Fabric yellowing happens when the primary fibers of a fabric undergo chemical degradation. There are plenty of factors that contribute to fabric yellowing, most of them being environmental. Improper handling and poor storage also advance the progression.
One must also be aware that all fabrics have lifespans. Make yourself familiar with the fabric that you’ll be using for your dress so you’ll know what steps to take and what to expect. Although it is an inevitable occurrence, you’ll be glad to know that with today’s technology, restoring a yellowed gown is not an impossible feat.
Here is a list of other culprits behind the infamous fabric yellowing:
Heat and Light
Heat and light are two of the many culprits that help speed up fabric yellowing. This is why you shouldn’t store your gown directly where light is and you shouldn’t keep it in a place that’s a direct source of heat. Stash your dress where the temperature is always steady. Excessive heat will further enhance the degradation process and will make your dress turn yellow faster than you expect it to be.
Improper Handling
The preservation of wedding dress starts with proper handling. If you’ve yet to walk the aisle, avoid always touching your dress unless you’re planning to make adjustments to it. Wash your hands or wear white cotton gloves when you want to hold or touch your dress. Make sure you don’t have lotion or any product in your hands or anywhere near your body as you could leave chemical residues on the dress.
Chemicals and Pollutants
Speaking of chemical residues, this one is a little different and completely unavoidable. During the manufacturing of fabrics used for the dress, chemicals are added to help with the process. Animal fats and waxes are the most common chemicals added for fabric manufacturing. Unfortunately, they decompose after a long time and contribute to the degradation of your gown.
Pollutants are also inescapable as they are practically everywhere. The best way to counter this is to make sure you get your dress cleaned after use. Dry cleaning a wedding dress is not the same as dry cleaning your everyday clothes so make sure you find professionals to do it. Many cleaners specialize in laundering wedding dresses.
Improper Storage
Wedding gown preservation also benefits from proper storage. Make sure that your dress is stored in a spacious room with plenty of ventilation. Never put your dress in the attic or the basement because they rarely have proper ventilation. They are also the best place to grow mold and mildew and those things are far from beneficial for your dress.
If you do plan to put your dress in a closet, consider putting it inside an acid-free wedding storage box or a garment bag (bonus points if you get a padded hanger and hang it using the loops inside the dress).
Avoid plastic and colored tissue papers at all costs. The chemicals used to make them will most likely stick to your dress and stain it. Avoid wrapping your dress in plastic because it traps moisture.
There are plenty of other things that cause fabric yellowing but there are also plenty of solutions that will ultimately help you in the long run. If you’re in doubt, never hesitate to ask an expert. That’s probably the safest bet you have to preserve a wedding gown.
Certain preventions will aid you in slowing down the process so acquaint yourself with the kind of fabric your gown is made of. Some fabrics turn yellow slower than others and there are those that just completely rush to it.
If you’re already experiencing the dreadful staining, don’t lose hope! There are plenty of methods nowadays to reverse the yellowing. A gentle reminder though: always get a professional to do it.