How To Clean and Press Your Gown

Proper cleaning, pressing, and storage can help extend the life of your choir robes. The information below provides general care guidelines, along with details on our choir robe warranty.

  Cleaning Gowns

Care instructions for cleaning your gown depend on the type of gown, the fabric, and the accessories on the garment. The chart below provides general guidelines.

The first time you clean any gown, it should be dry cleaned to help ensure that all colors are properly set.

In general, any item that includes velvet, cordage, ribbon, lining, or silk should be dry cleaned only. All caps and tams should be hand cleaned. Gowns made of 100% polyester with no accessories may be machine washed according to the label instructions after the initial dry cleaning.

If you have any questions about how to clean your gown, please feel free to contact us.

*Machine Wash Instructions: If your gown is machine washable, use a mild soap on a warm setting. Tumble dry on low heat or hang dry after a complete spin cycle.

  Pressing Gowns, Hoods, and Stoles

Care should be taken when pressing gowns, hoods, and stoles. We generally ship items pre-pressed, and it is usually best to hang robes on a hanger to help prevent excessive wrinkling.

If pressing is needed, it is best to use steam on a mild setting rather than a standard iron. If you only have access to an iron, turn the item inside out first. Then press carefully on a warm setting, not a hot setting. Try to avoid ironing directly over any exposed velvet, cordage, or ribbon.

Because many of our gowns are made from polyester, it is very important not to apply too much heat, as excessive heat can damage the garment.

 Warranty (Choir Robes)

Academic Apparel has provided high quality choir robes throughout America since 1946.

Please inspect your new robes upon arrival. We will repair or replace, at no charge, any garment with sewing defects or defects in material or workmanship, provided you notify us within the first couple of weeks after you receive the gown.

Academic Apparel will pay shipping costs for robes that need repair under this defect policy. Please call first for return instructions and obtain a return authorization before shipping anything back to us. In most cases, we will send a UPS call tag to pick up the gown or gowns.

Our limited lifetime warranty for choir robes includes damaged zipper replacement and damaged hooks and eyes. This limited lifetime warranty includes labor for those repairs, but does not include shipping.

All fabric wears with time. While we do not repair gowns free of charge after they have seen normal use, we will work with you to make repairs at a reasonable cost.

We believe our warranty is the strongest in the industry, and many competitors offer no lifetime warranty at all (limited or otherwise).