Welcome to part 4 of our series on cleaning vintage clothing.
In Part 3 we talked about the four different kinds of stains you might find, plus the dreaded combination stain. In this post, we’re offering suggestions on how to clean some common stains. You’ve got vintage clothing with miscellaneous stains. Here are some of ways we’ve found to remove them.
This stain removal guide is primarily for old stains found on vintage fabrics. When handling vintage fabrics, you may be dealing with stains that have been set in the fabric over time. Items of clothing were most likely washed or cleaned in the past and may be musty from long years of storage as well.
For general stain removal, keep an arsenal of household products on hand so you’re always ready to tackle various stains on fabrics. Here is a handy chart of our must-haves.
Before you start, remember to check the type of fabric you have (we went over that in Part 1) as well as try to determine the type of stain you are working with (part 3).
Here are some common stains and their remedies:
Blood stains
Place an absorbent towel underneath the stain and dab it with Hydrogen Peroxide. The peroxide should bubble. If it does, your stain is coming out. Continue to keep the stain damp until it is gone. Then rinse thoroughly with mild soap and water.
Collar stains
Mix a paste of baking soda, with a bit of laundry detergent and water to make a paste. Using a toothbrush rub it onto the stain and let set for ½ hour before washing.
Deodorant stains
For non-washable fabrics use rubbing alcohol to loosen the stain before sending it to the dry cleaners.
For washable fabrics use white vinegar on the fabric to break up the stain before laundering.
Unknown food stains
Soak the stained area with an enzyme stain remover such as Biz to break up the stain then rinse with a degreaser made for clothing or a good quality degreasing dish soap and launder as usual.
For a comprehensive guide on stain removal, The American Cleaning Institute has a detailed guide here.
If you missed any of our previous posts on cleaning vintage clothing, here are links to Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
