Ok, it's happened to almost EVERY bride. You just got done with an EPIC bridal or first look session where your photographer got some AMAZING shots you are just dying over.PC: Morgan Slade Photography   Dress: The 'Celestial' by LatterDayBride

 You take off your dress to put it back in your dress bag when suddenly....

There it is, a big ugly dirt stain on the hem of your dress. It looks like you just climbed Kilimanjaro. In your wedding dress. And THERE! Along the neckline. Lipstick. You must have not been as careful as you thought while you were getting ready! So what do you do? You hop on your phone and as fast as your fingers can type, you do a Google Search for "How to Clean a Wedding Dress." Lucky for you, you found THIS post right here! 

PC: Ravenberg Photography    Dress: Casablanca Customized

How to Clean a Wedding Dress

As a bridal shop, we have seen EVERYTHING. We have hundreds of brides trying on our dresses every week and have seen every makeup stain, sweat stain, and blood stain there is to see. So we believe we are kind of the experts on how to clean a wedding dress. First, don't panic. Second, do NOT throw your dress in the washing machine. And third, DO NOT under any circumstances use one of those bleach spot-treating pens. Trust us.

Rubbing Alcohol

For ink and grease stains, a little bit of rubbing alcohol on a white cotton q-tip is just the ticket. Use gentle blotting motions and DO NOT rub. Rubbing will make it worse! For grease stains, before treating, first apply a small amount of chalk or baby powder to absorb most of the grease, then blow or tap off any excess powder.

Shout Wipes

One of our favorites for makeup and lipstick stains are Shout wipes. Again, BLOT, don't RUB! Treat as soon as possible after the stain occurs.

Krud Kutter

Krud Kutter is for those heavy duty jobs nothing else will handle. It removes tough, oily, greasy, grimy, and gooey problems. It will even remove latex paint! (But really, WHAT were you doing PAINTING in your wedding dress!?!)

Spit (yes, SPIT)

Cut yourself shaving on your big day and didn't notice until you spot the blood on your hem? Never fear, SPIT to the rescue! Spit, you say? Yes, spit. A little spit and a dry, clean, white cotton towel will clean that mess right up! It gives a whole new meaning to "spit shine" doesn't it?

White Chalk

When all else fails and you are down to the wire, cover up any remaining stains with a little white chalk. Not only will it absorb grease (I know, you are a nervous eater and those potato chips in the bride's room were just calling to you), but it also disguises stubborn stains (unless, of course, your dress is black. We don't recommend white chalk for black dresses).

Dry Cleaning

Ideally, if you have time and catch the stains early enough, you will take your dress to a professional dry cleaner who specializes in cleaning wedding dresses. DO NOT just take it to any old dry cleaner! This is one area where you don't want to be a budget shopper. Check out reviews online and look specifically for reviews from brides. We recommend always getting your dress dry cleaned in between your bridal session and wedding day UNLESS it is specifically not recommended by your bridal shop. Some dresses don't do as well as others, so always follow the advice of the experts!

We hope we have saved someone's day by giving you some great ideas on how to clean a wedding dress! And if your big day is coming up and you don't have the perfect dress of bridesmaid dress yet, we would love to help here at LatterDayBride, so give us a call or shop our collection online here!