The Cleaning Clothes (vintage or other) Thread

[RodeoRose]

RodeoRose, I was just reading a book called "Sewing with Fabulous Vintage Fabrics" by Arden Franklin. She states that if you soak overnight a vintage piece in sodium perborate (a mild oxidizing agent) in its purest form is the best. I checked (quickly) if anyone had mentioned it here in this thread before, but if I missed it, well, I hope I'm not repeating something everyone already knows. I've never tried it but would consider trying it on a piece that isn't of any value first, just to be sure.

Interesting, thank you! I did a little google research and got some articles about using sodium perborate for antique quilts and linens-- if it's gentle/color safe enough for a colorful old quilt, I would imagine it'd be okay for delicate vintage garments? I'm a little worried the dye may be too old and wonky to get this particular dress wet, but I would also be curious to know if any ladies have used sodium perborate for other garments; it sounds like it could be gentler than my usual Woolite washes.

 

[Sincerely-Dee]

I was looking at some vintage fur coats and a question popped into my head "How would you clean it?"

Does anyone here have a fur coat/item [vintage or otherwise] and if so... what kind of maintenance does it require?

 

[de-stressed]

RodeoRose - I would be interested too if any has used sodium perborate to clean their vintage clothes. I would hate for something to happen to the color of a garment that's why I suggested maybe trying it on another piece first. I have some very old tatting doilies that are so fragile and look like they would be completely ruined if I even just got them wet.

Sincerely-Dee - I know my grandmother took a lot of care for her fur coat and always kept it on a wooden hanger all on its own in a closet. Not sure really if there is any way to clean a fur coat other than to take a damp cloth to clean any spills.

 

[Miss sofia]

I have a vintage fur and some other fur items, i store mine on wooden hangers too, i don't really wear them much, so i have just spotcleaned where necessary and given them a quick airing if i have been somewhere smoky, i know you can get a specialist clean for them, but i would imagine you would have to go to a furriers or drycleaners that would do it for you and i would imagine its pricey. My stepmother in Italy has a collection of mink coats which she is very proud of so i will ask her what the form is for cleaning and report back x

 

[crazydaisy]

i've just bought a lovely little dress and was wondering how to clean it.
it's cotton lace, which i would normally wash, but has accents of color all over, and i'm afraid the color might run...what do you think? would it be best taken to the dry cleaners?

 

[Sincerely-Dee]

Thanks for the replies ladies!

I once had a chance to buy a gorgeous vintage fur coat for £20!! but I let my mother talk me out of it saying that the cost of cleaning it would make me regret buying it even though it's cheap and that it would smell if I got caught in a sudden downpour. She also told me that as it was sooo long and ostentatious it would wear me, which I guess was true. Still would have liked to buy it though...

 

[Miss sofia]

Nothing wrong with a bit of ostentatious! What kind of fur was it? Actually i nipped in to the drycleaner next to my work today and he said furs can be dry cleaned, although they need to use some type of emulsion/oil product when they do as it can dry out pelts if they are drycleaned without it, also he did recommend using a furriers to clean them, although he did agree that spot cleaning was best for furs unless they were really mucky and to store in a dark, cool place.

 

[Sincerely-Dee]

One of the coats was rabbit... but I don't remember what any of the others were.

Aaaahh so they can be drycleaned. Well that's good news and bad news. Good because I won't be talked out of any fur-related bargains again and bad because now I wish that I'd bought it even more!

Thanks for the help Miss sofia.

 

[Miss sofia]

Glad to be of help Missy. I'm sure you will find something really cute or you could run back to the shop and grab it if it's still there! x

 

[dandelion-vint]

CrazyDaisy, It looks like the solid trim is a rayon or linen? That I would worry about the color running, dye usually runs on rayon. On the dress, are the designs printed or embroidered? If it's embroidery that could run too. Drycleaning would probably be the best bet.
If you decide to try to clean it yourself, be sure to remove the buttons, because they usually darken when they get wet.

 

[crazydaisy]

the trim looks like linen to me, but then i'm not very good with fabrics; the color accents are embroidered with colored thread worked on top of and into the the main lace fabric.

 

[Miss sofia]

Georgeous find Crazy Daisy. I would have it drycleaned just to be on the safe side too. x

 

[Foofoogal]

It is lovely crazydaisy. I would also take it to the cleaners.

 

[crazydaisy]

thank you ladies! i guess that's the most sensible thing to do.
although i do try to avoid trips to the cleaners, as i can't stand the people there and i'm also very scared of them - scared of what they could to to my things, that is.

 

[Land-O-LakesGal]

Hello all! So I've retired my iron and am ready to buy a fabric steamer. All the reviews I see online are conflicting as to quality with a lot of models and brands, so I thought I'd ask you guys what you like to use with vintage clothes. Any favorites? Any that are rugged and will last and be worth the money?

~jillybean

Jillybean I used to work retail in college and the steamer we had was great. Unfortunately I don't know a brand for you but I would try toget one that is meant for store use as opposed to home use because they do work better. My girl friend once asked me to steam a dress with her home steamer and it couldn't hold a candle to the one I used in retail. Just watch out for the steam burns.

 

[Foofoogal]

Ok, a bit off topic but I picked up the cutest crocheted vintage baby outfit.
It has a set in baby formula stain. Anyone have a clue how to tackle this?
Thanks. Sandy [huh]

 

[de-stressed]

Not sure if anyone is interested but..

I spent sometime for the last two weeks searching for sodium percarbonate and finally found it. Turns out I didn't have to look that far as it was right at my grocery store. I'm not sure if I can put the name of it here as that might be advertising? [huh] Anyways, I have 9 doilies that were tatted by a great grandmother (I'm actually not fond of doilies but just can't part with them), made in the 1930's. Not sure what the original color was but they were quite yellowed and I could still smell the cigarette smoke on them. I took before and after shots, but my camera stinks and the quality of the picture doesn't do anything to help.

Put 1 tsp of sodium percarbonate in warm water with the item and let sit for 30 minutes. Results: 70+ years of the smell of cigarette smoke is gone, small stains are not gone completely but are quite faded. I'm very pleased with the outcome. Doilies are now slightly off-white and look great. I do recommend it for very fragile items.

One item was made with a golden thread (but looked dull) and after it was cleaned, the color just popped out and was totally vibrant!

 

[Miss 1929]

Sodium bicarbonate or percarbonate?
Bicarbonate is plain old baking soda. Never heard of percarbonate, where did that come from? Maybe an older name?

 

[de-stressed]

Sodium bicarbonate or percarbonate?
Bicarbonate is plain old baking soda. Never heard of percarbonate, where did that come from? Maybe an older name?

Sodium Percarbonate. I'm not sure how long it has been in use.

 

[Miss 1929]

Everytime I come in here, I learn something!

Re the silk dryness: If it's a solid color and not a print, you can soak silk in milk overnight and the protein bonds to the fibers, making them stronger. Rinse well of course.

Re fur, a quick fix is to put it in a big plastic bag with a cup of cornmeal and a half cup pf baking soda (BIcarbonate that is!) and shake very well, leave it over night, shake it again, shake out all the powder. The baking soda takes out the smell, and the cornmeal makes it shiny again. If a thick fur, you might need to pop it in the dryer (cool setting) to get the last of the grains out of the fur.

I have also used this on old feathered things like boas and fans, it works great.