Denture Tablets As A Cleaner?

[CanadaDoll]

Hi Ladies!

I had an ebay seller tell me, that any sort of denture tablet, like Polident, when dropped into a full warm bath tub, while soaking any sort of garment, would lift dirt and dust, and remove yellowing and various stains. She said it was very gentle and she's used it on everything from sun dresses, to satin wedding dresses.
Does anyone know if this is true? Has anyone heard of or tried this?[huh]

It would be interesting to try, as I'd love to avoid dry cleaners at all costs.

 

[Kimberly]

I have heard of it but have never tried it. The denture cleaner would work because it bubbles and the bubbling action would help to lift out built in dirt and grit. I know I use baking soda and vinegar on white t-shirts and it has the same effect. I wouldn't use the vinegar on delicate vintage though because it contains acid and could ruin the garment. I have used to on vintage cotton though and rinsed immediately.

 

[Pink Dahlia]

I heard that too. Was wondering myself if it was true.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I've actually never heard of this before. However, denture tablets have properties that are meant to break through and break down certain polymers. I don't know what these properties would do to fabric. Keep in mind denture materials are rock solid. To clean them, the cleaner has to be able to break through the surface of these solids. These cleaners are more on the abrasive side, I don't think you'd want to use something abrasive on a fabric, especially a vintage fabric. (I must have been paying attention during my dental materials class!)

As for cutting down on your dry cleaning costs. Well, dry clean only materials are that way because they warp when they get wet. I have used the at home dry cleaner "Dryell" with some success. It can be bought at any local pharmacy, and it definitely will cut the cost of your dry cleaning bill. You do need a dryer to use it, so your only other cost would be the use of the dryer at a laundrymat if you don't have one in your home. I've used it on quite a few vintage dresses and have been very happy with it. It freshens them up nicely. Of course after a few runs with the Dryell, I do bring it for a professional clean. But, it still lessens the amount of times I have to bring my clothes to the professional cleaners.

 

[Pink Dahlia]

I agree, Daisy, Dryell is pretty awesome stuff.

 

[CanadaDoll]

Ooooo! thanks for the Dryell tip Daisy, I'll definitely check that out!
And thanks for the head's up on the denture tablets, who'd have thought you'd use your dental training here huh?lol

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Ooooo! thanks for the Dryell tip Daisy, I'll definitely check that out!
And thanks for the head's up on the denture tablets, who'd have thought you'd use your dental training here huh?lol

I knew I'd have to use it at some point (I'm currently an un-employed dental hygienist!). With the amount I pay each month in school loans, I should use my 4 year's of hygiene school education for something other than cleaning my cats teeth!!

Yes Pink, Dryell is great stuff. I've saved a bundle on my dry cleaning bills thanks to it.

 

[Pink Dahlia]

At $10 a dress dry cleaning really kills me.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

At $10 a dress dry cleaning really kills me.

I'd be happy if that's what it cost here. I got three vintage dresses cleaned recently and it cost me $58!! Highway robbery in my opinion, and the dry cleaner is a friend! HMPFH:rage:

 

[KittyT]

Has anyone here used Dryell at a laundromat? I've heard that you have to be careful because laundromat dryers get a lot hotter than regular home dryers.

I'm a huge fan of Febreze and will just Febreze a garment to death before I'll take it to the dry cleaners.

 

[CanadaDoll]

Well both you ladies pay less than I do! 60$ for one article of clothing sometimes, and not my winter coat!:eusa_doh:

 

[Pink Dahlia]

I guess I shouldn't be complaining then! $60! That's highway robbery!

 

[Kimberly]

I can't even imagine paying $60 for one item, that is absolutely outrageous!!

Does anyone know what they did before dry cleaning came into existence. I would think they didn't have it during the 20's to 40's and they had wool so I wonder how they cleaned it??

 

[CanadaDoll]

It was a very special dress otherwise I'd just hand washed it and prayed for the best.

 

[Pink Dahlia]

From:

http://pathfinderscience.net/greenClean/

"Dry cleaning is not a new concept; it has been around since the mid 1800s. Through a fortuitous accident, a French dye-works owner named Jean Baptiste Folly discovered that his tablecloth became cleaner after kerosene was spilled on it from an overturned lamp. From that point on, Jean Baptiste Folly began offering a new laundering service through his dye-works company known as "dry cleaning."

Many different solvents have historically been used in dry cleaning processes. In the earliest days even gasoline and kerosene were used to clean fabrics. Until the mid 1990s carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethylene were the common dry cleaning solvents used in the U.S. EPA regulations banned the use of these solvents due to their hazardous nature in 1994. Conventional dry cleaners today use one of two different solvents: perchloroethylene (perc) or petroleum based solvents."

 

[Pink Dahlia]

From:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_cleaning

"After World War I, dry cleaners began using various chlorinated solvents. These solvents were much less flammable than petroleum solvents and had much greater cleaning power. By the mid-1930s the dry cleaning industry had adopted tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene) as a standard, colloquially called "perc," as the ideal solvent. It is stable, nonflammable, and has excellent cleaning power and is gentle to most garments."

 

[LadyStardust]

From:

http://pathfinderscience.net/greenClean/

"..... In the earliest days even gasoline and kerosene were used to clean fabrics....."

Even if that did work, just reading that made my heart stop!

On this main topic though, I've never heard of the suggestion of denture tablets for vintage cleaning, but it is interesting. I'll definitely be keeping up with this thread.

 

[Pink Dahlia]

I know, right. Imagine the smell (not to mention the fire hazard)!

 

[ohairas]

I've never tried it on a vintage piece, but I use the foaming carpet cleaner on items a lot! In fact, just yesterday I noticed a stain on my son's bedspead, but didn't want to wash the entire thing. Came right out..just let it foam up for a while and scrubbed it with a wet washcloth. And it was red cough medicine! I love it since it has that lifting action as well.

Nikki

 

[Shearer]

I just got a dress in the mail that I was really excited about, only to find that the yellowing, especially around the shoulder area, was much more than I expected (surprise, surprise!)

All in all, the dress is in great condition for it's age... seems to be all cotton, so at least I'm not working with rayon here. However it looks like it was stored on a hanger for a long time, and judging from the smell, perhaps in a smoking environment :eusa_doh:

So has anyone used OxyClean on yellowing with any success? I'd like to try that before I start slapping on pastes, and before I try the denture method.