What Is the Best Way to Clean a Wedding Dress?

A bride’s big day consists of many planned and prepared details such as invitations, flowers, the cake, food and drink, and more. The wedding dress though, is arguably the most significant detail for a bride. A wedding dress is a piece of memorabilia that can be a keepsake for years to come. Because a wedding dress is so important to many brides, it must be taken care of properly. Many are made with delicate fabric, intricate detailing and design, and other features that cannot just be cleaned like any other garment. To clean it appropriately, a wedding dress requires special cleaning and storage. But with wedding dresses requiring close attention to deal, what is the best way to safely clean them?

Here are some best practices for wedding dress cleaning:

Dry Cleaning

With wedding celebrations comes food, drinks, and cake. It is inevitable that you might get your wedding dress a little dirty on your big day. Dry cleaning is one way to take care of this, especially if the dress is made of rayon, silk, or acetate. Dry cleaners have special cleaning solutions that can degrease stubborn oil-based stains. Dry cleaning solutions will also prevent discoloration of the dress because of their non-toxic formula. 

Wet Cleaning

A wedding dress can also be wet cleaned. This is a method of cleaning your wedding dress with only water, no solution. Wet cleaning is best for water-based stains like sweat or beverages. The dress is submerged in water, helping any dirt or debris to be flushed away. Wet cleaning is especially good for fabric like silk and polyester.

Dependable Wedding Dress Cleaning Provider

There are different ways to clean your wedding dress but dry cleaning and wet cleaning are two of the safest and effective cleaning methods. Due to the delicate materials and details of dresses, we recommend avoiding washing machines and harsh chemicals to prevent damage. At Davis Imperial, our team of garment care experts is knowledgeable about delicate fabrics and has been a trusted cleaner by brides throughout Chicago Our methods include gentle handling, non-toxic chemicals, and an odorless cleaning solution. We also provide pickup and delivery services for added convenience. Contact Davis Imperial at (866) 267-4560.

DAVIS IMPERIAL SELECTED AS “BEST COUTURE DRY CLEANER”, MODERN LUXURY “BEST OF THE NORTH SHORE”

From Modern Luxury Magazine

Best Couture Dry Cleaner

You don’t entrust just any hand with precious wardrobe pieces like designer evening gowns or your wedding dress.  Cleaning high-end pieces with delicate details, like leather trim or intricate buttons, requires heightened attention to detail – something Davis Imperial Cleaners (1920 Harrison St., Evanston, davisimperail.com) excels in.  Specializing in couture garment care, Davis Imperial sends each garment through 13 hands from start to finish, plus additional points of inspection.  The process can even become so meticulous that individual buttons on a gown are removed and re-sewn.  “We do a lot of things differently,” says owner Jordan Wood.  “We combine old-world techniques with state-of-the-art equipment to produce the very best product.”  -AZ

DAVIS IMPERIAL SELECTED “BEST OF THE CITY,” CHICAGO SOCIAL (CS) MAGAZINE

From CS Magazine

CLEANING UP

Davis Imperial Cleaners (davisimperial.com) is not your typical dry-cleaning service. This family-run business goes above and beyond to deliver the best cleaning services for high-end garments–including emergencies and restoration–to their clients (like Nate Berkus and Michelle Obama, to name a few.) Whether restoring $2,220 Roman shades that have been burned or expunging a coffee stain from a designer dress, the dedicated approach remains the same.

“There’s no large production,” co-owner Jordan Wood says. “If we move too quickly, we aren’t doing what we’re supposed to do.” –EG

Davis Imperial Cleaners, 3325 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., 773.267.4560, davisimperial.com.

DAVIS IMPERIAL SELECTED “BEST OF CHICAGO,” CHICAGO MAGAZINE

From Chicago Magazine


Best Dry Cleaner

Picky clotheshorses such as Michelle Obama and Chicago History Museum costume curator Timothy Long swear by this 59-year-old establishment, which can handle anything from delicate suede to elaborate beading. (Even Vogue endorses it.) Each garment gets photographed and catalogued.

For a 10 to 20 percent surcharge, Davis will pick up and deliver anywhere from Hyde Park to north suburban Lake Forest. Prices are steep—ranging from $4.95 for a man’s shirt to upward of $535 to clean and preserve a wedding dress—but worth it.

Davis Imperial Cleaners, 3325 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., 773.267.4560, davisimperial.com.

SOMEWHERE IN TIME

DOWN TO GOWN

| By Katie Shroeder | Photography by Greg Gillis|
From CS Bride’s 5th Anniversary Issue

Rick and Lynda Wood, owners of five-star certified couture cleaner Davis Imperial Cleaners, set the standard for restoring and preserving wedding gowns. So we asked the experts: When it comes to seeing a vintage gown’s potential (or potential flaws), what should a bride look for?

A Musty Odor
Mildew can weaken the tensile strength of a fabric beyond repair.

Discoloration
Long-set stains can hinder the process of restoring a fabric to a uniform color.

Fume Fading
Like furniture, a dress that was stored with only a part of it exposed to sunlight can fade irreversibly.

Snags and Tears
Keep an eye out for rips that can’t be seamlessly fixed by a tailor.

Davis Imperial Cleaners, 3325 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., 773.267.4560, davisimperial.com.

DAVIS IMPERIAL TEAMS WITH JOHN WILLIAMS FROM WGN RADIO

Davis Imperial Cleaners works with John Williams of WGN Radio to donate services to children in need at Wentworth Elementry School on the south side of Chicago

Mrs. Paula Powers, Principal, D.S. Wentworth School and Jordan Wood of Davis Imperial Cleaners