I washed my wedding dress in the washing machine!

[@MomCN]

THANK YOU for posting this! I bought my dress second hand and it needed cleaning but I couldn't afford the roughly $150 dry cleaning charge. Yesterday I did just what you suggested here, and my dress is BEAUTIFUL! My dress was also from David's Bridal and made of Polyester and Nylon. Thanks so much!!

[@JennaWeiner]

Chrisanne Holm that's great! I'm so glad this method worked for you.

[@Lilpeach523]

Thank you for your review. I bought my dress from Ollie's for only $32. It was a floor model.. so yeah. But I will try this.

[@Common17courtesy]

You can use a mesh bag and make sure it's the zip is fully locked and thn put it in the washing machine. This protection helps the the beads or sequins on the dress not fall off, it helps the the net of your lace not be pulled around and rip from the machine, or you can also use a white pillow case and tie it as hard as you can with a strong rubber band or a little rop/strong string!

[@JennaWeiner]

Great ideas!

[@brendacolbert4823]

I did this today. Used the Oxiclean. My dress wasn't terribly dirty. It has immense beading. It came out clean and what I did was to keep refilling tub to keep getting Oxi out and then I wrapped it in a clean bedsheet and placed it in the washer and filled the tub to finish rinsing but I didn't let it agitate and instead just let it drain and spin in the wrapped sheet. It came out beautiful and not a bead out of place

[@wishccr]

Thank you for helping me to be brave! My daughter didn't want her formal wedding dress (multi-layered tulle and appliqued lace bodice with lots of beading). It had a chocolate milk shake spilled on it at the reception, but it was still a beautiful dress. She asked me to donate it, but all the places I spoke to required it to be clean. The cleaners wanted $200, even after I pointed out it didn't need the "wedding dress" treatment. After watching this video I treated the stains with Oxy Clean and washed it in the washing machine with detergent on warm, hand-wash cycle. I did not use a bag. I took it out immediately, smoothed out the layers of tulle and hung it to dry. It came out perfect! (Seriously, the lace, the beading, the tulle are perfect and it looks fabulous.) Now I can donate it to be re-purposed. Saved me $200 and the dress went to a wonderful charity.

[@JennaWeiner]

I'm so glad that it worked out for you! And that my experiment helped you to be brave. :)

[@lisettegarcia]

This is how revolutions are started! Brava!!! 👏👏👏

[@luckiesuga]

I sprayed mines with oxi wash then put it inside a large laundry bag . It looks beautiful almost brand new

[@anitafarwell5325]

Did the same after called Maxi Walker, which would charge $200.00. The person recommended that I could do it in my washing machine on GENTLE cycle if the dress wasn’t too big (ball-gown), or too dirty. My machine is a top-loader, had NO PROBLEMS. I placed the detergent into the water first, then added the dress. It came out beautifully!

[@yournightmare6515]

This is the BEST video on KZbin. Thanks for sharing!

[@showchidrake2836]

My wife and I are going to try this today. Thank you for sharing!

[@laydeestroh4830]

I did the same thing today oxiclean and in the washer it went! Irs absolutely perfect now!!

[@Banyo__]

I don't think many people are aware but you can wash a lot of clothing items including a wedding dress that say "dry clean only or professionally clean only," in your washing machine delicate cycle and save tons of money. There is a reason for that tag, and that is to throw something with delicate bead work or embroidery in a machine...especially with other clothing, it may very well destroy the fabric, pull the threads out, or snag because of the agitation in your washer or snagging against other clothes or the same item rubbing against itself. You absolutely need to be careful. Turn the item inside out, put it in a washing machine garment bag with very small holes, and use a mild detergent/oxy clean. Definitely research and find out if the material can be washed---polyester generally isn't an issue----avoid bleach of any kind---and if you know you have no back up plan for the dress and would be crushed if it were destroyed---by all means, pay the money and get it to a professional cleaner because there is no going back.

[@kathrynlu7272]

the back up plan is, there could be a more affordable brand new dress you can buy instead of paying expensive dry cleaners.

[@Banyo__]

@@kathrynlu7272 I think a lot of people who wash a gown probably got the gown from either a friend or family member for free, or they thrifted it for mere pennies on the dollar, so washing a free or cheap thrifted wedding dress, means the cost to you would be free or very low vs. spending any money on a new gown. I thrifted a designer gown for my friend for $45 which by all the luck in the world included a 2 tier cathedral veil. It was a gorgeous sweetheart tulle mermaid style gown with a train, but it was clear the previous owner went walking through the mud somewhere. We hand washed the hem until it was white again, and then used the largest washable garment bag we could find online to wash it in the machine, and then let it air dry for 2 days. I don't know where on earth we could have ever found a new dress and veil for $45! No one could believe the price, but resourceful brides (and their friends) know that where there is a will there is a way.

[@JennaWeiner]

Agreed! Any garment that someone would be devastated to lose should be professionally cleaned! Thanks for sharing your recommendations and commenting on my cleaning experiment. :)

[@jenniferrosander6974]

Thank you so much for this!! I’ve been terrified but going to give it a shot now!!

[@LEOLEO-mg5cl]

I think the red dirt stain on the bottom is iron. Try using some iron remover like wink. just dip the bottom into water with wink added to it. Might work.

[@shallowphatgal]

You are spot on! (no pun intended) Our clay gets it’s hue from iron deposits.

[@Peppermintmocha13]

I would not recommend a top loader, but would recommend using a garment bag to protect any beading. Plus there is the preservation kit

[@mommiellamie5322]

Oh thank the lord it worked!! I need to wash mine and I'm SO SCARED!! But we have a vow renewal coming up and its been stored 7, not a lot of stains but definitely caked on dirt from where I stepped on my dress 🤦‍♀️ so so scared but I'm gunna try this tomorrow!

[@marah39]

How did it go?

[@BlanketFun]

Hi I'd love to buy ur dress

[@ltran402]

Thank you!!

[@JennaWeiner]

You're welcome!

[@59matty]

How did you dried it out. Thanks Matty

[@JennaWeiner]

I hung it up from my shower curtain and let it air dry.

[@megan2176]

I'm going to try this! My dress has been sitting in my closet for 16 years, with dirt on the bottom and stains under the arm. At this point, I'm not putting any money into cleaning it, so might as well try to wash it myself and either give it away or, if I end up ruining it, I can use it for fabric, or let me daughter use it for dress up. Most of the dress is beaded, so I might put it in a duvet color or similar to protect the bead work. The beads were actually falling off at the reception, so I expect more will come off in the wash. Oh well, just need to get the dress out of my closet!! :)

[@JennaWeiner]

Hi Megan! I hope it works out for you. It can't hurt to try, right?! Trust me, doing this after so long will feel great!

[@Jazwashy]

Hi Meagan can I use ur dress for my cleaning video?

[@Jazwashy]

Hi is this dress for sale?

[@JennaWeiner]

Maybe! Are you interested?

[@Jazwashy]

@@JennaWeiner yes please🥰 it's such a gorgeous gown and it's a plus that it survived being washed in machine, if possible can u do another full wash video showing the gown getting agitated?

[@Jazwashy]

@@JennaWeiner how much are u willing sell this gorgeous gown for?

[@JennaWeiner]

@@Jazwashy I'd be happy to sell it to you for $300 + shipping. I'd include the crinoline that I wore with it. If you're still interested you can email me [e-mail].

[@Jazwashy]

@@JennaWeiner hi I just sent reply, if possible can u do another full dress machine wash video with lid open? I'm curious to see how this type machine cleans the dress :)

[@theresaelliott-lofton3028]

Hello, thank you for posting this, very helpful. Did the Oxyclean yellow the fabric after all this years after you cleaned it?

[@JennaWeiner]

Nope! Still looks nice and clean.

[@thegildedagemadonnabe]

Omg your dress is beautiful!! Mine is made out of pure tulle so idk if putting mine in the washer would be a good idea, I might have to take it to the dry cleaners :(

[@Analyn100]

I have a second hand taffeta dress that says it's diamond white, but I looks a bit toward ivory and I'm wondering if it needs cleaning because the pictures look a lot more white than the dress that I have. Do you recommend this for taffeta? it's 100% polyester.

[@JennaWeiner]

No idea! Wash at your own risk. 😉 I'd say don't wash a dress at home that you'd be devastated to lose.

[@virginiamartin9042]

It might help to put the dress into a large net garment bag before putting it in the machine to prevent tears in the fabric from getting entangled in the washing machine. Are you Bill Weiner's daughter?

[@JennaWeiner]

Virginia Martin good idea! And no, I'm not familiar with Bill.

[@chouaxiong7102]

How did You dry the dress? Did you air dry it

[@JennaWeiner]

Yes, I hung it up and air-dried it.

[@Peppermintmocha13]

It is best to hang up the layers to prevent water stains. Insider knowledge since I work @ DB

[@ashleycruz182]

Air dry with a leaf blower

[@irenedavo3768]

Beautiful

[@BlanketFun]

Would u happen to have video of the dress agitating in the washer? I wanna try this with my wedding dress :)

[@JennaWeiner]

Unfortunately I don't! I'm sorry. I did it on gentle and watched it for a few minutes before I felt comfortable walking away. I think it helped that it was polyester - and while it looks delicate, the material was pretty sturdy. I'd recommend being very careful if using more delicate fabrics.

[@jasnielsingh]

@@JennaWeiner hey if possible can u do another video of washing machine running while dress is inside? Can I purchase ur gown? Thanks again :)

[@laurakrivanek]

I wish i could do this but im allergic to oxyclean

[@dr.leehyun11690]

Maybe inside out the dress in the washer

[@paulaajohnson2597]

That must be a parachute-strength polyester with plastic beads. Fine silks and beading would never survive that type of beating. They require gentle professional cleaning.

[@JennaWeiner]

Definitely! I would not recommend this method for an expensive, fine dress. Fortunately, my dress was a more hardy David's Bridal gown. :)

[@Jazwashy]

Hey can i have ur dress?

[@BlanketFun]

Hi please sell me this dress 😊

[@Jazwashy]

Hey sell me this dress pretty please 😍💃🏻🥰

[@daphnepalka3619]

It's a great idea to use Oxiclean but you should NEVER put an embroidered delicate wedding gown in a washing machine, let alone with an agitating pole in the middle. I have a front loading machine, but i NEVER would attempt putting a wedding gown in a washing machine. This is a very bad move. You need to do a very tender hand wash in the bath tab. Success.

[@JennaWeiner]

Yep, I knew it was risky! But it was a great experiment. Fortunately I kept it on delicate cycle and stood there and watched it the whole time. 😊 I'm not suggesting that everyone try it - but for me, it worked really well. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!

[@yournightmare6515]

@@JennaWeiner You did a great job! The dress looks amazing. Not being rude but seems to be that Daphne Palka doesn't like taking risks. Just sayin.

[@yournightmare6515]

NEVER???? Wow. Just wow. Her dress looks amazing.

[@Witchymoonwoman]

I've actually done it and on delicate slow cycle in a washing bag or extra large pillow case it works great

[@chrismcpherson1204]

The gown won't store well by cleaning it this way ‼️ I highly recommend having a wedding gown professionally cleaned ‼️I see threads starting to Frey in several areas. I highly recommend not to do this as you may regret it yrs later ‼️

[@JennaWeiner]

Professional cleaning is obviously the best choice. But not everyone has that option. This was an experiment that worked for me when I didn't have the option of professional cleaning due to financial constraints. I'm NOT recommending it as the preferred option. I hope that gives some background so you can understand the situation more fully. Thanks for the comment.

[@paulaajohnson2597]

Polyester is indestructible. All she has to do is repair the frayed spots with fine, invisible polyester thread. A sewing machine with a very fine needle would probably work best.

[@chrismcpherson1204]

@Nicky L Did I say nobody will wear it again? Absolutely not ! Next a wedding dress is a cherished keepsake. That gown was destroyed by not having it properly cleaned and stored.

[@JennaWeiner]

​@@chrismcpherson1204 Even if it was destroyed, that's my problem, right? ;) And fortunately, I'm pretty happy with the results and have no regrets. That's what's important here. As I mentioned previously, professional cleaning is obviously always the preferred and reliable choice, however I have empathy for people that don't have that option for whatever reason and that's why I shared this video. The biggest win for me in this project was that it alleviated 6 years of guilt about not giving my gown any attention. That in itself was so impactful for me! If I could have afforded professional cleaning and restoration at the time, I would have. But I was up for the experiment. :) And in my case, my dress is NOT a keepsake. It's a very special garment but I won't be passing it down for generations. I appreciate you sharing your personal perspective.