The world of wedding gown cleaning is an intricate and complicated one. The wedding industry, in general, can be complicated, and because of this there is a lot of misinformation swirling around.
To help you get the facts, we’ve collected a few of the worst pieces of advice we’ve heard about wedding gown cleaning. (And with over 100 years of experience, we’ve heard it all!) Knowing what is bad advice, might help you make a good decision when it comes to wedding dress cleaning and preservation.
Bad Advice: Wedding dresses can be cleaned at home.
Many people seem to think the wedding industry is out to get them and that wedding gowns, in most cases, can be cleaned on a delicate cycle in a washing machine. The basic assumption is, if the dress is made of polyester, it can be washed and dried and it will come out looking as good as new.
Why is this bad advice? Simply put, this is terrible advice because you risk damaging your dress beyond repair. Most gowns are not 100% polyester. Even if the outside gown is, the inside is likely a material that will shrink, making the gown unusable in the future. Most wedding gowns also have ornate beading on them, which will not stand up to the punishing spin cycle of a traditional washing machine. Repairing a dress that has been damaged in a washing machine (if it is even possible), will be much more expensive that seeking out a wedding gown cleaning service.
Bad Advice: There is no rush to having your dress cleaned.
A lot of people think there is no time table for having a wedding dress cleaned. After all, the wedding day is over, and you are not going to wear the dress again. A lot of people think, because of this, having your dress cleaned can wait many months, a year, or even longer.
Why is this bad advice? Wedding dress cleaning isn’t something that can really wait, especially if there are stains on the dress. Stains need to be treated by a professional as quickly as possible. If a stain has time to really set into the fabric, the stain will be less likely to be removed without damaging the dress. If you’ve stained your wedding dress, it is important to have a professional wedding gown cleaning service look at the dress as soon as possible. Yes, it can wait till the next day or even a few weeks, but you shouldn’t wait more than three months. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to remove stains.
Bad Advice: Any dry cleaner can deal with your wedding gown cleaning needs.
Some people believe that all dry cleaning is the same, and thus, any dry clean only item is treated the same in the store. Because of this, many people believe that any dry cleaner can deal with wedding gown cleaning. This is a convenient belief to hold, especially if you have a dry cleaner close to your home, but this is bad advice
Why is this bad advice? Simply put, not all dry cleaners are created equal. Wedding gown cleaning is a specialized process, and in many cases, an art form. Ornate and delicate wedding gowns need the touch of a person who has experience cleaning them. If you assume any dry cleaners will do the job, you are likely to be left out in the cold. Most dry cleaners will flat out refuse the job if they do not specialize in expensive gowns, while others could take on the job and destroy your gown in the process. You are best off dealing with a company that specializes in wedding gown cleaning and preservation.
Photo credit: jseliger2 / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
