How to Clean a Wedding Gown to be reused in 3-5 years?

[Pooh Friend]

I have a cleaning question. I got married on May 23 and plan on reusing my dress in 3-5 years for the church wedding. My dress is 100% silk taffeta and lace, no bling. It would make sense to me to just have it cleaned and put in a 100% cotton bag and hang it on the back of the door or in a closet as opposed to it being "preserved." Do you have any thoughts on preservation? Thanks!

 

[ColeV]

I can't speak to short term, but I know I've seen gowns from the 18th century that were "preserved" some time over the last twenty years, and they fall apart. Our conservators always hate getting those things because they won't last as long that way, the chemicals destroy the fabric. I don't know how preservation reacts to new gowns, however. But, I do know that it's far more important how things were stored. I've seen a 1770s gentleman's suit which was well kept in a box with acid-free tissue paper, not folded up, out of moisture and heat. It was still being worn as a halloween costume in the 1970s, and now (aside from the breeches which were ripped in an "incident" involving a fence) it's in wonderful shape. No "preservation", just care. Get the gown cleaned so the sweat doesn't turn colors and you should be fine!

 

[lurkyloo]

I agree! I'm not a pro like ColeV, but I did extensive research about preserving my wedding gown and was horrified to read about the results of improper preservation and storage.

One thing—and maybe ColeV you can speak to this—certain fabrics will stretch and lose their shape if you leave them on the hanger. Even my (non-stretchy) taffeta 1940s and 1950s party dresses are getting extra wear around the shoulders from being on hangers over the years. I should probably move them to a box...

 

[ColeV]

Right! Always store flat if you can. Think about what gravity does to us after 75 years, a gown isn't much different (the heavier the gown, the more stretching as well). If you can't lay it down, then get a good padded hanger. Put crumpled non-acidic tissue paper in any sleeves or even in the shoulder area or bodice. Here are two examples of how we store the 18th century gowns:

One is hung up, but with lots of effort, not just on a wire hanger (that skirt doesn't stick out like that on it's own). You can see all the tissue paper used to keep thing from falling flat and creasing in both cases. It tends to be the un-natural folds left in garments for a long time that are the most fragile. If it's less than five years, hang it on a padded hanger in a cotton bag, use some non-acidic tissue paper if needed. Longer than that, get a big flat box and lots of tissue paper. Remember that the fabric has been shaped and seamed to fit a 3-d figure and forcing it flat will only damage the fibers and leave creases. Stains and rotting fabric are the two killers. Stains can be dry-cleaned out early on, but set in and turn dark with time. Rotting happens because of excessive temperatures, moisture, bodily fluids, over use of cleaning fluids or starch, and even fabric dyes (black fabric never lasts!). Just keep it out of the attic or basement and it should last a long time!

 

[flowerbelle]

I'm really thankful for this thread...it's been over 6 months since my wedding and I haven't even cleaned my dress yet. At first, I was going to go with a special offer that was emailed to me and offered from David's Bridal, but then when I read further into the wedding gown preservation, I was shocked and dismayed at so many others experiences with this as well as other wedding gown preservation places...I was altogether discouraged and of course became so busy I didn't give one more thought to it. So, if I may ask anyone who would share their experiences, where is the BEST place to preserve your wedding gown? Or to ColeV who seems to have a lot of experience with this---should I just go and get it dry cleaned somewhere and then put it away in a box with acid free tissue paper? I greatly appreciate any advice on this! My wedding dress is a bordeaux taffeta material. Unfortunately, I have ALOT of dirty stains at the bottom of my dress and around the bustle area and I know I need to get it cleaned soon.

 

[Pooh Friend]

Fantastic information -- thank you very much... the pictures were especially helpful. I was leaning toward getting the dress properly cleaned, then the muslin cotton bag and hanging the dress for 3-5 years... thereafter laying it flat. I'm going to check to make sure I have the loops inside the dress for hanging so I don't stretch the lace on top. I'm grateful for your answers ladies. Many thanks!

P.S.: I'm leaning toward Heritage Garment Preservation (heritagegown.com) They gave me a quote of $280 for the cleaning, minor repairs and cotton bag preservation method. Any other preservation recommendations would be welcome

 

[Boardwalk_bride]

Here is a link to something I was planning on trying, that seems to be along the lines of what ColeV suggested.

http://www.preservesmart.com/wedding_gown_preservation.htm

I also decided I will reuse my dress in a few years, so I hope this works!

 

[LLLBelle]

Great Info! I have yet to do anything with my dress either, but this thread is great help.

 

[PrincessShea]

Hey ColeV do you work in a museum or something? Because the history teacher in me is totally jealous of whatever you do that allows you to handle 18th century clothes

 

[lurkyloo]

So, if I may ask anyone who would share their experiences, where is the BEST place to preserve your wedding gown? Or to ColeV who seems to have a lot of experience with this---should I just go and get it dry cleaned somewhere and then put it away in a box with acid free tissue paper? I greatly appreciate any advice on this! My wedding dress is a bordeaux taffeta material. Unfortunately, I have ALOT of dirty stains at the bottom of my dress and around the bustle area and I know I need to get it cleaned soon.

I did it myself for just the cost of acid-free tissue and a Sterlite storage box (which I'd read somewhere was the same kind of plastic used by preservationists). First I had the dress cleaned at my local "green" dry cleaner (not sure how much of that I believe).

Sterlite box from the hardware store

I wore cotton gloves any time I touched the dress so I wouldn't get oil on it.

I lined the box with acid-free tissue I got from Archival Methods.

Then I laid my dress on a layer of tissue on top of a cotton sheet on the bed, stuffed the bodice with crumpled tissue to preserve its shape (it has boning), and the tucked the end of the train in up near the bodice.

Then I tucked the sides of the skirt in and brought the edges of the tissue up over them.

Then I folded the wrapped dress loosely in thirds so it would fit in the box (basically the only structure in it was the boning in the bodice, so I found a box that would accommodate the dress without bending the boning. There were no sequins or other decoration that would be harmed by folding).

I set the whole thing in the box with the bodice on top and unfolded, then tucked more tissue around it before I closed it up.

Yes, that's residual dirt on the underside of the hem... sigh...

I'll let you know if it worked in 20 years!

 

[ColeV]

Hey ColeV do you work in a museum or something? Because the history teacher in me is totally jealous of whatever you do that allows you to handle 18th century clothes

I work for Colonial Williamsburg, not the museum portion though. But I have been through our storage and collections a few times (I used to work in their costume center). I have a business making "new" 18th century clothes, even though that does involve plenty of hands-on research.

 

[flowerbelle]

I did it myself for just the cost of acid-free tissue and a Sterlite storage box (which I'd read somewhere was the same kind of plastic used by preservationists). First I had the dress cleaned at my local "green" dry cleaner (not sure how much of that I believe).

Sterlite box from the hardware store

I wore cotton gloves any time I touched the dress so I wouldn't get oil on it.

I lined the box with acid-free tissue I got from Archival Methods.

Then I laid my dress on a layer of tissue on top of a cotton sheet on the bed, stuffed the bodice with crumpled tissue to preserve its shape (it has boning), and the tucked the end of the train in up near the bodice.

Then I tucked the sides of the skirt in and brought the edges of the tissue up over them.

Then I folded the wrapped dress loosely in thirds so it would fit in the box (basically the only structure in it was the boning in the bodice, so I found a box that would accommodate the dress without bending the boning. There were no sequins or other decoration that would be harmed by folding).

I set the whole thing in the box with the bodice on top and unfolded, then tucked more tissue around it before I closed it up.

Yes, that's residual dirt on the underside of the hem... sigh...

I'll let you know if it worked in 20 years!

Thank you so much Carrie!! Again, you rock--as always!!! The pictures are so helpful!! Thank you for the link as well--Boardwalk Bride! This is all very helpful!! I will try this method of gown preservation--at least it makes sense to me!!

 

[lurkyloo]

I'm glad it's helpful! I just had a museum professional weigh in on my non-professional attempt, and she added these instructions:

1. Maybe once a year, or once every other year, you may want to consider re-folding your dress and repacking it, so the creases don't set in one place over time. Maybe it could be a fun excuse to reminisce about your dress on your anniversary each year

2. Since your box is translucent, do try to keep it somewhere out of direct sunlight. I know it's not likely that you would keep a packed-up box where it would get sun, but thought I'd suggest it just as a precaution. Sunlight can fade dark fabrics of course, but it can also discolor white/light ones, especially the parts of the dress nearest the exterior of the box.

Oh yeah; here's another: You know those little packets of dessicant that come inside shoe boxes that keep new shoes dry during shipping? If you collect a few over time, you might want to tuck them into the corners of your storage box. They can help keep humidity at bay! Curators pay big bucks for quantities of that stuff from archival suppliers!

 

[Boardwalk_bride]

Thank you so much Carrie!! Again, you rock--as always!!! The pictures are so helpful!! Thank you for the link as well--Boardwalk Bride! This is all very helpful!! I will try this method of gown preservation--at least it makes sense to me!!

No problem...the link just basically said the same as Carrie's post, but without the helpful pics! It actually recommends using lavender pouches to keep the gown fresh and free of insects.