Cleaning Beads, and Sequins, and Lace…Oh, My!

Can you believe how quickly January flew past? Wasn’t it just the other day that we were singing Christmas carols and wrapping up last-minute gifts? Today, I was writing out the date on something at work and did a bit of a double-take when I saw “February 3rd”. My first thought was, “How on earth did an entire month go by?” My second thought was, “It has been a month and I don’t think I’ve had my Christmas dress cleaned yet…”

Truthfully, I just let time get the best of me on this one (and I have no real excuse, either – especially considering where I work!). No judgements here if you’re reading this and finding yourself in the same boat as I am. It has been over a month now and I know I’m not the only one who has let her holiday wear sit for too long with sugar stains, food spills, and plain old sweat. But, if the reason you’ve put off cleaning your favourite party dress is that you’re scared about damaging it, please put your fears aside.

We’ve all done it: bought a dress, worn it to party, put it away, worn it again, put it away again and never really properly cleaned it because it’s too beautiful and we are too nervous to ruin it. A lot of dresses are not made to be washed at home, whether because of the intricate beading, the delicate material, or because of copious, and fun, amounts of sequins. However, this does not mean it’s not meant to be cleaned at all!

In fact, leaving our delicate garments to sit with sweat, food, or sugar stains on them for too long can be incredibly damaging. These “invisible” stains set in over time, eventually discolouring the fabric, becoming harder to remove, and eating away any organic fibres.

This is incredibly important to remember with wedding dresses, as well! After a wedding, properly dry cleaning a wedding gown can sometimes become a low priority or just easily forgotten. The dress gets put in the closet while the bride is on her honeymoon and when she comes home, it can be weeks, months or even years before it’s brought out again to be cleaned. However, the dirt and oils sitting inside that garment bag are doing your gown no favours.

Luckily for you and I, Parkers specializes in the proper cleaning of beaded, sequined, and lace garments. Our clothing care specialists are proficient in the care of intricately constructed garments and heirloom pieces. We inspect every piece as it comes in to determine exactly how that particular garment should be handled. Our standards are truly the highest they could possibly be. We believe in good clothes – and we believe in keeping them that way.

So, if you’ve been a little forgetful (like me), or have simply been trying to keep your sequined New Year’s dress looking amazing by not washing it (and having all of those beautiful beads fall off!), bring us your most prized pieces and we will make sure they come home to you looking as good as new.