How to clean vintage barkcloth with dry rot?

[PrettySquareGal]

I picked up a pair of 1950's barkcloth curtain panels this weekend and took them to the dry cleaners. They called and said they can't clean them because of dry rot and they may fall apart. The fabric seemed very sturdy to me. The gal is going to check with her boss and get back to me.

What are my options for cleaning them? They DO need it. If I try washing them myself in my machine with Woolite will it make it even worse?

 

[The Shirt]

I had the same dilemma and decided to wash them myself on the delicate cycle in my machine. Big mistake - mine shredded. I had thought the fabric looked and felt rather sturdy when I got them so I didn't think twice about it. Could you try hand washing them instead?

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Yikes.......

No, they are too large to hand wash.

I'll take my chances since I'll have to discard them otherwise once I have them back.

 

[ShooShooBaby]

Yikes.......

No, they are too large to hand wash.

I'll take my chances since I'll have to discard them otherwise once I have them back.

could you do them one-at-a-time in your bathtub? you could let the water drain out for a bit and then have someone help you lift them out...

 

[BeBopBaby]

could you do them one-at-a-time in your bathtub? you could let the water drain out for a bit and then have someone help you lift them out...

That's what I would do. Cold water in a bathtub with some Woolite or a similar gentle cleanser. Swirl the panels around in the soapy water in your bathtub with a big stick like a broom handle. Then drain the tub water and fill it with clean cold water and swirl it around to get the detergent out, drain and rinse again. Gently press the panels against the tub to drain the water out of them (don't twist them) and then hang them up to dry somewhere.

Dry cleaning is very bad for any kind of vintage fabric because the chemicals are so harsh. I rarely dry clean my vintage and hand wash almost everything.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Thanks. I'll be getting them back later today and will let you know how/what I do!

 

[Mixmaster]

Cold water in a bathtub with some Woolite or a similar gentle cleanser. Swirl the panels around in the soapy water in your bathtub with a big stick like a broom handle. Then drain the tub water and fill it with clean cold water and swirl it around to get the detergent out, drain and rinse again. Gently press the panels against the tub to drain the water out of them (don't twist them) and then hang them up to dry somewhere.

That's exactly how I cleaned my barkcloth curtains when I first got them, and they turned out beautifully.

Mine were pretty badly yellowed by nicotene, and most of it came out by soaking (and mild agitation by hand) in a solution of warm water and dish detergent in the bathtub. If you can, let them dry flat (or draped over several things) so you aren't stressing the fabric by having their weight hang from one point. Sort of like hanging up a wet sweater to dry will put bumps in the shoulders and stretch it out, hanging the delicate curtains to dry could put undue strain on the fabric (after all, they will become VERY heavy when wet). I have two towel racks on the wall by my bathtub, and I draped the bottom over one rack and swagged the curtain over to the other towel rack and draped the top over it. It took about a day for the curtain to dry completely (so, two days to wash and dry both panels), and they turned out very nice. Not perfect, but very displayable and much better than they were when I brought them home. The fabric also came out very soft - to begin with they were very stiff. I was worried that I had ruined them at first, but they look so great hanging up, I really couldn't complain.

Just my 2c worth

 

[PrettySquareGal]

It turns out they have more damage than I thought, so I am going to launder it in a gentle cycle and list on ebay as cutter fabric to help pay for my next EDUCATED purchase.

Thanks again.