Can I Wash My Wedding Dress Myself?

It takes a long time to find the perfect wedding dress, so you will want it to have use beyond the big day. You may want to keep it as a memento, pass it down to a relative, or even upcycle it into something new. Whatever you choose to do with your wedding dress, you will need to clean it properly so that it is in perfect condition first.

Can I wash my wedding dress myself?

In most cases, you should not attempt to wash your wedding dress at home as this could cause serious damage. Wedding dresses are very delicate garments with intricate detailing and attempting to wash one, even carefully, could have consequences. You probably won’t be able to get the dress looking as good as you had hoped, and more likely you will cause irreversible damage to it.

You should definitely not put the dress in the washing machine, as this is a very intense process that wedding dresses are not designed to endure, and it will be damaged as a result. Even if the damage can be repaired, it will come at a cost, so you might as well have let a professional handle it in the first place!

There are a few dresses that may be labelled as washable, but as your wedding dress is such an important and sentimental garment, it’s best to err on the side of caution and trust it with professionals. There are DIY wedding dress cleaning kits available, but they are often not worth the money or the risk.

Does your wedding dress also need repairing?

Because wedding dresses are such delicate garments, it isn’t uncommon for them to become damaged on your wedding day, even if that damage isn’t immediately noticeable. Small tears can easily form in light fabrics, and intricate details such as beads or sequins can often come loose. Your dress is such a valuable item that you should really only trust such repairs to a professional.

Specialist wedding dress cleaners, such as us here at Confetti, have expert seamstresses who can carry out these repairs as part of the cleaning and dress preservation process.

How to choose a professional wedding dress cleaner

When it comes to choosing a dry cleaner for your wedding dress, it’s also important to choose one that specializes in wedding dress cleaning to make sure the treatment is gentle but thorough, only using products that won’t cause any deterioration or decolouration of the dress.

While you shouldn’t try and wash your wedding dress yourself, taking your dress to a traditional dry cleaner isn’t advised either, because they often have a one-size-fits-all approach to dry cleaning. However, different wedding dresses need different types of treatments in order to clean them effectively without damaging them.

Consider the future of your wedding dress

You also want to think about the future of your wedding dress if you are considering washing it yourself – if it is simply washed at home and put in the back of the wardrobe, it could deteriorate over time. Even if you are not intending on using the dress again or handing it down to someone else, you’re sure to be heartbroken if you go to look at the dress one day and it has faded or lost its shape or lustre!

If you choose a specialist wedding dress cleaner, they can preserve your dress in a pH-neutral storage box lined with layers of acid-free tissue that allows the dress to breathe and adjust to changing temperatures, ensuring its longevity.

We would advise that you don’t try and wash your wedding dress yourself. Wedding dress cleaning is an intricate process that can easily go wrong if not given the proper care using the appropriate methods. 

If you are looking for a specialist wedding dress cleaner who can also carry out repairs and preserve your dress, then please get in touch with us here at Confetti, we’ll be happy to help!