Welcome to part 2 of our cleaning vintage clothing series.
In Part 1, we figured out what type of fabric we have and if the garment is washable or not.
But how much cleaning does our vintage garment need? What’s next?
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Thoroughly check for spots, stains, loose buttons, zippers, etc. Do any mending before you clean. You don’t want a loose button coming off in the wash or a zipper pulling out or a hem coming undone. When dealing with delicate older garments, you may want to remove decorations such as applied bows, flowers, or delicate buttons before soaking.
Does the garment need a complete cleaning or just a spot cleaning? Spot cleaning can be done by using a damp cloth and blotting or soaking only the stained area with a mild soap solution. Be sure to test in an inconspicuous area first. But, what is that stain anyway? Ah, now it gets tricky. Different stains require different solutions. We will address those next time.
However, if the garment is simply musty and needs refreshing, a quick dunk in a mild soap solution will work wonders. There is a difference between laundry detergent and laundry soap. The bottom line, detergent is harsh, soap is mild. Mild soaps include products such as Fels Naptha soap, Zote or The Laundry Evangelist Soap Flakes.
Always use lukewarm water, never hot, and let your garment soak in a tub or sink where it has plenty of room to move around. Gently swish it around, and never twist or rub old fabrics as they can damage easily. When the water gets ugly, change it out. This may take several changes of soapy water before it runs clear. Once the water runs clear, rinse it well to be sure there is no residue left. Remove it from the rinse water and use an absorbent towel to pat or squeeze most of the water out. Lay your garment flat to dry. If you can dry it in the sun, even better.
If your stain does not come out with a mild soap solution, you may need to do further work. There are many specialty laundry products made for delicate or vintage clothing on the market such as Restoration Fabric Restorer, Forever New, or Retro Clean for cleaning delicate items. Biz is always a good option for stain removal as well as old-fashioned Washing Soda. Remember, vintage clothing can be delicate, wear and wash it with care.
Part 1 of our series covered the basics of vintage fabrics and determining how to clean each one.
Part 3 of our cleaning vintage clothing series tackles the various types of stains and how to handle each one.
Part 4 discusses common stains and must-have stain removal items to have on hand.
