How to gently wash a wedding dress at home and not ruin it?

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

You can restore the worthy appearance of a wedding dress yourself, or by contacting dry cleaning services.

Let's try to figure out if and how to wash a wedding dress at home by hand and in a washing machine.

Is it possible?

Not every formal dress is washable. If there is a label on the product, the rules of care in it are necessarily specified, as well as the composition of the fabric is described.

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

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

Most wedding dresses are made of 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 is removable in most models. If it is not stained, you should not wash it.

The bodice of the outfit can have a corset embroidered:

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

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

Sewn on and glued on decor (beads, rhinestones, stones, etc.) does not allow for a full wash of the product... If the jewelry is removable, it is better to detach it and then put it back in place before cleaning. The detachable elements (without decor with stones) can be washed.

A smooth satin dress, or sewn from polyester, without bulky elements, can be machine washed on a delicate cycle without spinning. But a lace product can be processed only by hand, as well as sewn from tulle. You can learn more about washing dresses here.

In a washing machine

Machine wash is not the best option for elegant dresses.The only exception is things of a simple silhouette without decor, sewn from a material that can be subjected to automatic washing. But most wedding dresses don't fall into this category.

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

Procedure:

1. Inspect and prepare the thing - remove stains, and, if necessary, repair.
2. Remove the belt, lacing and other removable items.
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 to the wrong side.
5. If there is dirt on the hem or under the arms, wash it off.
6. Place the wedding outfit in a laundry bag. It should not have too large cells so that beads that have accidentally come off do not fall into the drum of the washing machine.
7. Use a gel detergent for washing. For snow-white, a gel marked "for white things" is selected, for other shades - a universal gel, intended for colored clothes.
8. Set the mode "delicate" or "silk".
9. Disable spinning and drying.
10. If there is a “crumple-free” 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 a wash cycle.
14. After working out the washing machine, the thing must be immediately taken out and straightened.

Handwash

When starting to hand wash such a complex thing as a wedding dress, you must adhere to a clear sequence of actions.

Proper preparation is an essential part of cleaning wedding dress.

1. You need to start by inspecting things. Torn and damaged areas need to be repaired before washing. If they are not dealt with in time, the defect can only become more noticeable and larger in area.
2. If there are stains on the clothes, they should be treated first. For this, it is desirable to know how they were left behind.
3. All items that can be detached from the dress must be removed.

Depending on the composition of the material, stain-resistant household cleaning products or homemade recipes can be used.

Even subtle dirt should be wiped with a mild soapy solution with a sponge... If you leave them, then after a while the spots appear brighter. Folk recipes and purchased stain removers will come to the rescue.

For dresses that have a light shade of yellow, beige, pink or another tone, you need to use household chemicals designed for colored clothes.

To wash a wedding dress it is necessary to use not hot water with a temperature of + 30 ° C to + 35 ° C... A hotter one can provoke deformation of the fabric and shrink the material.

Procedure:

1. Fill a large container with water of the correct temperature.
2. Dilute the detergent.
3. Dip the dress in soapy water.
4. If there are dirty spots, such as the hem, you can gently lather 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 thing is erased. Do not rub the fabric.
6. Rinsing must be very thorough so that no detergent remains in the fibers of the material. To do this, the water must be changed several times.

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

7. Do not twist a wet dress. It is hung to let the water flow off the piece.

Removing home stains

The origin of stains at a wedding is associated with a feast, a photo session, contests, bright displays 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.

Freshly spilled wine is soaked. It is categorically impossible to rub the stain.

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

Another way is to use hydrogen peroxide from the medicine cabinet:

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

Grass

A wedding is not only a celebration and a feast. The newlyweds, trying to capture happy moments, take pictures in picturesque places in nature. The bright green grass looks beautiful in the photo, but it often leaves hard-to-remove marks on the bride's dress.

The following recipe will help to cope with stubborn marks:

• the affected areas must be carefully wiped with a sponge dipped in soapy water;
• a solution of 1 tbsp is prepared separately. water and 1 tbsp. l. ammonia;
• using a sponge or sponge, a prepared solution is used to treat stains;
• places soiled with grass are washed again with soapy water;
• the product is rinsed, washing out the remains of the solution and soap.

Lipstick

Hugs and kisses from friends and relatives can lead to lipstick marks on the dress.

Dust and dirt

Dustiness of the fabric can be eliminated without washing, the thing is cleaned with a dry brush... If there are traces of dirt on it, these places can be washed off with soapy water using a sponge. After that, the clothes are rinsed and dried.

Sweat

Sweat stains after a day in the same clothes are not uncommon. You can use one of the homemade recipes to remove yellow stains.

For fresh, not stubborn stains, even regular washing with laundry soap before the main wash can be effective.

An alternative way is to use salt.

1. Prepare a solution of 1 liter of water and 8 tbsp. l. salt.
2. Mix everything thoroughly, bringing the grains to complete dissolution.
3. Not the entire dress should be soaked in the solution, but only the soiled parts.
4. Withstand a quarter of an hour.
5. Rinse.

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

Ink

The ballpoint pen, which the toastmaster introduces into the script for wedding contests, can also leave insidious marks on a white background.

The following recipe will help to solve the problem:

1. Spray hairspray on the stain.
2. Leave on 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 gets dirty most often during a wedding. If the hem is stained, partial wash should only be carried out along the edge of the skirt, without affecting the whole thing.

Correct drying

Dry the wedding dress as carefully as possible. After washing, it is necessary to exclude spinning and twisting of the material.

When wet, it is hung over the bathtub. Excess water simply runs off. Dry in a well-ventilated place with air circulation.

The drying process cannot be accelerated by placing a wet product:

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

If violated, the fabric can become stained and deformed.

If the basis of the dress is cotton, it must not be hung dry, as the fabric will stretch under its own weight. The same goes for heavy materials. Such dresses are dried horizontally. It is best to use a taut mesh dryer for this.

If it is absent, use large non-fading terry towels... They can be spread directly on the floor by 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 the dress quickly and simply will not work. Be sure to take into account the model and the material used. A steam generator will be a good helper in this matter.

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

Dry cleaning

Contacting dry cleaning can help in a hopeless situation:

• when the spots are difficult 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 dress has a very complex and / or voluminous decor.

Dry cleaning will help restore the appearance of the dress at a professional level. Checkout can be done by phone or via the Internet. You can find a suitable dry cleaner on the Internet.

It will not be superfluous to study customer reviews to make sure of the quality of the services provided. The cost of cleaning a wedding dress starts at an average of 3,000 rubles.

Dry cleaning provides:

• removing stains;
• restoration of the attractive appearance of the product;
• ironing;
• elimination of unpleasant odors, for example, from cigarette smoke;
• after processing - placing the item in a separate cover.

7 recommendations

Cleaning a wedding dress is a difficult and time-consuming process. Recommendations of specialists will help to facilitate the work:

1. It is recommended to treat stains on delicate fabrics before they get old.
2. It is not permissible to use hard brushes, as well as highly abrasive cleaning agents.
3. Exclusive very expensive things that are forbidden by the manufacturer to wash, it is advisable to entrust a professional dry cleaner.
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 cannot be used to wash a dress, even if it is snow white.
6. Dress with decor (rhinestones, stones, etc.) cannot be ironed. Such a thing should dry out in natural conditions.
7. When using the steamer, do not point it at areas with decorative glass, plastic or metal.

Do not delay washing the dress. Over time, the stain will become more difficult to remove.

Useful video

How to wash a wedding dress, the video will tell you:

Conclusion

It is quite possible to wash and clean a wedding dress even at home. You need to act very carefully so as not to spoil the thing and do not postpone washing indefinitely, as 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 difficult to decorate, it is advisable to contact a dry cleaner.