Would not recommend for wedding dresses

Women attach a lot of sentimental value to their wedding dresses. For them it is a symbol of love. They put in a lot of effort into finding the right one, perfect for the wedding ceremonies and would love to have it last for ever. But most of the time, once they come back from their honeymoons, they either hang the gown in the closet or store it away in a box or chest. This is extremely harmful for the gown.

The good news is that it is actually quite easy to preserve your wedding gown in its original pristine glory. If done properly, the gown will become an heirloom enjoyed by brides of the family for generations.

Get a Clean Start

It is important to take the gown to the cleaners as soon as you can. Make a visit to the best dry cleaner in town as soon as you can. Normally the good dry cleaners closely inspect the garment, bring stains, flaws and other minor details to your notice. They even have services that help repair the tiny stains and tears. Get those attended to. Once the gown is delivered to you, you can store it away.

Long-Term Storage

Do not hang your gown. It will then get stretched or even worn out due to the gravitational pull of the earth. Instead consider storing it rolled up or folded. If you have to hang it and do not have space to store it any other way, get yourself padding. Padding material can be obtained from quilting stores. These can be used to cover the hangers so that the delicate fabric of the gown does not suffer. If you are folding your gown, you need to bring the gown out at least twice a year, shake out the folds and re-fold along different lines. Delicate fabrics have been known to tear away at the folds if stored too long.


Regular Check-Ups

Air your gown often. Remember that it is your heirloom and requires a lot of care. Take it out of storage, shake it out, and check how well it is doing in storage. Freshen it up and restore it.

Temperature Matters

Do not subject your precious gown to the vagaries of the weather. Store it in the attic or the basement. These places are not heated or cooled. They are airy too. The temperature at which your gown will do best would be somewhere around 60 to 70 degree F. Avoid small closets.

Humidity Sensitivity

Extreme change in the moisture level can also harm your gown. So it is not recommended that you store the gown in a bathroom closet or the laundry room. If it is an extremely dry winter, do consider using a humidifier in the room where your gown is stored. Humidity should be around 40 to 50% for the fabric.


Avoid Ironing and Starching

Instruct the cleaners not to iron your gown or starch it. Starch can attract pests and encourage mildew growth, whereas ironing strains the fabric fibers.