The Cleaning Clothes (vintage or other) Thread

[ThesFlishThngs]

I agree about the dry cleaning, particularly as I've not often been overly pleased with the results when I did spend the money for it - stains remaining (and probably set in), missing ribbons, etc.... Not to mention it seems wrong somehow, to have spent only a few dollars on a thrifted or outlet shop item, then end up dropping 5, 6, or more $ each time it wants laundering.[huh]

Those British front-load washers do seem both gentler and more effective. Sadly, front-loaders over here are not so common, and more costly than top-loaders. Good thing for the sink and the tub.

 

[zombi]

What would you guys do to help a wool winter coat that smells of cat urine? [huh]

I know I can't wash it because, well, it's wool -- but would dry cleaning really get THAT kind of smell out? Should I make a spray of white vinegar & water and try that?

I'm so terrified to ruin it, I just don't know what to do.

 

[maisie]

Oo I have a lovely grey suit that I just can't wear beacuse it smells of BO so badly, so I was just wondering is it malt or white vingear you use as i'm definatly willing to try this out! I would normally wash any items with an odor, but this is a grey suit with kelly green trim and green and purple embroidery... so I was very worried it would run :s!!!

Did any one know if it was white or brown vinegar? Thanks

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

I'm not telling you to do this Zombi (because I don't want to ruin your coat either! ), but I've used a couple of the enzyme-based spray products on non--washables like upholstery, rugs, curtains, etc. I'm pretty happy with the current one I have, Complete for Cats, stain and odor remover. It came from either Target or Petsmart.
What you might do is try a light spray on an inside area of the coat, to see if there's any reaction. If not, maybe a series of light sprays on the affected area, with time to dry between, will take care of your problem.

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

Did any one know if it was white or brown vinegar? Thanks

Maisie, malt vinegar isn't as common in the US, but cider vinegar is. That's what I use for cleaning mixes, simply because it's so versatile. I think for cleaning applications, you could use white as well. (I just don't quite get what white vinegar is made of; I understand the apple stuff as my family has run a cider press for generations.)

 

[zombi]

I'm not telling you to do this Zombi (because I don't want to ruin your coat either! ), but I've used a couple of the enzyme-based spray products on non--washables like upholstery, rugs, curtains, etc. I'm pretty happy with the current one I have, Complete for Cats, stain and odor remover. It came from either Target or Petsmart.
What you might do is try a light spray on an inside area of the coat, to see if there's any reaction. If not, maybe a series of light sprays on the affected area, with time to dry between, will take care of your problem.

Is the "Nature's Miracle" one of those kinds of sprays, or do you know?

I may try something of this nature on the inside, first, and see if I can get it to come out in stages. Do you think it could be dry cleaned after using such a product, or would it perhaps be better to dry clean it first? The whole thing is quite wrinkled & needs a good cleaning, cat urine or no, I just don't think a dry cleaner would be able to get that smell out. Maybe I just don't trust them?

Cat urine is so frustrating, can I just say that?

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

Nature's Miracle probably is a similar type of formulation. Their website seems full of information; maybe you can find answers to some of your questions there.
And yes, you can grouse all you want about cat urine (says the woman who is over the legal limit and about to go meet with homeless kitties at the shelter...).

 

[Miss Sis]

Did any one know if it was white or brown vinegar? Thanks

Use WHITE vinegar, just as you would for cleaning. Won't stain, but malt vinegar probably will.

White vinagar is just distilled, so it's clear.

 

[vintage_jayhawk]

Has anyone used a front-loading washer on their vintage items? I just bought a cotton day dress and it appears to be in good condition (no loose seams, etc) and is a nice heavy fabric. I have a new front loading washer, but I don't know if it would just be too much for the dress to handle. It has a hand-wash/delicate cycle, but [huh] . Any thoughts?

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

All my cotton day dresses get washed in my (front loading) washing machine. They get done on the delicate cycle, unless I have got really hot (sorry if that is TMI) in which case I will do them on the cotton cycle, but I reduce the spin speed. Every cotton dress I own has been through the machine dozens of times with zero ill effects - it's not the washing that can damage vintage cotton clothing (as long as you use the gentle cycle), it's actually the spinning, so make sure you put that right down.

 

[vintage_jayhawk]

All my cotton day dresses get washed in my (front loading) washing machine. They get done on the delicate cycle, unless I have got really hot (sorry if that is TMI) in which case I will do them on the cotton cycle, but I reduce the spin speed. Every cotton dress I own has been through the machine dozens of times with zero ill effects - it's not the washing that can damage vintage cotton clothing (as long as you use the gentle cycle), it's actually the spinning, so make sure you put that right down.

Thanks Fleur! BTW, I love your blog!!

 

[dgenevieve]

Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT attempt to wash rayon on your own, as it shrinks like crazy, especially the vintage rayons, such as your dress, and I also wouldn't send it to a dry cleaners, since shrinkage, color change, and disintegration of the fabric can happen with a regular dry cleaners. Vintage rayon and water and/or modern dry cleaning chemicals just don't mix.

If there a museum in your area that has textiles, give them a call or shoot them an email to ask them which cleaners in the area they use for their textiles. I'd recommend a place I use (have been collecting/wearing vintage for 13 years), but they're in Los Angeles, and you'd have to send your dress to them, so if you can't find anyone locally, I'll post in another, follow-up post as a last resort.

Hello, ladies!

I found this gorgeous golden gown (definitely Cicada Club fare!), and I would love to buy it, but I'm concerned about a water stain a couple feet up from the hem. Sorry for the cruddy cameraphone pic, but if you look closely you can see the line across about the knee where it looks like it was literally dipped in water. Would this be difficult to get out? The fabric is rayon, maybe late '30s judging by the style. Any thoughts/suggestions? I saw some previous posts in here that said people tried re-dipping water-stained satin in water. But definitely not rayon, though?

I'd also need to repair one of the seams near the waist. I've done hand-sewing before, but never repairing vintage. Needle/thread/other considerations? Guess I'm just gun-shy around irreplaceable treasures.

Also, Does anyone know what cleaners DecoDahlia is referring to (quoted above)? I'm in Santa Barbara, but I go to LA pretty frequently. Other than that, how would I clean it?

 

[crazydaisy]

Hello ladies I need some advice as I bought a couple of dresses recently - my first vintage ones - and I do not know how to clean them.
Since this thread is huge perhaps a kind soul will see fit to put me out of misery quickly .
2 of my dresses are velvet and not lined - not sure what type of velvet and there isn't a label - I assume these need dry cleaning - is that correct?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36778968@N03/4035173872/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36778968@N03/4035162464/

The third dress is embroidered net, unlined, feels synthetic.
I did ask the seller and they said to take it to the dry cleaners. It did surprise me as for some reason I thought I could soak this and hand wash it. What do you think?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36778968@N03/4035162452/in/set-72157622640959832/

The third dress is cotton lace lined with something synthetic - don't have yet a pic but will post later. Any thoughts?

 

[Miss Sis]

Take the velvet dresses to a decent dry cleaner and hand wash the others - carefully.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Hello, ladies!

I found this gorgeous golden gown (definitely Cicada Club fare!), and I would love to buy it, but I'm concerned about a water stain a couple feet up from the hem. Sorry for the cruddy cameraphone pic, but if you look closely you can see the line across about the knee where it looks like it was literally dipped in water. Would this be difficult to get out? The fabric is rayon, maybe late '30s judging by the style. Any thoughts/suggestions? I saw some previous posts in here that said people tried re-dipping water-stained satin in water. But definitely not rayon, though?

I'd also need to repair one of the seams near the waist. I've done hand-sewing before, but never repairing vintage. Needle/thread/other considerations? Guess I'm just gun-shy around irreplaceable treasures.

Also, Does anyone know what cleaners DecoDahlia is referring to (quoted above)? I'm in Santa Barbara, but I go to LA pretty frequently. Other than that, how would I clean it?

The cleaner she means is French Hand Laundry in Pasadena. They care for most of the museums in this town etc..

But thankfully they also let us schmucks walk in and hand them our vintage stuff too!


626-792-3881
606 S Lake Ave Pasadena, CA 91106

 

[C-dot]

I'd also need to repair one of the seams near the waist. I've done hand-sewing before, but never repairing vintage. Needle/thread/other considerations? Guess I'm just gun-shy around irreplaceable treasures.

I just bought a 40's rayon print dress, which was badly in need of a new skirt hem and sleeve repair. I did it all by hand, because the fabric is simply too delicate for my sewing machine. It worked out fine, the dress is now in great shape!

My only problem is the musty smell. I'm not going to try and wash it until I attempt to remove the smell. A good suggestion was made at the beginning of this thread:

If the main issue is smell and not the cleanliness, other ladies have previously suggested putting the clothes into a container with baking soda or kitty litter for a week or so to absorb the smells. Just put a layer of tissue paper between the clothes and the litter.

EDIT: My brother suggested I pin some teabags inside the dress, and leave them there until I wear it. He did this years ago with a bunch of my stuffed animals that got drenched in a basement flood. The washing machine didn't get the damp smell out, but the Earl Grey did! So that's what I've done - I'll post the results if anyone is interested!

 

[cecil]

Hi ladies,

Butterfingers over here managed to spill beer on a black late '30s rayon dress. It's that sortof really pretend, "wet", almost polyester-feeling rayon, not rayon crepe or anything like that. It feels like a slip, but much thicker. Can I hand wash it? The beer didn't leave a stain or water mark, just a sortof...hard patch. Haha. Ew.

Here's a link to a picture of the dress, if it helps.

http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.81243169.jpg

Any help appreciated.

-Cec.

 

[cecil]

I just bought a 40's rayon print dress, which was badly in need of a new skirt hem and sleeve repair. I did it all by hand, because the fabric is simply too delicate for my sewing machine. It worked out fine, the dress is now in great shape!

My only problem is the musty smell. I'm not going to try and wash it until I attempt to remove the smell. A good suggestion was made at the beginning of this thread:



EDIT: My brother suggested I pin some teabags inside the dress, and leave them there until I wear it. He did this years ago with a bunch of my stuffed animals that got drenched in a basement flood. The washing machine didn't get the damp smell out, but the Earl Grey did! So that's what I've done - I'll post the results if anyone is interested!

Please do! I love nothing more than planting my face into an old dress and smelling the old-ness of it, but an occasional item is just a bit *too* stinky.lol

The only thing I do is air them on a coathanger in the hallway for a few days, which works fairly well because my hallway starts at my front door and goes straight through to the back. Open both doors and voila, wind-tunnel!

 

[C-dot]

The only thing I do is air them on a coathanger in the hallway for a few days, which works fairly well because my hallway starts at my front door and goes straight through to the back. Open both doors and voila, wind-tunnel!

That's handy, I could really use that! It's always too cold to open my doors

It's only been 5 days, but the dress smells better already. It has that "old" smell now, which goes lovely with the Earl Grey. No more pungent wet-leather-trunk-and-mothballs smell *yucky*

 

[dgenevieve]

That's handy, I could really use that! It's always too cold to open my doors

It's only been 5 days, but the dress smells better already. It has that "old" smell now, which goes lovely with the Earl Grey. No more pungent wet-leather-trunk-and-mothballs smell *yucky*

Cecil: I "air out" my vintage, too... as soon as I take it off (or buy a "new" piece) I put it on a nice fat wooden hanger and just let it breathe a bit. I'm going to try the French Laundry in LA and see if they can be my regular cleaners.

C-dot: I'm going to try that tea-bag tip! I think Earl Grey would be a lovely smell to wear!