After dreaming of your wedding day for years it is finally behind you. When you are back from your happy honeymoon and your dress is still hanging in the closet, although it is best to clean them as soon as possible after the wedding. On your wedding dress you can easily find some stains of champagne, makeup and maybe some cake icing. Don’t let that wedding gown hang dirty in your closet for years. Since dirt, food and drink left on your gown over time gets worse, it is time to start the wedding dress cleaning right now.
Dry clean your dress as soon as you can after your wedding to ensure that the stains will not set and increases the likelihood of successful wedding dress cleaning. Since experience is the most important factor in the successful cleaning of your dress. You had better entrust your dress to a specialist in a dry-cleaning company.
Each gown will go through a thorough and professional cleaning process, according to the gown’s specific needs. The wedding dress cleaning usually begins with a careful checking. Above all, your gown will be examined to find all the stains or spots. The biggest culprits are grass, mud, make-up and sugar from wedding cake or wine. Some of the most difficult stains to remove, according to professionals, are Georgia red clay and self-tanner residue, which some brides use to cover up other stains that are already appearing before or during the wedding.
The most critical step in the whole procedure of wedding dress cleaning is the correct use of solvent. Currently, there are three common-used dry-cleaning solvents, Perchloroethylene, Stoddard solvent and Exxon DF-2000. If your wedding gown is made of silk, rayon, or acetate without beading or sequins, Perchloroethylene should be safely used. However, if your dress does feature beads or sequins, the other two solvents will be more suitable as Perchloroethylene will damage the beading and melt the glue that attaches it to the dress. If your gown is made of polyester, wet cleaning will produce the best result as water is the best cleanser of sugar spills, most food stains and dirty hems. Additionally, wedding dress cleaning calls for years of experience to gain the necessary sensitivity and awareness that your fragile gown demands. Cleaning a delicate wedding gown needs a cleaner who is sensitive to unique laces, embroideries, pearls, beads, sequins and droplets.
After the dress is cleaned and either steamed or pressed, the cleaners properly fold it and place it in an acid-free archival chest with a display window. Sometimes, accessories, such as veils and garters are cleaned and preserved as well. Then, the package is returned to the owner. Depending on the cleaner you use, the waiting time could be anywhere from three to twelve weeks. After wedding dress cleaning, you should check the dress again to make sure all stains are removed, and all pieces are collected, including veil, bouquet and other items.
