I have been preserving wedding gows from my home for family and friends for years now--both vintage gowns that were poorly stored and new gowns just worn--and agree with Elizabeth Walton that most "professional" dry cleaning services are a ripoff. They charge hundreds of dollars for cleaning and storing in a fashion that is ultimately not the best for the longevity of a gown. One should be wary of dry cleaners in general. So few are actually cleaning garments in a safe way that will maintain their beauty. If you're interested in cleaning and preserving a wedding gown yourself, you can read about my technique in the following. All it requires is some gentle detergent, possibly some OxiClean, a large tub, and a lot of water and patience. As my first step, I take a large, clean container and fill it with cold water. If you have access to distilled water, this is best; regular filtered water is second best. I examine the gown for any loose sequins, beads, or other details, and remove them as necessary--they can be reapplied when the dress is dry. If you do not remove them before beginning the cleaning process, you risk losing them. Then I put on rubber gloves and place the gown in the water. I gently swish it around for a few minutes. If the water becomes cloudy, I drain it and repeat the process, until the water is no longer cloudy. Then I take the gown out and dissolve some very mild detergent in the bottom, then fill it once more with cold water. I like to use Ecover's Delicates formula for this purpose. I repeat the gentle swishing process in this detergent solution, then drain. Then I rinse the dress however many times necessary until no suds remain. It is so important to wash the dress, because the "age spotting" we see on so many lighter-colored vintage garments are often stains that were invisible to the eye after the last wear, but because the item was not properly cleaned or stored, the stains interacted with the atmosphere and underwent chemical change, leaving the garment with those unfortunate (but removable, if you follow the instructions in the next paragraph!) blemishes. If the dress had visible stains or discolorations, please read the following step; if not, go to the next paragraph. For a stained dress, I now soak it in a VERY dilute solution of completely dissolved OxiClean and cold water (dissolve the OxiClean in a bit of warm water, then fill it the rest of the way with cold). Be careful with this step if the dress has sequins, beading, metal pieces, or similar adornments. I allow it to soak for 1 to up to 12 hours depending on the type and age of fabric and the intensity of the stain. It is wise to swish it around a few times while it is soaking, to ensure that all parts of the dress are saturated. I have done this with dresses over a hundred years old and removed very tough stains and allover discoloration, but you need to keep a close eye on it while it soaks, and make sure you do not have too much OxiClean in the mixture! I typically use about half of what the box calls for in handwashing. I then repeat the washing and rinsing process to ensure all the strong chemicals have been rinsed from the dress. At this point I place it on a large, soft white towel which had been cleaned with the same delicate detergent, then place another towel atop it and gently roll the dress to remove excess water. I then transfer the dress to a large drying rack, unroll it, and remove the topmost towel. I allow it to air dry under a ceiling fan, flipping over and turning the dress inside out as necessary to make sure everything dries quickly, before any part of it becomes musty. Once the dress has air dried, it may be stiffer than it originally was. It is typically okay to take a steamer at a low setting to it to soften it up but, again, keep the safety of areas with beading and other details in the forefront of your mind. The steamer should also remove any wrinkles, but if it has not, I will hang it on a strong hanger with a plastic base (wood is treated with chemicals that can leach through and damage the garment and metals can rust), padded with thick layers of organic undyed muslin, and then place it in an organic undyed muslin garment bag. Allow it to hang until all wrinkles are gone. You can permanently store it in this bag, but for the best results, you should, as Elizabeth Walton mentioned, store it in a museum-quality acid-free box and stuff all of the layers of the dress with acid-free tissue paper. Then place the bag or box in a room that maintains a consistent temperature, and never a hot room. I have also used this same general process with wedding veils, hats, and bags (as well as other, non-wedding related garments and accessories) and it has always been successful. It has certainly saved my loved one lots of money (and heartbreak if they had gone with a "professional" service that did a shoddy job or even destroyed a gown, of which I have heard the worst horror stories!). I do hope this helps. If any professional conservators have anything to add or correct about my method, please do respond. I love to help friends and family out in this way, but I am not a professional conservator--just a student who has done lots of research and consulted several conservators for advice. -Jeanie On Tue, May 24, 2011 at 1:54 PM, Elizabeth Walton <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > Most places that do it are complete shams. They charge hundreds of dollars > to seal the dress i cheap plastic and charge for "sugar treatments" which > consist of dabbing spots with water. Dresses should never be sealed > airtight, that sealing is what causes the browning over time. > > Any recommendations for cleaning should be local, most large cities have > one or two really good cleaners who will do the best job but you will pay > for it. Wedding dresses are obvious, so they charge out the wazoo no matter > what size and material the dress is. > > As far as packing, it depends on the dress, many modern dresses can be > stored very well on a padded hanger in a muslin bag, if it has strong > shoulders. Otherwise I recommend an acid free box from a standard museum > supplier with tissue rolled in the folds to prevent creasing, and store it > somewhere in the house where there is temperature control and it is not > directly on the floor. > > Elizabeth Walton > www.Waltonmuseumservices.com > > > > > On Tue, May 24, 2011 at 1:33 PM, Puga, Dana (LVA) < > [log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> Hi all, >> >> I am hoping some of the conservators out there can answer my question. I >> need to have my wedding gown cleaned and preserved. What is the best way to >> have this done? Is there a storage method that is better than another? I >> have seen some places that store the gowns in cloth bags on hangers and >> others that pack them in acid free/lignin free boxes. Also, what is >> recommended for veil storage? I've also heard I should not have the gown >> pressed before storage, is this true? >> >> If you have any suggestions on companies I should use that would be >> helpful. >> >> Thanks! >> Dana >> >> ========================================================= >> Important Subscriber Information: >> >> The Museum-L FAQ file is located at >> http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed >> information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message >> to [log in to unmask] . 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