Once you have your perfect prom dresses, knowing how to care for them will be a top priority of yours. It’s an investment, and likely to be a dress you will want to keep for years. To preserve it and extend its life, we have put together the ultimate guide to prom dress care.
Follow these helpful tips to keep your dress in pristine condition.
Read more after the jump:
Before Prom
Storage
When your dress arrives home, give it enough room to breathe. Either lay it flat, or hang it up on a hanger that does not stretch the fabric until your big day. If your dress has embellishments, make sure it isn’t rubbing against other items which may damage the detailing.
Wrinkles
If you have a few wrinkles, you have several options to get them out. Often, the place you bought your dress will offer a steaming service the day prior, if not, a local dry cleaner is an option, alternatively, a DIY option is to hang your dress on your bathroom door, put your shower on as hot as it can go, and keep the dress in your bathroom with the door closed for around 15 minutes. This should get rid of the wrinkles in no time. Whether yours are long prom dresses, or short prom dresses, you will want it to look immaculate crease free on the day. Following the steps above will ensure that happens.
After Prom
Storage
After your big prom night, you may want to keep your prom dress as a remainder, or to pass down to other family members. Most people get their dress dry cleaned before being stored, this will help it to last longer. When storing, we advise choosing a cool dry place. Purchase a tightly sealed container or garment bag in advance to put it in, adding cedar or lavender to deter moths works a treat. Our JJ’s House designer Jessica recommends avoiding a place with too much natural sunlight, as the light can discolor your dress over time.
Stains
It is normal that after your prom night, your dress may have a stain or two, and some marks. First thing to be is to read the washing instructions carefully, if it is dry clean only, make sure to take it to the dry cleaners and not try to wash it yourself. If its washable fabric, then pre-treat the stain as soon as you can. First identify what kind of stain it is, as each kind can be treated differently, common ones are from make-up, grass, grease and sweat. You can test a stain remover on a small not visible part of the dress before on the stained area. If you need to wash all of the dress, be careful with beads or sequins, the best option is to use a gentle cleanser and hand wash it.
Images by Susi Belianska for Design SCENE
