The Cleaning Clothes (vintage or other) Thread

[Mario]

Ok, ok. Just found the original thread on SF.

 

[Gracie Lee]

Maybe I'm missing something, but what's "SF"? I'd like to read about it, but I have no clue what anyone's talking about. Thanks!

 

[Mario]

styleforum.net - name says it all.

Be warned: if you look at the forum in greater detail you may find that some of the SF members will happily indulge in the occasional Fedora Lounge-bashing... :eusa_doh:

Here's a link to the whole thread cookie referred to (De-smelling an old suit) while this one will take you only to the part that's outlining the cleaning process.

 

[LinaSofia]

thanks Drappa and Miss Sis! My dress is a smooth rayon, so I've tried to wash it carefully in tepid water and I've hung it to dry. So far it looks fine! fingers crossed!

Edit: oh no, it has shrunk a bit! Luckily it was a bit big beforehand so it's OK. Drappa, how did you handle the shrinkage of your dresses? Did you carry on washing them by hand after the initial shrinkage, or did you then only dry clean them? I'm wondering if I'm OK to keep handwashing it now that the shrinking is sort of 'done'?

 

[Drappa]

I actually haven't worn or washed them since, except one that I did wear once. However, it has a flap detail to the bust which was a complete pain to iron back into shape, so I haven't worn it again.
My local dry cleaners don't know anything about vintage ( or modern for that matter!), and I haven't found a good one so am not risking it. I only stick to cottons, wools and synthetics now, even if I have to pass on some gorgeous dresses

 

[LinaSofia]

I actually haven't worn or washed them since, except one that I did wear once. However, it has a flap detail to the bust which was a complete pain to iron back into shape, so I haven't worn it again.
My local dry cleaners don't know anything about vintage ( or modern for that matter!), and I haven't found a good one so am not risking it. I only stick to cottons, wools and synthetics now, even if I have to pass on some gorgeous dresses

Yeah that's what I think too... don't really want to risk it until I know of a good dry cleaners! I was so pleasantly surprised about the rayon, but now I'm understanding that it can be quite a pain... thankfully most of my dresses are cotton! I'll just have to see how I get on with this dress... perhaps I'll try washing it once more and see if it's finished all the shrinking it's going to do!

 

[stubloom]

With reference to the suit mentioned by cookie on post #390, I posted the "background" story on the process associated with restoring that 1930's men's suit on Style Forum.

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=237486

For numerous additional examples (including before and after pictures) of the cleaning and restoration of antique, vintage and heirloom garments and other textiles, go to my daily blog and enter "cleaning and restoration" in the search engine in the top right corner.

http://www.truequalitycleaning.com

 

[Mario]

Hi Stu! it's great - and a huge surprise - to see you here at the Fedora Longe. A hearty welcome!

That was a great job you did on that suit. I didn't think that something like this was even possible. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Rudie]

Mario, do you by any chance know a good alterations tailor and a good cleaner in Berlin?

 

[Mario]

I know a decent alterations tailor in Friedrichshain. The folks at Charming Styles (http://www.charmingstyles.de) don't do any alterations anymore as they are so busy tailoring new attire in vintage styling, so they gave me the tip. PM me and I'll give you the details.

Cleaning, on the other hand, is a major pain in the rump. I'm still looking for a decent cleaner. Maybe I'll just ask the people at Charming Styles again and let you know if I have any first hand experience.

The most difficult cleaning job I had so far (~70 year old linen pants) I prefered to do myself. I'm pretty sure that most of the local cleaners would have made a mess of it.

 

[Rudie]

Thanks. I sent you a PM.

 

[Mario]

Received and replied.

 

[Miss Sis]

Yeah that's what I think too... don't really want to risk it until I know of a good dry cleaners! I was so pleasantly surprised about the rayon, but now I'm understanding that it can be quite a pain... thankfully most of my dresses are cotton! I'll just have to see how I get on with this dress... perhaps I'll try washing it once more and see if it's finished all the shrinking it's going to do!

Lina PRESS THE ITEM WHILST DAMP. That is one of the important parts, to help ease the dress back to it's original size.

 

[Valya]

I have a 50s cotton dress, and this is the first time I've had to get a stain out so I really don't know what I'm doing here. On the front of the dress there is a light yellow stain, it's hard to see except in the right lighting. I assume it is just age, but I ran it through the delicate/handwash cycle in cold water and the stain is still there. How can I go about getting it out? Thanks.

 

[Tatum]

I have a 50s cotton dress, and this is the first time I've had to get a stain out so I really don't know what I'm doing here. On the front of the dress there is a light yellow stain, it's hard to see except in the right lighting. I assume it is just age, but I ran it through the delicate/handwash cycle in cold water and the stain is still there. How can I go about getting it out? Thanks.

Hi Vayla, I am not sure if you have Biz in Canada, but a fellow Lounger turned me on to it and it has taken out stains that I thought would never come out. The only trick is, you have to dissolve it in hot water. What I was advised to do (which worked a treat) is to dissolve a little in hot water in a cup or pitcher, then add cold water to cool it down. Test it on an unnoticeable area. If it seems OK after five minutes or so, proceed. Put your garment in the sink or bathtub, with cold water, soak it good, then add your Biz mixture on top of that. Hand agitate, so it mixes well with the water. Let it soak a while. I left a dress that had horrible underarm stains in my bathtub all afternoon, and with that method, they were gone.

I can't guarantee that it will work for you, but it has for me. You can also try the same procedure with Oxi-Clean, I just like Biz for my vintage items since it is so gentle.

I have to ask, since I hate hand washing... How did using the machine on gentle do overall? I have a great, gentle front loader but I am afraid to put my vintage in it!

 

[Valya]

Thanks so much, I will go out and see if I can find some of that.

The washing machine did a pretty good job, it got some of the musty smell out, and I didn't notice any fading or discolouration. I have washed other vintage cotton dresses in it and there was no damage. For sturdier vintage I would say there is no problem.

 

[Odile]

I have a bit of an odd question...has anyone ever soaked a garment in woolite or very diluted oxyclean and had it turn blue? I recently purchased a 1950s dress with matching cardigan and both the collar of the dress and the back of the sweater had some storage dirt on them. The dress came out very nicely, but when I soaked the (white) cardigan in woolite it turned bright blue! I rinsed and soaked it a few more times, and it came almost entirely out, but it was a bit of a shock. My mother thought there might have been some old starch in it that had a strange reaction...but I was wondering if anyone here had any thoughts or ideas on how to avoid this in the future (I obviously can't just stop hand washing dresses before I wear them)...

 

[sheeplady]

I have a bit of an odd question...has anyone ever soaked a garment in woolite or very diluted oxyclean and had it turn blue? I recently purchased a 1950s dress with matching cardigan and both the collar of the dress and the back of the sweater had some storage dirt on them. The dress came out very nicely, but when I soaked the (white) cardigan in woolite it turned bright blue! I rinsed and soaked it a few more times, and it came almost entirely out, but it was a bit of a shock. My mother thought there might have been some old starch in it that had a strange reaction...but I was wondering if anyone here had any thoughts or ideas on how to avoid this in the future (I obviously can't just stop hand washing dresses before I wear them)...

I've actually had that happen to old linens! I had assumed that it was because somebody had used bluing on the fabric to make it more white. No ideas whatsoever on how to stop it. It didn't stain anything, but I'm really careful now the first time I wash something that I do the item by itself, even if I have three items that are similar. The water turns neon blue.

With linens and clothes and such I do a short rinse soak before the soak wash, just to make sure the item doesn't run and to remove surface dirt (so that the soap can work on the really ground in stuff).

 

[Odile]

Thanks sheeplady, thats really helpful. It turns out that the cardigan was actually washed in woolite and then in (fully dissolved and very diluted) clorox 2 to remove the stains, and it was when it was washed for a second time in woolite that it turned neon blue...so I had thought maybe there was some sort of reaction between the woolite and clorox 2, but bluing makes much more sense. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Miss Sis]

Odile, I would not soak anything woollen in Oxyclean. It is not recommended for animal fibres like wool or silk. It makes the fibres go all crunchy and brittle. If it is nylon or polyester it should be ok though.