does cleaning a dress actually work? help!

jollygreen

Hi, all!

I am thinking about buying a sample dress.  It's been passed around on craigslist a bit, so it's a great deal.  It's a gorgeous dress and fit me very well, but there are some problems so I walked away from the deal.  Now I'm having second thoughts because it's a high end dress that I would never be able to afford new.  

I think this must have been a sample dress.  There is dirt on the material around the zipper (it's likely been pulled on and off a lot of times) and also dirt around the bottom of the dress where it's been dragged around the floor. 

There is also a blue mark on the train.  I think it might have been an ink mark of some kind. I'm less concerned about this...it's not too noticeable.

Lastly, the current owner is a smoker. 

My question is to those who have had their dresses cleaned...how much of the dirt actually comes out?  Also, how much did cleaning cost?  (I wouldn't be getting the dress preserved at this point.)

Thanks for your help!

klmbbb

This is just my opinion but I think it depends on the fabric and the nature of the dirt/stains, and maybe even how long the dirt has been on there.  My dress is satin and it was quite dirty on the bottom from walking around outside (not on grass, but on sidewalks and pavement).  I had it cleaned a few weeks after the wedding and the dirt all came out but it took two attempts.  When I went to pick up the dress the first time there was still a lot of dirt at the bottom of the train so i sent it back and they managed to get it all out the second time around (not sure why they couldn't do this the first time).  Maybe you could call a local reputable cleaner, describe the nature of the dirt/stains and the fact it's a wedding dress, and ask if they can get the dirt out before committing to the purchase.

_Dagney_

You have 2 options here...many dresses, especially those made of synthetic materials can be washed in a home washing machine.  DO NOT ATTEMPT if there is a lot of beading or delicate details.

Alternatively you can go to your dry cleaner and see how they do...some are more specialized than others.

If it were me and I LOVED the dress and it was a GREAT deal, based on the stains you described, I'd go for it...

I'm sure they will lighten if not completely erase and it's not like there is a wine stain down the front.

BexBunky

We just finished cleaning my dress at home. It was entirely polyester with nylon netting. We washed the dirty edges (and a chocolate cake spot, woops!) in the bathtub with Woolite, then let it presoak. After that we turned it inside out and put it in the washing machine on gentle. It came out very well. The tag said to professionally dry clean, but with all synthetic fabrics, it came out just fine. Be cautious, but it just might work. 

cschuma2

Here's my experience:

I had an outdoor wedding ceremony with a receiving line after.  Someone stepped on the train of my dress during this time and left a big muddy footprint behind.  I also had dirt on the bottom of my dress from where it dragged the ground during the ceremony and the floor during the reception.  While taking off my dress, I got some make-up around the neckline of the dress.

I used www.wedclean.com ($129) and the make up and minimal dirt from the floor/ground came out entirely.  The part of my train with the footprint almost came out.  They sent my dress back with a letter saying that they couldn't remove all of the dirt and it was visible under their high-powered lighting.  I honestly couldn't see the dirt at all at first.  Then in bright sunlight (and since I knew right where to look) I could see some VERY faint spots.  I certainly wouldn't have noticed these had I not been looking for them.  Even looking for them, I wouldn't have noticed them had I not been in bright light.

I was happy with my results.  Based on what you said, if you love the dress, I would give cleaning it a try.  Good luck!

jollygreen

Thank you, all!

Between your advice and the dry cleaners I talked to today, I think I'm going to bit the bullet.  Eeek!