I want to wear my wedding gown again in 5 years. How best to store it after being cleaned: bag versus box?
A best answer will address all of the following:
1. Pros and cons of box versus garment bag.
2. If a garment bag is best, what type of material should the bag be? Waterproof? Moth proof, etc?
3. Will I need to buy the garment bag and supply it for the dry cleaner, if so, where do I buy the bag, or should the dry cleaner be offering a nice, garment bag?
4. If a box, is a regular, cardboard shipping box acceptable? That's what one dry cleaner offered me.
5. What should I being realistically prepared to pay? (I have not yet had it cleaned. If the type of dress is going to affect your answer, it is Casablanca 1889s.)
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M$6 Answers
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As far as storage options, you should always use a box. A garment bag generally contains plastic, and plastic will inevitably discolor or destroy your dress.
The box you use should be acid-free. If your dry cleaner is offering a plain old cardboard box, do not accept it. In fact, I would not even trust that cleaner with your dress at all. I would look for a cleaner that has experience in wedding dress preservation. Make sure that the cleaner you select does not use Perchloroethylene on wedding dresses as this cleaning solution is too harsh and can melt beading and/or damage delicate fabrics. Also make sure the cleaner uses a freshly distilled or virgin solvent for your dress, as using old solvent is what causes that “dry cleaner” smell, and you will want your dress to be odor-free when you put it on in five years.
Cost will run you anywhere from $150 to $500. The biggest determining factor in cost is the amount of cleaning needed. So if your dress has a lot of stains from your special day, it is going to cost you more to clean. The type of dress is also a factor.
Once the dress is cleaned, it should be folded and protected with tissue paper (also acid-free) and then placed into the box. You will need to store the box with your dress under a bed or in a closet free from moisture and sunlight to ensure that it stays in tip-top shape for you to don again in 5 short years.
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M$
If it is really suitable for wedding gowns, then it is much cheaper DIY solution for your question. If you havent heard about Space bags or used this before, you can also try with one of your less expensive dress. Though it looks crumpled after vacuuming, when you let the air in, it comes out alright.
Space bags also create an airtight and watertight seal for protection against dirt, moisture, mildew, bugs, and odors.
BUT PLEASE DO CHECK WITH THE STORE WHERE YOU BOUGHT THE DRESS IF THE CLOTH TYPE AND MATERIAL IS SUITABE TO STORE IN SPACE BAGS.
If you decide to use the space bags, please buy good quality ones from a reputed store and have the dress dry cleaned from a reputed place.
Following are the tips from ehow.com to preserve wedding dress.
"Tips & Warnings:
- If you want to keep your wedding gown looking as new as it did the day you wore it, place it in a space saver vacuum bag at home.
- Keep your wedding gown in a dark place, if possible.Every now and then, look to see if the air is still suctioned out our your bag.
- If the air has gotten back into the bag, apply suction to the bag as soon as possible."
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M$This is an advantage over traditional cardboard boxes that don't allow such breathability and adaptation to conditions.
Plastic storage options, such as some garment bags, should be avoided because they may cause permanent wrinkles and trap moisture that could result in mildew and deterioration of the fabric.
If you want to have your dress preserved by a professional, it will cost you around $200-400. However, since you are going to wear it in 5 years, this probably will be unnecessary, and you should be able to do the job at home after it's been dry-cleaned.
You will need a study box to store it in and a white sheet, pre-washed unbleached muslin, or acid-free tissue paper to wrap it in. This should cost less than $100 total.
You can buy kits, such as this one, that contain the box plus acid-free tissue paper for $115.
http://www.clotilde.com/detail.html?source=froogle&prod_id=229
However, you could do it even less expensively. I found this Acid-free garment storage box for only $29.
http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp14425.html?ovchn=SPRI&ovcpn=Froogle&ovcrn=Froogle&ovtac=CMP
And this unbuffered, acid-free tissue paper for $6 per package.
http://www.webyfl.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=242
Hope that helps! :)
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M$
I understand your concern, but it's really not any different than the pros would do it.
I had my (very expensive) dress professionally dry-cleaned the day after the wedding, and then I wrapped and boxed it myself for a fraction of the cost a pro preservationist charges.
Oh, I forgot to add...if possible, don't store your dress in an attic or basement because of heat or moisture. It's best stored under a bed or in a closet.
Not sure I want to go the do it yourself route for this gown, but maybe for some of my other items. Thanks though.
Experience.
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M$
2.Use a bag able to breathe and that is sealed. This kind of bag allows the gown to breathe *as mentioned above* ,which prevents mildew unlike boxes which cause mildew because of the lack of oxygen, prevents wrinkles or folds, protects against light (discoloration) and dust, and it is the easiest to inspect before taking out of the bag.
3.When you buy the garment bag do not supply it for them, most will wrap it in a plastic (which you will need to take off before putting it into the garment bag) that will be fine until you get it into the bag.
4.And do not use the cardboard shipping box your dry cleaner offered, it does not protect near as well.
When using a bag make sure that the room you keep it in is temperature controlled (most closets are fine)
If your dress is smaller than most, then a box may better fit your situation
For more information on dress preservation visit:
http://www.heritagegown.com/options.php
5(a)Heritage gown also sells a cheap bag that would work
http://www.heritagegown.com/shoppingcart/products/Cotton-Garment-Bag.html
5(b)If you would rather use a box (although a bit more expensive)
http://www.heritagegown.com/shoppingcart/products/30%22-x-18%22-x-6%22-Textile-Preservation-Box-with-Metal-Stayed-Corners.html
Hope it helps!
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You bring up a lot of great points regarding cleaning solutions, and it's not really dirty or stained; just has some sand in it as I got married on the beach. And it's been about 2 months so I want to get it taken care of soon. I just have not found a dry cleaner in my area that I'm happy with. The place I bought the dress offered preservation service for $199, and I'm wondering if I should just do that.
Going with the place you bought the dress from might not be a bad idea, and $199 doesn't sound like a bad price for preservation. What I might recommend is googling the name of the shop along with a term like "dress preservation" and see if you can find any reviews of their services. This is more to make sure that there are not reports of negative experiences than anything else. And if you want to make sure they have done a good cleaning job before the dress is boxed, you can always request that they let you see the dress between steps. Good luck! And congrats on the beach wedding - I was at one in Mexico this past April and I think it was probably the best wedding I have been to recently, which, since I have been to seven in the past year, is saying a lot. :)