them.
The first thing you should do is inspect the dress thoroughly for any stains. The hems of long dresses in particular can gather stains just from being swept along the ground. For hem stains, run a few inches of warm water in a bathtub and swirl liquid laundry detergent into it until it is sudsy. Keeping the bodice and most of the skirt out of the bathtub, place just the hem into the water and allow it to soak for an hour. Using a toothbrush, very carefully massage the hem stains with the bristles to remove them.
The bodice of a wedding dress should be cleaned after you wear it, whether it has an obvious stain or not. The fact that the fabric sat against the skin for a long period of time can transfer oils onto the fabric and cause discoloration later. Using a diluted soap and water solution in a spray bottle, turn the bodice of the dress inside-out and spray the area a few square inches at a time.
With a toothbrush, massage the fabric to clean perspiration and deodorant stains or anything else that has stained the fabric. If there are stubborn or severe stains, the wedding dress may need to go to a dry cleaners for professional work. Businesses that specialize in dry cleaning can most likely remove virtually any stain, so there is no need to panic if a stain cannot be removed at home.
In addition, be very careful with lace, beads, and decorative trims on the dress itself. These details can be easily torn or damaged if not handled carefully. If the entire dress is made of lace or is beaded and it could be damaging to try a home cleaning, take the garment to a professional dry cleaners. Services for dry cleaning in Los Angeles, California can remove stains without having to potentially damage beading. If beads are loose or missing, businesses that provide alterations can reattach or replace missing ones.
After any stains have been removed from the delicate garment, it is very important to get the soap out of the fabric. Fill a bathtub with clean, warm water and lay the entire dress in it. Carefully swish the fabric in the water to loosen any soap that is left over in the fabric. It is recommended to let the water drain out and fill the bathtub again. Repeat the process three times to remove all of the soap or detergent from the fabric. To dry, lay the dress on a drying rack. Hanging it on a hanger may damage the dress.
A clean dress will stay crisp and white for decades. If taken care of properly, the dress will be able to be passed on to children or grandchildren. If cleaning a wedding dress specifically for a daughter or granddaughter to borrow, keep in mind that it may need to be altered for a different body. Despite what people think, alterations are affordable, depending on how significant the changes have to be.
Craig Smith recommends Beverly Custom Cleaners for providing high quality dry cleaning services to the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles since 1983. Beverly Custom Cleaners is committed to being the leader in Los Angeles dry cleaning, laundry service and disaster restoration service. For more information, please visit http://www.beverlycustomcleaners.com. Craig_M_Smith
