Your wedding dress is a prized possession. This is one dress that you want to maintain forever and keep in tip-top condition. However, stains do happen! A wedding day is filled with surprises and some of them may not be the most pleasant! As much as you love your darling, little cousins; their sticky fingers leaving stains on your dress may not be appreciated. Also, a lovely toast may turn into a spilled drink and nasty stain. One must not worry over these stains, even if you hope to save this dress for memories and for future generations. There are tips and tricks for removing stains from wedding dresses that must be used so that your dress can remain as lovely as it was the first time you put it on.
The following tips and tricks for removing stains from a wedding dress can help bring back that gorgeous dress you love so much:
· One major spoiler for wedding dresses includes spilled wine. You may wish that you had served only water after seeing the spots on your dress! Don’t worry; there are solutions to this problem. If the stain is new, be sure to immediately blot the stain. Do not rub or scour the spot, but simply blot to try to bring up the wine into a fresh, clean, absorbent cloth. Try to use a white cloth to be sure that the color from the cloth doesn’t bleed into the dress fabric.
Next you can use white vinegar and water and gently dab and blot with a white rag to try to get the stain out. Vinegar may not be readily available if you are at a reception or party. If you are removing white wine, you can use club soda. Red wine may require club soda and a touch of dishwasher detergent.
· Attending to food stains on a wedding dress depends on the type of food. For example, an oily or fatty food, such as meat, can leave a stain that must be addressed with a grease removing soap, such as citrus dish soap in a small quantity. Other stains, such as a berry stain, should be handled in the same way one treats a wine stain. As with any other stain, it is important to begin by blotting the area and removing any particles resting on the fabric. Next, the stain must be identified as oily or water based. If the stain is too enmeshed in the fabric and cannot be removed at the time, one may try to cover it with a white powder, such as baking soda or talcum powder until a professional can be found to remove the stain.
· Make up stains are common on a wedding dress. Remember that almost every type of makeup qualifies as an oil based stain. Whether the makeup is mascara, foundation, blusher, lipstick, or bronzer; it is likely to leave an oily streak behind. While brides do all they can to avoid this problem, it is an all too common issue. The fact that the stain is oil based means that water will not do much to remove the stain. While you will need water to help with the removal, it is a soap that can take away an oil based stain. Fortunately, even delicate fabrics respond well to the king of oily clean up; which is dish soap. Especially citrus dish soaps are made to cut through oil and so they are perfect in limited amounts to get the oils of makeup from wedding dresses. By patting/dabbing the soap with a small amount of water, makeup can be removed from a dress without damaging the delicate fibers of a wedding dress or veil.
· Dirt on a wedding gown must be pre-treated and may need to be lightly scrubbed. For example, dirt can get trapped around the hem or in seams. You can spray a light cleaner onto the dirty areas and use a very light brush to scrub the dirt from the hems and seams to remove soaked in dirt. This can be rinsed out later. If you find that one series of spot treating is not sufficient, simply repeat the steps and scrub with a bit more force but not enough to damage the delicate fibers of the gown.
· We all hope that blood will not touch our wedding dresses, but stranger things have happened. In this case, try to blot the blood stain out in much the same way you would blot a red wine stain. Next you can apply small amount of hydrogen peroxide and water as needed. Repeat this process; blotting between additions of hydrogen peroxide, until the stain is gone.
· Silk has extremely fine fibers that must be handled with great care. Be very careful to treat them with respect. Never scrub or rub harshly. Always blot carefully with a clean, white cloth or rag. Scrubbing will cause more problems than the stain itself and may be impossible to repair. Stains can often be removed by professional cleaners, but damage to the fabric fibers is nearly impossible to repair.
· Pay extra attention to lace and embellishments on a wedding dress. Remember that these items are attached to delicate fabric with fine thread. These additions, including pearls and fine embroidery, must be preserved with careful handling. Rough cleaning or improper, harsh chemical can ruin them beyond repair.
· If gentle cleaning fails or a stain goes unnoticed during the festivities until it has dried and set, you should consider hiring a professional cleaner to use every trick they have accumulated over years of experience to bring your dress back to the loveliness that stole your heart in the first place. Considering the sentimental value and possible value to future generations, it may be well worth the cost and effort.
On your wedding day, it makes sense to keep a took kit handy to deal with minor mishaps with your wedding dress. If you keep a small case with citrus dish soap, clean and absorbent cloths, hydrogen peroxide, and white vinegar; you may avoid long lasting stains in the future. Either way, remember the main point of your special day and don’t let a little spill ruin a truly glorious occasion!