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Frequently Asked Questions

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Find Out More About Wedding Dress Cleaning

If you want to discover more about why or when to get your wedding gown clean, or how Wedding Dress Cleaners will clean your bridal gown, you’re in the right place.

We’ve brought together some of the most common questions about wedding dress cleaning and added some extra advice of our own.

If you can’t see an answer to your question here, please contact us.

FAQs

Wedding Dress Cleaning FAQs 

When Should I Get My Wedding Dress Cleaned?

With wedding dress cleaning, time is of the essence. If you’re planning to have your dress cleaned and preserved as a way to remember your wedding day, we recommend that you arrange for it to be collected by us as soon after your wedding as you can. If possible, factor wedding dress cleaning into the plans for your wedding. Don’t worry if you’re going on honeymoon straight after your big day, we can collect your gown from anywhere. Maybe ask one of your bridesmaids, parents or other close friends to make sure it’s collected.

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Do I Really Need My Wedding Dress Cleaned?

There are lots of reasons why you might choose to have your wedding dress cleaned. You might want to have your bridal gown cleaned before the ceremony, maybe because you are wearing a vintage wedding dress or because you are planning to renew your vows. Alternatively, you may want your dress cleaned after your wedding in order to sell it. The most common reason to have a wedding dress cleaned though is in order to keep it as a beautiful memory of your wedding day. In this case you’ll want to make sure that you use a specialist wedding dress cleaning and preservation company, such as Wedding Dress Cleaners.

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What If My Wedding Dress Doesn’t Look Dirty?

There are a few reasons to get your dress cleaned even if it doesn’t look dirty. Some marks on wedding dresses are difficult to see without using specialist equipment, while other smaller visible stains may become fixed on the gown or become more noticeable if they aren’t treated quickly. Leaving stains on dresses then can lead to longer term damage.

Dry cleaning your wedding dress will also help to freshen it up – particularly if you choose to ozone clean your bridal -gown and help to keep it looking great for longer.

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Can I Clean My Wedding Dress Myself?

It may be tempting to clean your wedding dress yourself, particularly if it appears to have no, or only superficial, marks. However, we really wouldn’t recommend it. Failing to use a professional wedding dress cleaning company can damage your bridal gown. Investing in your wedding dress by having it cleaned professionally will ensure that you and your loved ones can enjoy it for years to come.

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Do You Collect and Deliver Back in My Area?

We collect and deliver back to all mainland postcodes in England, Wales and Scotland.

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Your Website Says You Use Miele WetCare. My Wedding Dress Is Dry Clean Only, Can You Clean It Safely?

Yes. The Miele WetCare cleaning system is an innovative cleaning method that is suitable for almost all fabrics, including those marked ‘dry clean only’ and those that specify cleaning methods. The advantage of the Miele system is that it doesn’t use harsh chemicals, making it kinder to both the environment and your wedding dress. You also avoid the strong smell that you usually associate with traditional dry cleaning methods.

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What are the Benefits of UV Scanning a Wedding Dress?

While you may be able see some stains on your wedding gown, not all are visible to the naked eye. Substances such as white wine may not be noticed but will stain your gown over time. In addition, even ‘invisible’ stains can damage the fabric of your gown.

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What is Ozone Cleaning and What Difference Will It Make to My Wedding Dress?

Ozone cleaning is an environmentally friendly and chemical free method of cleaning your wedding dress. Ozone cleaning also disinfects the fabric of your gown, killing 99.99% of all viruses and bacteria, including Coronavirus.

As an added bonus, ozone cleaning breaks down smells such as sweat, perfume and smoke to leave you wedding dress smelling fresher than ever. If you’ve smelt the air after a thunderstorm, then you’ll have an idea of how fresh your gown will smell after ozone cleaning.

Finally, ozone cleaning helps with the preservation of your wedding gown as it can help with the prevention and removal of mould.

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Why do I Need A Storage Box?

Our bespoke handmade preservation boxes are more than just storage boxes. They help protect your wedding dress from damage that can be caused by exposure to light or dust, which may cause the wedding dress to mark over time.

Our preservation boxes also allow your bridal gown to ‘breathe’, reducing the risk of mildew forming, while the pH neutral material of the box and the acid-free tissue paper your gown is packed in will both help prevent discolouration.

Last but not least, our preservation boxes are also beautiful pieces in themselves, designed to safeguard your precious wedding memories for years to come.

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Can You Clean My Shoes Too?

Yes, we do offer a hand finished shoe cleaning and disinfectant service and we can also present your wedding shoes in a beautiful hand made preservation box in the same design as your wedding dress box. However, whilst we always endeavour to obtain the very best results, we sadly cannot guarantee to remove all stains or marks from your shoes and some marks may only fade in cleaning. Any scuffs or damage to the shoes from your wedding day will be treated but will remain after cleaning.

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Can You Remove All The Stains From My Wedding Dress?

We can never guarantee that every stain can be removed from a garment and any company that suggests it can guarantee ‘complete stain removal’ is, is not being transparent nor totally honest and in our opinion best avoided.

What we can guarantee is that we will take care to ensure every wedding dress we clean is treated in the most appropriate way taking into account its condition, material and age. We will always err on the side of caution and use our extensive experience to select the best cleaning process to use.

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Can a Wedding Dress Get Damaged When It Is Cleaned?

When we receive your wedding gown the first thing we do is to examine and photograph it. This allows us to identify areas of weakness or damage that may need repairing or treating with extra care during the cleaning process.

We also either secure or remove more fragile areas of decoration. Where decoration and adornments cannot reasonably be removed we test them to make sure that they are suitable for cleaning. On some occasions we use protective fabric to safeguard delicate areas. There may be an additional charge when we need to use protective tailoring techniques.

Very occasionally weaknesses in the fabric of your wedding gown, which were not apparent prior to cleaning, may result in some minor damage during the cleaning process. In a few cases beads and trim may become loose or damaged during cleaning. This can happen with even the most rigorous preparation due to the delicate nature of some bridal gowns. However our years of experience mean that this happens very rarely.

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Can You Repair My Wedding Dress?

Yes. In most cases our skilled specialist wedding dress tailoring team are able to repair your gown. Once we have received your dress, we will assess what needs to be done and will give you a quote for the repair.

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My Wedding Dress Needs Specialist Cleaning. Can You Do That?

The label in your wedding dress may say ‘do not dry clean’, ‘spot clean only’ or specify a particular cleaning method such as the Baptiste Process®. As we use a range of measures and treat each dress individually, we can safely clean all wedding dresses, whatever the label says. We base the method we use to clean your dress on many factors including condition, fabric and age.

Please note: the Baptiste ProcessÂŽ is simply the name given by one dry cleaner to the method they use. The methods we use are tried and tested on bridal gowns that carry this label.

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Do You Insure My Wedding Dress When It Is Cleaned?

Insurance for dresses up to a value of ÂŁ5000 is included in all our wedding dress cleaning packages. If your dress cost more than this when you purchased it we will add extra insurance for a small premium. It is important that you do not underestimate the value of your wedding dress to make certain that it is insured up to the appropriate level.

We are sometimes asked what would happen in the extremely rare event of a problem arising and a claim being necessary. In such an event a valuation would be obtained by our insurers according to industry guidelines* which means that the dress and any additional items are valued at half the purchase price. (*Textile Services Association has valuation guidelines agreed with Office of Fair Trading and Trading Standards).

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I am Having My Wedding Dress Cleaned Before The Ceremony. Can I Wear It Straight From the Box?

Once dresses are cleaned, they are pressed and carefully boxed. While we make every effort to minimise creases when we pack your dress, you may need to steam or repress your bridal gown before the ceremony. We therefore recommend that you have your dress returned to you at least a week before your wedding day, as at the very least it will require removing from the box and hanging.

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How Do I Pack My Dress – Do I Need a box?

  • Please print out two address labels
  • Place your dress and any other pieces you are sending to be cleaned in a bag, preferably a plastic bag as it provides additional protection from water ingress. If you send us your dress carrier and hanger, then we will return these to you. Please note that veils may be packaged at the bottom of your preservation box upon return.
  • Place that bag in a cardboard box or other suitable strong container. Some people use an old suitcase, storage box or similar but please note that unless specifically agreed and paid for, these will not be returned to you.
  • Put one address label in the box. This should help to repatriate your dress should it be necessary. Secure the other address label on the outside of the box so the address is clearly visible.
  • Our courier will add their own labelling and address details when they collect the dress from you.
  • Please note that we cannot accept dresses given to the courier on hangers. They must be in a box for insurance cover.

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Can I Just Give You My Dress On A Hanger?

No. You must pack your dress as described above. Our couriers will not accept items which are not boxed for insurance purposes and we cannot take any responsibility it these guidelines are not followed.

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Getting In Touch

To get in touch with us please use the contact form on this page.

You can also email us directly on bridal@atlantic-cleaners.com

Our telephone number is 0330 818 1719

Whether you use the contact form or email, we will endeavour to get back to you within one working day.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch – we look forward to hearing from you.

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