Your Guide to Treasured Garment Care
Aftercare For Your Treasured Gown
After the preservation process, it’s important to understand how to care for your gown to ensure it remains flawlessly intact for years to come. At Janet Davis Cleaners, we take pride in sharing insights on how brides can ensure their gowns can remain beautiful for future generations. With proper aftercare, your preserved gown will continue to be a cherished memento of your special day. Take a moment to explore our tips on how to best preserve the beauty of your gown below!
Treasured Garment Care Tips
Janet Davis Cleaners offers these tips on caring for your personal gown:
- Remove plastic wrap; this is only for transportation. Fabrics need to breathe and wrapping your box in plastic could cause yellowing or mildew if moisture were trapped in the box.
- You will notice we have removed any bust or underarm pads. These items may emit acid fumes, and so should be stored separately.
- Any metal buttons or metal hoops have been removed. Over time these items may rust or cause your dress to turn yellow if left attached. These items are inside your chest, buffered with acid-free tissue paper.
- Store your boxed gown in a cupboard in the main part of the house, preferably in a place where it will be left undisturbed (a guest room or spare room closet is ideal). Don’t store your gown in the attic, basement, or against an outside wall, as fluctuations in temperature and humidity can cause damage.
- You may take your gown out of the chest sometime in the future to have a look; however, please be aware that every time you handle the gown there is potential for damage. Your preserved gown is safest left intact in the chest, where it has been placed carefully by skilled professionals. Included in your preservation kit is a pair of white cotton gloves for handling the gown, should you need to remove it from the chest. This will prevent soiling the fabric with oils from your skin, so you should wear them even if you feel a little silly.
- Take your gown out of the chest carefully, trying to leave the tissue in the gown intact. Have a good look at the gown, front and back, to make sure it is in perfect condition. In the extremely rare instance that any discoloration should appear, call Janet Davis Cleaners (or any other member of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists in over 500 cities worldwide) immediately so we can take care of that. Your lifetime guarantee includes free correction of discoloration, as well as free pressing for future use (if you pass your gown to a friend or relative, any member of the Association will press it before use).
- To replace your gown, fluff up the tissue to keep the sleeves rounded, and try to replace it in the box with as few folds in the fabric as possible. Place tissue between layers to absorb acidity. The tissue serves two functions: to prevent hard folds in the fabric, which can cause damage over time, and to keep the environment acid-free. If you need more tissue when you repack your gown, it is essential that you use only acid-free tissue, which you can get from Janet Davis Cleaners. Most tissue is not acid-free; so don’t take a chance with tissue you have around the house!
Thank you for trusting your treasured gown to Janet Davis Cleaners.