How to Wash an Antique Wedding Dress

This weekend my mom came to visit.  Our project was washing my wedding dress!

It is a dress I found at a vintage/junk store in McAlester, Ok a few months ago for just $30!    I am planning to wear it for my January wedding, which will not be traditional-I don't mind anyone seeing it before the big day.

The first two pictures show the dress before.  Overall, it was already in good shape.  But limp, a bit dingy, with some staining on lace on the right side [left side in pics] of the neck.

Here are the products we used.  White vinegar, stay flo starch, extra delicate woolite, and baking soda.

The only things we didn't have but also thought of using were hydrogen peroxide and glycerin.
The peroxide would serve as a lightener/brightener and could have helped with spots.
In our Internet research we learned that sometimes glycerin is added the wash water for vintage garments.  We think it would soften and keep potential brittle fabric flexible.

First,  we spot treated the neck area with straight woolite, some baking soda and scrubbed areas with a soft tooth brush.

For the washing we used a large tub lined with a thin towel.

Here is the dress submerged.  We agitated it gently with our hand and by lifting the towel in and out of water.

Then we let it soak about 10 minutes.

We notice the water is dirty!

  

And the lace is looking brighter.

We rinsed it twice.  Once with clear water and white vinegar.

The second time with a cup of stay flo starch in the water. 

 We gently positioned the dress on a towel.

We roll the dress between two towels to absorb the water, in effect doing what the spin cycle does on a machine.

Then, we took it outside and spread it out for some sun.  The dress has a small train or 'tail' which we un-attached for the washing, it is what you see next to the dress.

 We left it in the sun between 30 and 45 minutes.

Here is the dress, lightly pressed.

I used a cool iron with extra starch for body on the sleeves and bottom ruffle.  I used sizing on the body.  

The color is more more ivory-less yellowed.  It has taken on a sheen and body that it didn't have before.

Alterations have yet to take place.

I think it went great!  We are both really pleased with the results, which we don't think even dry cleaning would have achieved.