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Bride wows with ‘incredible’ wedding dress cleaning hack during isolation

Courtney Fuller pictured on wedding day before coronavirus social distancing laws
Courtney Fuller decided to get busy after her honeymoon was cut short. Photo: Supplied/ Courtney Fuller

A bride whose honeymoon was cut tragically short by the spread of the novel coronavirus has turned the sad situation on it’s head by taking the time to explore a genius cleaning hack that left her white gown as good as new.

New bride Courtney Fuller tied the knot 10 days ago, before weddings of over 5 people were outlawed under strict new coronavirus measures.

“Our day was almost cancelled 30 minutes before I walked down the aisle,” Courtney tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

The newlywed was forced to cut what was supposed to be a romantic honeymoon short after lockdowns were enforced, saying she spent just three days away before returning to her home in the remote WA Pilbara region, where she found herself with nothing but time to reflect on her magical day.

What wasn’t looking quite so magical a few days later, however, was her dress.

Image of dirty wedding gown
Courtney's dress was left looking a little worse for wear. Photo: Supplied/ Courtney Fuller

Like many, she discovered the gorgeous white gown was looking a little worse for wear after the big day, with the hem left muddied and brown and the upper dress suffering a number of unsightly stains from makeup and tan.

With no dry cleaner available to take care of the gown, Courtney decided to use her spare time under social distancing to try out a hack recommended by other mums online, and was left floored by the remarkable results.

side by side image of dirty wedding gown hem and clean hem after clean
Courtney used the hack to restore her wedding dress to it's former glory. Photo: Supplied/ Courtney Fuller

The time-consuming but incredibly effective trick uses nothing but soak and a bathtub, and your dirty whites of course, and takes just three steps.

How to clean your wedding dress at home

side by side of bath with wedding gown soaking and Vanish Oxi Action and Sard Wonder White
Courtney shared a detailed description of her washing method. Photo: Supplied/ Courtney Fuller

First, fill a bathtub with hot water and add Napisan Vanish Oxi Action and Sard Wonder white according to instructions on products.

The dress should then be submerged and left to soak for at least 24 hours.

If any dirt or stain seems stubborn, it is recommended to use your hands to rub the spot.

For a stubborn dress, you can always double or triple the soaks.

Courtney tells Yahoo Lifestyle she gave her dress three full soaks, using the two products.

If the material permits, the item can then be put on a delicate cycle in the machine, or hand-washed under running water.

To dry, various people recommended hanging the gown and keeping the hemline straight by draping it over chairs, a choice that left Courtney’s dress wrinkle-free and looking brand new.

Image of clean wedding gown hanging in lounge room
Courtney's dress came out perfectly. Photo: Supplied/ Courtney Fuller

Hack goes viral, prompting new isolation activity

The remarkable images prompted an enormous response online, with hundreds taking to the comments to express their admiration, and their own plans to use the pandemic lockdown to try it out on their own gowns.

“You’ve encouraged me to do mine now!” one woman wrote.

“I might try it then,” another wrote, saying she was ‘devastated’ as her own dress was covered in similar stains and she thought she would have to throw it out.

“I so need to do this with mine,” another agreed.

“Well done, such a beautiful dress,” one wrote.

That is incredible! Good work!!” another agreed.

Looks like we all might be dragging a few unsightly items out of our closets for a good old fashioned deep clean before all of this is over!

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