How to carefully wash a wedding dress at home without ruining it?

In a wedding dress, the girl attends the celebration, participates in a photo shoot and a feast. During these few hours of active wear, the outfit may get dirty.

You can restore the decent appearance of your wedding dress yourself, or by turning to dry cleaning services.

Let's try to figure out whether and how to wash a wedding dress at home, manually and in an automatic washing machine.

Is it possible?

Not every formal dress can be washed. If there is a label on the product, the care rules must be specified in it, as well as the composition of the fabric.

Before you start cleaning, you need to find out the following points:

• what materials are used for sewing;
• clothing color (white, with shades, bright);
• the presence of a petticoat;
• the presence of decor and its appearance.

Most wedding dresses are made from synthetic materials and are floor-length. In this case, the most problematic part of the skirt is the hem, which is close to the ground and gets very dirty.

The petticoat in most models is removable. If it is not dirty, it is not worth washing.

The bodice of the outfit may have a corset embroidered with:

• stones,
• rhinestones,
• embroidery,
• lace.

These materials “do not like” washing and require especially delicate handling. The area that gets dirty most often is the armpits. If rich decor is sewn onto the material, it is better to use a toothbrush for cleaning and clean only with your hands.

A smooth satin dress, or one made of polyester, without bulky elements, can be machine washed on a delicate cycle without spinning. But a lace product can only be processed by hand, just like one sewn from tulle. You can find out more about washing dresses Here.

In the washing machine

Machine wash is not the best option for elegant dresses. The exception is items of a simple silhouette without decoration, sewn from material that can be machine washed. But most wedding dresses do not fall into this category.

If the wedding dress is simple in style, has no decorative elements, and is machine washable, processing will not be very difficult.

Procedure:

1. Inspect and prepare the item - remove stains, and, if necessary, make repairs.
2. Remove the belt, lacing and other removable elements.
3. If there are beads and rhinestones on the bodice that cannot be removed, gauze or thin fabric is sewn on top of them. It will protect the decor from rubbing, loss and damage.
4. Turn the product inside out.
5. If there is dirt along the hem or under the arms, it must be washed.
6. Place the wedding dress in a laundry bag. It should not have too large cells so that accidentally torn off beads do not fall into the drum of the washing machine.
7. For washing, use detergent in gel form.For snow-white, choose a gel marked “for white things”, for other shades - a universal one, intended for colored clothes.
8. Set the mode to “delicate” or “silk”.
9. Turn off spinning and drying.
10. If there is a “wrinkle-free wash” function, it must be used.
11. The heating temperature is set to +30? C or recommended by the manufacturer.
12. Washing time should be minimal, preferably up to 40-50 minutes.
13. Start the wash cycle.
14. After the washing machine has been used, the item must be immediately taken out and straightened.

Handwash

When starting to hand wash such a complex item as a wedding dress, you need to follow a clear sequence of actions.

Proper preparation is an essential part of cleaning wedding dress.

1. You need to start by inspecting the thing. Torn and damaged areas need to be repaired before washing. If they are not addressed in time, the defect can only become more noticeable and larger in area.
2. If there are stains on clothing, they should be treated first. To do this, it is advisable to know what they are left with.
3. All elements that can be detached from the dress must be removed.

Depending on the composition of the material, household chemicals or homemade recipes can be used for stains.

Even subtle stains should be wiped with a mild soapy solution and a sponge.. If you leave them, the spots will appear brighter over time. Folk recipes and store-bought stain removers will come to the rescue.

For dresses that have a slight tint of yellow, beige, pink or other tones, you need to use household chemicals designed for colored clothes.

For washing a wedding dress it is necessary to use non-hot water with a temperature from +30? C to +35? C. Hotter temperatures can cause fabric deformation and shrinkage of the material.

Procedure:

1. Fill a large container with water at the required temperature.
2. Dilute the detergent.
3. Dip the dress into the soap solution.
4. If there are dirty places, such as the hem, you can gently soap them with a soft sponge.

   Soaking should not be long - up to a quarter of an hour, maximum - up to 20 minutes.

5. Acting carefully, the item is erased. Do not rub the fabric.
6. The rinsing must be very thorough so that no detergent residue remains in the fibers of the material. To do this, the water should be changed several times.

   The final rinse can be done by hanging the product over the bathtub and directing water from the shower onto it.

7. A wet dress should not be twisted. It is hung to allow water to drain from the product.

Removing stains at home

The origin of stains at a wedding is associated with a feast, a photo shoot, competitions, strong manifestations of emotions and wearing throughout the day.

Wine

Removing wine stains should not be left “for later”. First aid for damaged clothing is to try to prevent liquid from absorbing deep into the fibers.

The newly spilled wine is blotted. It is strictly forbidden to rub the stain.

If you have sparkling mineral water without dyes on hand, you should pour it over the wine.. This technique, even if it does not lead to the complete disappearance of the stain, will significantly facilitate the subsequent removal of traces of wine.

Another way is to use hydrogen peroxide from the first aid kit:

• moisten a sponge or piece of cotton wool well with peroxide;
• Treat the stain with gentle blotting movements, moving from the edges to the center;
• after finishing the treatment, this place is washed with water.

Grass

A wedding is not only a celebration and feast. The newlyweds, trying to capture happy moments, take photographs in picturesque places in nature. Bright green grass looks beautiful in photos, but often leaves difficult marks on the bride's dress.

The following recipe will help you deal with stubborn marks:

• the affected areas should be carefully wiped with a sponge dipped in soapy water;
• A solution is prepared separately from 1 tbsp. water and 1 tbsp. l. ammonia;
• Using a sponge or sponge, treat the stains with the prepared solution;
• areas stained with grass are washed again with soapy water;
• The product is rinsed, washing away the remaining solution and soap.

Lipstick

Hugging and kissing friends and relatives can lead to lipstick marks on your dress.

Dust and dirt

The dustiness of the fabric can be eliminated without washing; the item can be cleaned with a dry brush. If there are traces of dirt on it, these places can be washed with soapy water using a sponge.After this, the clothes are rinsed and dried.

Sweat

Sweat stains after spending a whole day in the same clothes are not such a rare occurrence. To remove yellow stains, you can use one of the home recipes.

For fresh, not old stains, even regular washing with laundry soap, which is carried out before the main wash, can be effective.

An alternative method is to use salt.

1. Prepare a solution of 1 liter of water and 8 tbsp. l. salt.
2. Mix everything thoroughly, until the grains are completely dissolved.
3. Not the entire dress should be soaked in the solution, but only the soiled parts.
4. Leave for a quarter of an hour.
5. Rinse.

A particularly good effect is achieved by using this recipe on silk.

Ink

The ballpoint pen that the toastmaster introduces into the script of competitions at a wedding can also leave insidious marks on a white background.

The following recipe will help solve the problem:

1. Spray hairspray onto the stain.
2. Leave for 1 hour.
3. Wash with soapy water.
4. Rinse.

How to clean a long hem?

The bottom of a long skirt is the part of the dress that most often gets dirty during a wedding. If the hem is dirty, partial washing should be carried out only along the edge of the skirt, without affecting the entire item.

Proper drying

You need to dry your wedding dress as carefully as possible. After washing, it is necessary to avoid spinning and twisting the material.

When wet, it is suspended above the bathtub. Excess water simply drains away. Dry in a well-ventilated place with air circulation.

You cannot speed up the drying process by placing a wet product:

• near the battery,
• fireplace,
• in the open sun.

If damaged, the fabric may become stained and deformed.

If the base of the dress is cotton, it cannot be hung to dry, as the fabric will stretch under its own weight. The same applies to heavy materials. Such dresses are dried in a horizontal position. It is best to use a tightly stretched mesh dryer for this.

If it is not available, use large non-fading terry towels. They can be spread directly on the floor, placing a dress on top. As the towels get wet, replace them with new ones. The dress itself also needs to be turned over periodically so that it dries evenly.

Ironing Features

Ironing a dress quickly and easily will not work. It is imperative to take into account the model and material used. A steam generator will be a good helper in this matter.

It is recommended to start ironing from the bodice of the dress, and use a steamer first from the train and skirt.

Dry cleaning

Contacting a dry cleaner can help in a hopeless situation:

• when the stains are complex and there is no time to remove them;
• there are no conditions for washing and drying such a bulky outfit;
• the dress is exclusive and very expensive;
• The outfit has very complex and/or voluminous decor.

Dry cleaning will help restore the appearance of your dress to a professional level.Placing an order can be done by phone or online. You can find a suitable dry cleaner on the Internet.

It would also be a good idea to study customer reviews to ensure the quality of the services provided. The cost of cleaning a wedding dress starts at an average of 3,000 rubles.

Dry cleaning provides:

• stain removal;
• restoration of an attractive appearance of the product;
• ironing;
• elimination of unpleasant odors, for example, from cigarette smoke;
• after processing, place the item in a separate case.

7 recommendations

Cleaning a wedding dress is a complex and time-consuming process. Recommendations from experts will help make your work easier:

1. It is recommended to treat stains on delicate fabrics before they become old.
2. It is not permissible to use hard brushes, as well as highly abrasive cleaning products.
3. Exclusive, very expensive items that are prohibited from being washed by the manufacturer should be entrusted to professional dry cleaning.
4. Stained stones and rhinestones are cleaned with a cotton swab or toothbrush separately from the dress. They are polished with a napkin.
5. Products that contain chlorine should not be used to wash the dress, even if it is snow-white.
6. A dress with decor (rhinestones, stones, etc.) cannot be ironed. Such a thing should dry in natural conditions.
7. When using a steamer, do not point it at areas with decorative elements made of glass, plastic or metal.

There is no need to delay washing your dress. Over time, the stain will become more difficult to remove.

Useful video

This video will show you how to wash a wedding dress:

Conclusion

It is quite possible to wash and clean a wedding dress even at home. You need to act extremely carefully so as not to spoil the item. and do not put off washing for an indefinite period of time, since old stains are much more difficult to remove than fresh ones.

If you have doubts about your abilities, and the dress is very expensive and intricately decorated, it is advisable to contact a dry cleaner.