There are different types of acid free paper on the market. The kind needed for preservations is soft and thin. It must have no buffering agents and contain no lignin. A pH of 7.0 means it’s acid free. You can also use it in between the pages of photographs, or wrap woolen or silk material because it is soft. It is the best thing to use for cushioning material. Damage to the item in handling and storage is eliminated.

An acid free preservation box is also a requirement for wedding dress preservations. You will need to line the bottom and sides of the box with tissue. You must also use the tissue to stuff the sleeves of the dress. Another item needed is an acid free bust form which you will line with the tissue. If you can’t find one, you can always use wadded up acid free paper to shape the bodice. After you have shaped it you will then carefully place the gown in the box front side down and hanging over the edges of the box.

Lastly, the bodice gets folded back over placed in the box to make it look good. The sleeves of the gown should be stuffed with rolled up tissue and placed over the bodice so they look natural. If the bodice is plain and the train is fancy you may move the train around so it may be seen better.

Next, the train gets folded into the box, placing tissue between the folds and positioned so it looks nice. Fold the train carefully into the box while padding the folds with tissue. Continue gently folding the train into the box until all the sections are neatly arranged.

In order to keep the gown from moving around in the box it will be necessary to wad up additional paper and place it between the gown and the edges of the box. You may also use muslin for this purpose. Congratulations! You have now protected your gown and you may store it safely. Tyvek wedding gown preservation bags are available if you don’t want to store your gown in a box.

Sam has been professionally preserving wedding gowns for over 20 years. Come visit his website to learn more about acid free tissue paper and wedding gown cleaning.

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