Vestment Care Instructions

Storage: Vestments should ideally be stored flat in the large drawers one typically finds in sacristies. This is the best way to ensure that they aren't subject to the stresses of hangers or gravity.

If you need to hang vestments, use special vestment hangers, not regular coat hangers. Regular coat hangers are not only too small, they place stresses on the fabrics and stitching. Proper vestment hangers are made of wood and designed with vestments in mind. So if you cannot lay your vestments flat, this is the next best option. (Just do an internet search for "vestment hanger" and you will find multiple options.)

Soiling: Vestments should never be washed or dry-cleaned. If and when you need to clean your vestments, you'll need to spot clean, being extremely careful.

Ironing/Steaming: When you first receive your vestments from us, there will be creasing as a result of the shipping process. Ironing your vestments is possible, but please be careful to use the right settings. Use a cool iron or a garment steamer. 

For delicate materials (e.g. silks, metallic embroideries) steaming is safer than ironing.

Do not directly apply your iron or steamer to the vestments, instead, lay out your vestment onto a flat surface and place a thin cloth over top of it before ironing/steaming. 

If you do not feel comfortable ironing your vestments, some will press their vestments. To do this, lay your vestments out flat on a flat and clean surface. Place another thin cloth over the vestment. Finally, lay a flat, heavy object on the vestment. (You will need to be careful if your vestments have any raised embroideries on them.) Please note: We do not recommend this method for velvet vestments as this method could deform the velvet pile.