Dry Clean a Dress With Beading?

Kathleen Asked: Can You Dry Clean a Dress With Non-Dry Cleanable Beading?

Kathleen from Melrose MA, Asked:

I have a satin formal dress with beading that needs to be cleaned. It says dry clean only in the tag, but it also says not to expose the beading to heat. I brought it to my local cleaners in Melrose and they said that those statements contradict one another. They recommended washing it in a regular machine. I am very hesitant to do this because water (condensation from a glass) actually caused a majority of the stains on the dress. There is one food stain as well. I am looking for advice on how to clean this dress.
Thank you,
Kathleen

We Answered:

Some fabrics have unique reactions to different soaps, heat, liquids, etc. This is why there are “dry clean only” items (cleaned using a solution other than water) and laundered items (cleaned with water). There are times when designers use multiple textiles to construct a garment that cannot withstand the same cleaning processes. This is common with higher-end clothing and requires a skilled cleaning professional to care for these items correctly.

Without seeing the gown in person we would not be able to confidently recommend a cleaning process. However, based on your description there are a number of options we could explore to clean this item.
Spot Cleaning: This item may need to be hand cleaned in order to focus on parts of the garment that need cleaning and avoiding other parts. When spot cleaning, professionals use different cleaning solutions based on the makeup of the stain and the area that needs to be cleaned. Deconstructive Cleaning: With deconstructive service, a professional tailor would deconstruct the garment, removing the parts that do not react well to the same cleaning process. Each part is then clean separately. After the cleaning process is complete, the tailor will reconstruct the item using the garment’s original thread tracks to ensure the piece looks like new. Wet Cleaning: Wet Cleaning is a process that utilizes special soaps, conditioners, and forming equipment particular to the fabrics of a garment. This highly specialized process allows items that are usually “dry clean only” to be cleaned using water without causing damage to the garment.There are other methods that can be employed to allow professional cleaners to care for a garment that has conflicting care labels. Each of these processes requires a high level of skill and experience. Given the complexity of this item you should bring it to a professional cleaner who specializes in luxury garments. Dependable Cleaners’ cleaning professionals have years of experience handling these types of garments. We would recommend consulting with one of our experts before cleaning.

Thank you for the question!

Dependable’s Expert team.