Polyester is a wonder fabric. Today, there are so many beautiful polyester fabrics that look amazingly just like silk. Polyester wedding gowns have many advantages when it comes time to clean them, which is why we recommend them for anyone planning an outdoor wedding. The benefits include:

• They don't wrinkle easily
• Stains come out without difficulty
• We can be more aggressive with residual stains
• They usually press beautifully
• The body of the fabric does not change with cleaning (as sometimes silk does when sizing is removed during cleaning.)

At Heritage Garment Preservation we wet process clean all polyester gowns regardless of the care label. We have found that wet process cleaning safely removes most all stains, leaving the dress cleaner and without the chemicals that dry-cleaning does.

Benefits of Wet Process Cleaning

1. Wedding gowns that we wet process and preserve are cleaner, fresher and in better condition that those that are "tumbled" in dry-cleaning solvent. This is because when we wet process a gown we hand clean each gown individually, carefully removing each stain.
2. Our unique process helps protect delicate beads and sequins while ensuring thorough stain removal.
3. We can lighten aged yellowed gowns when we wet clean them.
4. Wet process cleaning leaves no chemicals that might contribute to the yellowing of white textiles.
5. Wet process cleaning removes sugar substances, unlike dry-cleaning solvents.
6. Perspiration is more thoroughly removed with wet process cleaning than with dry-cleaning. Perspiration left on a garment can damage the fabric as it causes the fabric to become brittle with age.

Risks of Wet Process Cleaning Polyester Wedding Gowns

There are two polyester and/or nylon fabrics that may not turn out as well after cleaning and pressing:

• Polyester organza
• Polyester or nylon tulle

Both of these fabrics may have difficulty with cleaning of any kind, whether it is wet cleaning or dry-cleaning. Almost all polyester organzas will have an altered texture after cleaning. The gown may have a dimpled texture even after pressing, instead of the original crisp texture. Some polyester or nylon tulle fabrics also have this problem.

At Heritage Garment Preservation, we will test your polyester organza and tulle wedding gown for this difficulty and will spot clean your gown if it reacts negatively. However, if the gown is too soiled, spot cleaning may not be sufficient, in which case we will hand clean the entire gown and press it by hand to ensure that it returns to the best condition possible.

Cleaning your wedding gown and returning it to as near to pre-wedding cleanliness as possible is our primary goal. Museum quality preservation is our final step, but only after we have done all possible to clean and press your gown thoroughly.