How to "restore" old rayon gab pants ?

[daddy-o]

hello friends. So today I got some deadstock early 50s rayon gab pants, wonderfull drapey fabric, hollywood waist and all ( just why cant they make ?ɬ©m like that anymore ?) from an ebay auction, however the seller " forgot" to mention the fact that the fabric although unworn, has rather strong discoloration along the creases. The chocolate brown fabric has a reddish tone to it front and back near along the creases. Do any of you clever folks have a remedy for this? I dont know whether it is " shelf dust" or anything else. Should I handwash them or take them to a dry cleaners? What are the chances it will come off coz they are just great? Man I just love the rayon gab, anything else with wool just makes me itch but rayon gab is the works! Thanks for your kind advice.

 

[Matt Jones]

If it's a really big area, take it to a pro, but don't dry clean it if you can't identify the stain. If it's a small area you might try spot cleaning it.

Oddly enough, I have a brown gabardine jacket that came with some type of dark reddish mark on it. I used a product called "Zout" to spot clean it. Leave it on the stain for about 5 minutes and then dab it using a cloth dampened with warm water. Then dab the wet spot with a dry cloth until the area is dry. Worked great for me. If you try it, make sure you test it on an inconspicuous area first.

 

[Kakkoii Mono]

hi Daddy-O:

You might try cleaning them at home. Beware that when rayon is wet, it will feel hard, and will shrink a lot. That shrinkage will recover when the fabric has dried. We use a product called Orvus, which is virtually 100% sodium lauryl sulfate with nothing else - dyes, scents, etc. You can do a quick search online for Orvus.

Unless you're sending it to a specialist to have it cleaned (and willing to pay a small fortune), a dry cleaner might do more damage than good by removing some of the soil or stain and setting the rest of it.

And on the topic of "restoring" gab (the same goes for wool and any other fabrics) - if there's a pressed or creased sheen to the surface where there shouldn't be one, it's not coming out. Pressing or storing something so that the folds and wrinkles have had decades to set will take away the fibers' ability to bounce back.

good luck : )

 

[daddy-o]

Hi and thanks for the tip!