Restore Your Wedding Gown That Turned Yellow - A Comprehensive Guide

Imagine a scenario – your daughter is curious about your wedding day and wants to see the gown you wore on your special day a decade ago. You also feel the excitement and want to cherish those precious moments. 

“You say – Come with me! I’ll show you my wedding dress that you see in our wedding album”.

So, you head to your closet and take out your wedding dress stored in a plastic dry-cleaning bag. But as you open it, you notice that your pristine white gown has turned yellow, and all your excitement has turned into a bad surprise; you have no idea how it happened and what you should do now!

Does this scenario sound familiar? Don’t worry; you are not alone! Many brides face this situation, especially those who don’t know what to do with their wedding gown after the wedding and preserve it in a regular plastic bag. 

So, Why Do Wedding Dresses Turn Yellow Over Time?

A wedding gown is the most expensive and precious clothing item that a bride owns. However, wedding dresses are made of delicate fabric prone to yellowing. This is due to the chemical degradation of the wedding gown fabrics.

A wedding gown undergoes wear and tear a lot on the wedding day and gets both visible and invisible stains. As a result, the ingredients of food, makeup, wine, dust, dirt, and sweat lead to the degradation of fabric, especially if left untreated for a long time period. 

Wedding gown discoloration is an inevitable process of aging that can change the pearl-white color to yellow; in extreme cases, these stains become dark brown or black. So, it is always recommended to get your wedding dress cleaned by a professional to remove all kinds of stains, chemicals and bacteria.

What Factors Contribute to Wedding Dress Yellowing?

part from fabric degradation due to various chemicals, several more things can speed up the process of discoloration. It includes:

Fiber Oxidation

While almost every fabric can wear and tear over time, delicate fabrics like silk and satin are relatively more prone to a natural process called oxidation. Fabric oxidation refers to the reaction of fabric with oxygen in the air, resulting in discoloration.

White fabrics are less pigmented, so they show oxidation faster. Ivory-colored fabrics also oxidize, but the effects are less noticeable. 

UV Light Exposure

Have you heard about the UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Fator) rating of fabric, which acts similarly to the SPF rating for your skin? Dyed fabrics show higher UPF, whereas bleached or white fabrics have very low UPF. Exposure to sunlight, especially delicate white fabrics like silk or satin, damages the color, strength, and resiliency. 

It is because of photodegradation – a process in which bonds within the polymeric structure of fibers break, leading to strength and color loss. 

The longer the exposure, the more discoloration occurs. That is why even museums don’t display vintage textiles in direct sunlight. All vintage dresses are showcased in UV-protected display cases. 

So, if you don’t want to turn your bridal gown yellow, store it away from direct sunlight or bright bulbs. 

Heat & Humidity

Heat and humidity create perfect conditions for fungi, such as mold and mildew, to grow. Moreover, oxidation can erode the stability of cellulose within plant-based textile fibers like silk, cotton, and cashmere, leading to degradation of fabric strength and yellowing. 

The more heat and humidity, the faster the oxidation process. That is why it is essential to store your wedding gown in an area with properly regulated temperature and humidity conditions.

Avoid storing your dress in:

• The spaces with a temperature above 75°F
• An area where the humidity level is above 65%
• Attics, basements, and garages

Chemical Additives and Phenolic Yellowing

Several chemicals, such as fabric softeners, lubricant oils, resins, brightening agents, etc., are either purposely applied to the fabric for finishing or accidentally absorbed by it during storage or shipping to the market. 

However, as colorless chemicals decompose, they form light to moderate unwanted yellowish color. 

In addition, Phenolic Yellowing or Elusive Yellowing (a predictive test to determine the potential of white or pastel-colored fabrics to turn yellow during storage and shipping) causes fabric discoloration. This is caused by the reaction of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) with phenolic compounds. 

Moreover, Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is primarily used to manufacture polyethylene films for packaging. Over time, NOx reacts with BHT released for the packaging bag or film, especially around openings, holes, or perforations, leading to yellow stains.

That is why it is suggested not to store your wedding dress in a plastic bag. When you store your gown, make sure you get it cleaned by a professional, then store it in soft cotton fabric and add layers of acid-free tissue paper.

Pollutants in the Atmosphere

Another common reason for fabric yellowing is gaseous pollutants in the atmosphere. Common environmental pollutants include ozone, NOx, SOx, etc. 

Ozone is a tri-atomic molecule of oxygen, which acts as a strong oxidizing agent. It is produced by the combined action of UV radiations of 420nm wavelength, NOx, and oxygen. 

Here are the chemical reaction equations for Ozone under UV radiations below 420nm:

These ozone molecules react with the fabric, resulting in the yellowing of the fabric.

In addition, humidity present in the environment makes the absorption of ozone molecules easy, leading to yellowing.

Wedding Day Stains & Contaminants

Your wedding dress undergoes the most wear and tear, especially on your wedding day. From makeup, food, and wine to sweat, dust, and dirt, the fabric has absorbed a lot of contaminants. While all these stains are worth it, getting rid of them before storing your wedding gown is essential. Otherwise, they can permanently set into the fabric, leading to stains, fabric degradation, and yellow wedding dresses.

How Long Does It Take A Wedding Gown to Turn Yellow?

The delicate fabric of a wedding gown starts to turn yellow just after six months, especially if it is not cleaned and properly stored. 

No matter how your wedding dress looks after your special day, there are both visible and invisible stains from deodorants, body lotion, dust and dirt, wine and food, sweat, etc. These stains can permanently set into the fabrics, leading to spot staining and fabric yellowing, especially if left untreated. 

These light yellow stains on white clothes after storage will turn into darker shades, such as light brown or black, within just a few years. 

Moreover, various environmental factors will accelerate the yellowing process when you store your gown in a garage, attic, or area with direct sunlight. So, make sure you get it cleaned before storing it and store it properly, considering the various factors.

Can a Yellowed Wedding Dress Be Whitened?

Fortunately, advancements in technology and fabric cleaning formulas have made it possible to turn a yellowed wedding dress into its original white color in most cases. 

Professional wedding gown restoration companies take a results-driven approach to restoring the original brilliance of yellowed wedding dresses. Experts use multiple steps of wet cleaning, dry cleaning, and spot cleaning to restore your dress to its original condition, irrespective of the fabric and embellishment types.

Here are the before and after results of professional wedding gown restoration:

To view more results of our wedding dress restoration services, click here.

Will Cleaning My Yellowed Dress Myself Damage It?

Yes, cleaning your wedding gown on your own can damage it. This is because wedding gowns are made from delicate materials, and not every material can be treated with regular cleaning detergent.

This is because:

• Bleach: The detergent powder contains bleaching ingredients that can wreak havoc on the delicate fibers of your wedding gown. Bleaching can also damage the embroidery and embellishments of your gown, making them impossible to restore.
• Fabric Type: Unlike silk fabrics, non-silk fabrics have a higher threshold for cleaning solvents. So, stains that haven’t set into the fabric can be removed from the non-silk wedding gowns at home. However, this is not the case with silk. Moreover, makeup stains are comparatively easier to remove than stains due to wine and body oils. So, it is best to leave it to professionals.
• Ironing: Ironing your silk wedding gown at home can burn and permanently damage your dress. So, if you want to remove creases from your gown, it is recommended to use a steam press. However, it is good to rely on professionals to avoid any unfortunate situation.

How Can Your Yellowed Wedding Dress Be Fixed And Professionally Whitened?

At Trusted Wedding Gown Preservation, our process allows us to provide comprehensive restoration of wedding gowns, regardless of their fabric type. 

Here are the steps included in our wedding gown restoration process:

Full Assessment of Gown Is Crucial for Wedding Dress Restoration

• Fabric Identification: We believe that every wedding gown is unique. So, our experts will examine your gown to determine its fabric type and the ideal cleaning method.
• Fiber Evaluation: Just like fabric, it is also crucial to understand the condition of the wedding gown’s fiber. For instance, fiber damage caused by dragging on a rough surface will differ from damage caused by other stains. So, fiber evaluation is important, especially in the case of traditional wedding gown restoration.
• Stain Evaluation: Stains already set into the fabric must be carefully treated. Treating stains aggressively can do more damage, especially in the case of advanced fabric oxidation. So, our experts will make a note of every stain on your gown and decide how to deal with it without any damage. And if we find that your gown is too damaged to proceed, we will call you for further discussion.

SYSTEMK4 Fabric Cleaning Technology 

At Trusted Wedding Gown Preservation, we use state-of-the-art, most advanced fabric cleaning technology and gentle fabric cleaners to remove stains. 

The German cleaning system SYSTEMK4 follows a 3-step cleaning process: gentle dry cleaning, spot stain removal, and soaking. We also go a step further and do post-treatment to prevent further yellowing in the future. It is not only safe for your wedding gown but also for the environment. It can quickly help you get rid of aggressive stains and yellow fabric. 

How to Store Your Wedding Gown To Prevent Future Yellowing or Damage?

Now that all the stains and yellowing have been removed from the gown, it is time for proper storage to avoid future stains and yellowing. At Trusted Wedding Gown Preservation, we place your wedding gown on a preservation bust form and securely pack it in an acid-free preservation chest box.

We use acid-free tissue paper between the layers to avoid creasing. Our traditional wedding gown preservation kit has a viewing window that allows you to view your wedding gown without removing it from the box.

We provide a 100-year anti-yellowing guarantee and help you keep your wedding memento for over a century. 

Apart from this, here are some important tips you can follow to store your preserved wedding gown:

• Choose a cool, dark place away from sunlight, extreme heat, and humidity. You can store your wedding gown preservation box in a closet or under your bed. 
• We recommend not removing your wedding gown from the box. Doing so will cause oxidation due to environmental exposure.
• Don’t store the wedding gown preservation kit in a plastic bag, as it can trap moisture.
• Inspect your gown every 6-12 months. If you find any discoloration, contact us; we will repeat the process and help you restore your gown.

Trusted Wedding Gown Preservation – Fix Your Gown With Us Today!

At Trusted Wedding Gown Preservation, we can fix your dress, no matter what type and age of your wedding gown is. So, place an order for our restoration wedding gown preservation kit. 

We will send it to your doorstep – all you have to do is pack your dress in the kit and send it back to us. Within 14 working days, we will return your restored gown to you. 

Are you worried about your gown being damaged in transit? Don’t worry—we provide $1000 shipping insurance for your peace of mind.

Get in touch with us now to preserve your wedding gown for a lifetime!