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Original poster

Wedding dress in washing machine?

38 replies

TurnipSurprise · 08/03/2023 14:24

I bought a wedding dress from a sample sale at a bridal store. I am looking at prices to clean it and it is going to be more expensive to clean this dress than it was to buy it in the first place!

Given that it was fairly cheap, would it be silly to just pop it in a duvet cover and wash it on a gentle wash?

I don't want to spend a fortune cleaning a dress when I don't know if it can be altered how I want yet. I also don't want to pay for alterations if I can't get it lovely and clean.

Catch 22!

OP posts:
ConcernedMum22 · 09/03/2023 07:21

Mine has lace, beading, tulle etc and it fares fine in a washing machine. I'd go for it at that price!

HeadacheEarthquake · 09/03/2023 07:24

Ex-wedding shop saleswoman here. The best thing you can do is wash it by hand in the bath, specifically with yellow fairy liquid. If you can then borrow a steamer to smooth it out after you'll get a good result.

Original poster
TurnipSurprise · 09/03/2023 07:31

Yellow fairy liquid - got it!

I will be over the moon if this works and I have a bargain dress and bargain cleaning.

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elevenplusdilemma · 09/03/2023 07:34

I washed mine in the bath. Lukewarm water and a liquid for silk / wool / delicates. Left it soak for 20 mins or so and then gently squeezed the water through. Drained the bath with the dress in situ and used lukewarm water to rinse. Repeat a few times. Carefully remove excess water (gentle squeezes and allow it to drain) then relocated to indoor airer to dry.
It was fine.

Blanketunderstars · 09/03/2023 07:35

I put mine in the wash post wedding… came out fine had beading, crystals etc.

lightlypoached · 09/03/2023 08:00

I bought my vintage dress on ebay and walked and showered it then hung it on the line to drip dry.

It was very delicate and came up beautifully.

Deffo hand wash. But cool water and dreft detergent.

Mmr224 · 09/03/2023 08:37

Depending on how heavy and layered the dress is, I helped a family member clean a wedding dress she had borrowed. It had fake tan and heavy make up on the neck at back and front and arms, food stains and also lots of mud and grass on the train and round the front. It was laveyed satin, lace, tulle underskirt so very heavy and difficult to get in bath.

We hung it outside, used cold water from hose on a low setting initially and very gentle hand wash detergent on stains. Had to use spray dilution of milton eventually on make up and fake tan stains. And also fairly liquid on grass. The food and mud stains came out with enough cool water.

To get worse stains out we laid on top of white towels on a metal garden table and scrubbed very gentle with clean with cloth at really bad stains after milton left to work for 60 mins. To look at it initially you would never think it would clean. Think that's why the person didnt sell it initially. It looked like new afterwards. Was hung again and sprayed with gentle hose for ages afterwards. Then drop dried for a few days outdoor but under a roof. Then steamed hanging up.

Would definitely try a bath hand wash if it fits, that's what we would have tried if it fitted. Dress was enormous with huge satin train.

JustFrustrated · 09/03/2023 09:00

I'd definitely try it myself.

I took my wedding gown to a professional cleaners...and they ruined it..

The beading was half gone.
The lace was torn.

So you can't do a worse job than that!

Elspeth7 · 01/08/2023 11:30

Hi I'm looking for advice about cleaning a wedding dress. I've found a beautiful dress I want to buy for my wedding in 11 months time. I have the option to buy it new for £1800 or I can take the shop's sample for £900. Obviously that's a fantastic saving which I'd really love, however the sample is one size bigger than I would order so will need alterations. It's also grubby around the train so would need dry cleaned. I've contact a large cleaning company who say they would charge £230 for it which seems like a lot to me. Does anyone have any experience of having a wedding dress dry cleaned? Do they come up well? The dress is mikado with some lace but otherwise plain.

Daffodilsandtuplips · 04/08/2023 18:21

How grubby is the train? washed my daughters dress, steeped in soap flakes in the bath first to loosen the dirt, rinsed with cold water then hand washed in the bath. Rinsed and then drip dried over a clothes airer in the bath.

Icycloud · 04/08/2023 18:22

No take it to a special cleaning place or it might get ruined. Overall it will be more expensive to buy new or replace

LadyFlumpalot · 05/08/2023 07:28

Elspeth7 · 01/08/2023 11:30

Hi I'm looking for advice about cleaning a wedding dress. I've found a beautiful dress I want to buy for my wedding in 11 months time. I have the option to buy it new for £1800 or I can take the shop's sample for £900. Obviously that's a fantastic saving which I'd really love, however the sample is one size bigger than I would order so will need alterations. It's also grubby around the train so would need dry cleaned. I've contact a large cleaning company who say they would charge £230 for it which seems like a lot to me. Does anyone have any experience of having a wedding dress dry cleaned? Do they come up well? The dress is mikado with some lace but otherwise plain.

Is the mikado polyester or silk? If it's silk based then you will need to take it to a dry cleaner or specialist as water can damage silk.

Elspeth7 · 05/08/2023 10:37

Oh I didn't even know there were 2 types of Mikado! I'll have to ask now but I suspect it's silk.

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