Q: I am wanting to clean my wedding dress. It has been hanging in my closet for 7 years since I got married. I don't expect it to become an heirloom, but I do have some idea of wanting to turn it into a christening gown or something for my kids, when I have some. For now, I want to clean it. But, I don't want to pay $90-plus to take it to a dry cleaner. How would you approach this?
Sent by Sarah
Editor: We think it's a great idea to reuse your wedding dress, and yes, you will need to clean it first if you want it to stay in good shape for years to come. Here's what we know about this:
First of all, what fabric is your dress made of? Make sure that the fabric is washable and that there are no dyes that could potentially run. Also, if your dress has a lot of embellishments on it (like beads or sequins) that may affect how long you're able to immerse it in water. Be careful what detergent you use. Try to avoid a detergent with bleach as it could cause the gown to yellow over time. Try to find a mild detergent without perfumes or whiteners.
Now, fill a CLEAN bathtub half way with warm water and put about a capfull of detergent in.. (This is the easiest place to wash it since there's plenty of room.) Soak the gown for about 15 minutes, and gently sponge any visible stain areas. You can also gently plunge the garment up and down in the soapy water. When it's done soaking, refill the bathtub with clean water and let it soak for another 15 minutes to rinse.
When no suds remain in the garment, take it out and dry it flat on a table full of towels. Do not squeeze or ring it! It may take anywhere from 24-48 hours to dry. After it's no longer dripping wet, you can also hang it up to air dry for a few days to ensure that it dries completely before you store it. After it's dry, store it in acid-free tissue paper in a dark, dry place.
Any other cleaning suggestions for Sarah? (And any other creative wedding dress DIY suggestions?)
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Spend the money and get it professionally done.
You'll regret the $90 much less than a ruined dress.
Yep, the $90 usually includes "preservation" in acid-free tissue and box as well.
Personally, I donated mine to Brides Against Breast Cancer right after our honeymoon. I knew I wouldn't use it again and didn't feel like storing it for no good reason.
I'm with the "spend the $90" camp, I've got to say. Rather than look at it as $90 for cleaning your dress, look at it as $90 for a beautiful, unique, and meaningful-to-all christening dress for your children. And possibly your grandchildren too.
I've actually decided that I'm going to copy what a friend of mine did for her wedding - she bought herself an utterly stunning dress, but not a traditional wedding dress, so she can wear it again to black tie dinners and the like - thus both reusing it, and having a gorgeous reminder of that day.
When you make the gown(s) for the children, it seems you may still have a lot of fabric remaining. Why not make a decorative pillow or two for the master bedroom or a coverlet for the bed?
This is very DIY-able as long as your dress is not made of silk. Most wedding dresses are made of an inexpensive polyester, and more often than not, you pay the $90 and they will put it in a washing machine anyway.
Instructions shamelessly stolen from Bridal Bargains: place one bead/sequin in a glass of water overnight. If it doesn't dissolve, you can safely wash the dress. I'd use gentle cycle and/or a front loader, or hand wash as Cambria describes.
I alter wedding dresses and so does my sister. She used to work at David's bridal. My sister said it was a common practice at David's Bridal to throw wedding dresses in the washing machine. I have tried it several times with with wedding dresses I am repurposing. None of the dresses have ever been damaged or harmed in anyway by the washing machine. If you would like to see some of my repurposed wedding dresses go to www.sewingbymaudy.com. Thanks for looking.