Is there any piece of clothing as important and as symbolic as your wedding dress? Once your big day is over, you may want to preserve your wedding dress so that you can hold onto it and cherish it for years to come. You may even want to pass it onto your daughter. With that being said, read on to discover some useful tips on how to clean and preserve your wedding dress properly.

1. Budget for wedding dress cleaning and storing – Unfortunately, there is only one place to begin, and this is with the financial side of things. After all, when it comes to weddings, almost everything comes down to finances. Therefore, it is a good idea to do a bit of research online so that you can find out about the typical costs associated with wedding dress dry cleaning. This will help you to budget effectively.
2. Check the care instructions – Aside from this, you need to check the care instructions. All garments come with washing and care instructions but we tend to ignore them. This is not something you can afford to do with your wedding dress. You need to check the label or the cleaning instructions that you have bee provided with your wedding gown. There could be some very specific cleaning instructions and steps that you should not ignore.
3. Timing is everything – Time is of the essence when it comes to wedding dress preservation. A lot of people end up waiting for weeks and weeks before they invest in a wedding dress cleaning service. This is understandable. After all, you’re probably still floating on Cloud 9 after your wedding day, and so going to the dry cleaners is the least of your priorities right now. Nevertheless, you need to take your dress to a dry cleaner as soon as you can after the wedding day. In fact, doing this the day after your wedding comes recommended. Why not assign this task to one of your bridesmaids? It is important because stains are going to sink deeper and deeper into the fabric with every day that passes, and this means that they will become more of a challenge to remove.
4. Ditch the plastic cover – Aside from the tips that have already been mentioned, it is also advisable to avoid leaving your dress in the plastic cover if you can do so. Instead, using a cotton duvet or something like this as a temporary cover will be much better until you find something made from cotton to store your dress in or indeed you get a wedding dress box (which we will come onto later). This is because plastic dress covers will disintegrate over time, resulting in harmful particles being left on your wedding gown.
5. Use gloves when handling the dress – Another tip when it comes to preserving your wedding dress is to use gloves whenever handling it. This may sound a bit unnecessary. However, it can stop any stains from developing, so it is really worth it. White cotton gloves will ensure no marks or fingerprints develop on your dress.
6. Don’t put your wedding dress in an attic or in your wardrobe – It may seem like the obvious option to put your wedding dress in your wardrobe once it has been cleaned and is looking as good as new again. However, if you put your wedding dress in this environment it can catch on other clothes and it can get bashed about while you are trying to decide what to wear in the morning. You should also avoid the attic because these sorts of spaces can be quite humid or damp and they are prone to attracting insects.
7. Pack your wedding dress with acid-free tissue – Another tip when storing and preserving your wedding dress is to make sure that it is packed away using acid-free tissue. The tissue should be placed between the layers of your dress when you fold it. Why is this important? Well, it will help with the preservation of the fabric. It is imperative to ensure the tissue is acid-free, though, as normal tissue paper will damage the dress because it becomes acidic over time.
8. Make sure your wedding dress box is airtight – Last but not least, when choosing a wedding dress box, you need to make sure that it is airtight. You cannot put your wedding gown in the first box you find. You need to store your dress safely, which is why a special pH neutral wedding dress box is a must. Why? Well, your gorgeous gown could end up developing a yellow-ish shade if it is put in a normal box.

Your wedding day is one of the most memorable days of your life and being able to keep your wedding dress in pristine condition is an ideal way to preserve your special memories.