Basic Care of Vintage

Linens and Fabrics

I once was asked a long time ago why did I spend so much time trying to take out a stain in a quilt that once belonged to my husband's great-grandmother.  I told my friend that these vintage and antique items form a connection to the past and to the person who once owned them.  Great-grandmother's quilt was once absolutely stunning; I wanted to try to bring it back to looking as grand as it did 90 years ago. With much care and time, I was able to do this! 

Vintage and antique items belonged to folks just like you and me. These people had Dreams and Fears. Hopes and Disappointments. Loves and Hates.  Likes and Dislikes.  Joys and Sorrows. They once walked on this earth and they continue to live on in the memory of those who dearly loved them and knew them. They live on in the things they once owned. Thus, I feel a deep obligation to try to restore stained vintage and antique items to their once glorious past. Although I never knew the original owners of the items I sell on eBay, these people still are a part of our American past.  These vintage and antique items connect me to an era that will never more return. Thus, it is worth it to me to spend as much time as possible to try to bring these antique and vintage items back to their once glorious state. 

Most people are really intimidated when it comes to stain removal.  After buying, collecting, and now selling vintage and antique linens and clothes for over 35 years, I have tried several methods for removing stubborn stains. Before we begin, a word of caution. The stain removal methods contained here have been collected from a variety of sources I have tried and used most of them, but not all of them.  Test one of these methods on an inconspicuous area first.  One other general piece of advice: line dry or grass dry all vintage linens, etc. first. Spots that may not be visible when wet can show up and be permanently set by the heat of a dryer.  Now let's begin...  

I like to hand wash and iron the most delicate linens and garments I purchase to sale. On these very delicate pieces, I proceed very carefully. I generally start with the least invasive procedure. Salt and lemon juice and the sun. Salt and lemon juice on the stain and then I pour boiling hot water from a kettle while holding the garment or linen over the sink. (Please be extra careful when doing this.) If that doesn't work, I try Fels Naptha soap flakes. It's hard to find in some parts of the country. I grate the bar of soap into a plastic dish pan and add warm or hot water depending on the item that is to be washed. Then, I add the garment and let it soak for several hours or even days. If that doesn't work, I try the Best Ever Stain Removal recipe which is given below.

A friend gave it to me and I was skeptical, but when it removed the stains on my husband's 54 year-old baby clothes, I was convinced. But, not all stains come out with any one recipe. So, if one method does not work, try another. Don't give up.

Best Ever Stain Remover Recipe!   

1 scoop Biz

1 scoop OxyClean

3/4 cup Ammonia

1 gallon hot water

Mix all the ingredients in a large tub, sink, or plastic bucket. Add the stained linen and let it soak for several hours or even overnight. Every so often take a lingerie plunger, heavy wooden spoon, or stick and agitate the water.  Remove and wash as usual in Tide soap.

Now if that doesn't work, try another method. Sometimes, I have had to try several methods before the stain has finally come out.

General Cleaning Tips

• Soak linens (other than LINEN Damask) in a solution of warm water and detergent and an oxygen bleaching agent. Rinse thoroughly and repeat if necessary. Remove and wash as usual in Tide soap.

• Vintage LINEN Damask items should only be cleaned with soap or detergents NOT containing optical brighteners which are found in most commercial household laundry preparations.

• Instead of using chlorine bleach, I often sun bleach my linens when I have a very stubborn stain.  First, I will soak it overnight using the Best Ever Stain Removal recipe that I gave above. In the morning I carefully rinse it in a basin of fresh clean water. It usually takes many rinses to get out all the stain removal mixture. Then I carefully fold it in a dry white towel to remove excess moisture.  Never wring out old linens! Wringing causes significant stress to old and delicate fibers.  I then lay it out on the grass, morning dew is wonderful, and leave it there for several hours until it is completely dry.  I bring it in and launder as usual using Tide soap.  I have had wonderful success with a multitude of stains and fabrics and highly recommend using the sun to sun-bleach your vintage linens and fabrics.

• Sometimes, I use salt and lemon juice to remove stubborn stains. I take the slightly damp linen outside and sprinkle salt and freshly squeezed lemon juice on the stain.  I then lay it on the grass and let the sun and the grass do their magic.  Repeat if necessary. When the stain is gone, I take it inside and launder as usual.

• For stain removal, try a commercial stain remover like Whisk or Carbona (found at Wal-Mart) and lace the item on the grass and let Mr. Sun do his work for a few hours. Launder as usual when stain is gone.

• Alway line or drip dry fine linens as the heat of a clothes dryer can be detrimental to the fabric and cause excess ear or fiber deterioration.

• For rust stains I like to use Whink (purchased at Wal-Mart). If not available use, lemon juice on light stains on delicate fabrics.  Spread stain over a bowl of boiling water and sprinkle with lemon juice.  After a few minutes, rinse well and repeat if necessary. 

• I also use lemon juice and salt on some rust stains.  Sprinkle stain with salt, rub with lemon juice and place in sunlight.  Keep moist with lemon juice until stain is gone. Remove well.

• I also use Cream of Tartar (a powder available in the grocery store spice section) for extensive staining.  Boil in a solution of 3 teaspoons of cream of tartar per cup of water.  Rinse well OR if less extensive, dampen stain. , spread with cream of tartar, hold in steam from boiling kettle.  Rinse immediately when stain is remove.  Do not use on fabrics that cannot be washed in hot water.

• For very light scorch marks on your vintage linen by immediately washing it with your usual laundry product (I use Tide) followed by a day in the sun. Alternatively, sponge with tablespoon borax in 1 cup of warm water.  

• For light scorch marks on white materials, I sometimes bleach the linen using hydrogen peroxide. I dampen a rag of white cotton cloth with hydrogen peroxide and I lay it covering the scorched mark.  I cover it with a clean dry cloth, then press it with a medium warm iron.  If the peroxide soaks through the top cloth, I move it to a dry place on the irong board.  I repeat this treatment until the stain is removed. Rinse well with warm water.        

• Never store linens somewhere you would not like to spend a few days. Do not store in a damp basement or a hot, humid attic.

• Also never store linens in plastic as it will trap moisture and promote fungal growth.  Never iron creases into linens that are about to be stored; it weakens the fibers along the folds.

• If a tablecloth has candle wax stains, scrape off most of the wax.  This can be facilitated by placing the fabric in the freezer and making the wax brittle.  For the remaining wax, place the stained surface down on a clean white rag and spray lightly with WD-40, let stand a few minutes, turn fabric over and spray lightly on the other side.  Apply liquid dishwashing detergent and work into the stained area, moving the rag as it absorbs the stain.  Wash i hot water with laundry detergent and bleach (if appropriate) for about 15 minutes (use heavy soiled setting if there is no minute timer on your machine) and rinse in warm water.  Drip dry and check for residual stain.  In the case of colored wax there may still be a color stain, sponge with liquid made by adding a half cup of denatured alcohol to a half cup of water.

• For set blood stains, one of the best recommendations is the use of a commercial meat tenderizer (these are found in the spice section of your supermarket). Meat tenderizer breaks down the proteins in the fibrin strings that form when blood clots, allowing the stain to be released.

• Other suggestions  I have gotten from friends is to try an enzyme presoak. Soak in a diaper wash/sanitizer that contains sodium percarbonate (follow label instructions). Try dilute hydrogen peroxide (1 part : 9 parts water). Rinse well. Be Careful, strong solutions of hydrogen peroxide can bleach fabrics.

• Sponge with a lukewarm 10% solution of Oxalic Acid for a few minutes, then rinse well. You can get this from the hardware store paint department or a pharmacy. For red wine stains on my vintage linens, I immediately  pour club soda or white wine on the affected area and soak it up.  Then wash in cold water and ammonia. For white wine stains, rinse in club soda, then wash  in cold water and ammonia.  Sponge with dilute ammonia (1 spoon per cup). Rinse well.

• For chocolate stains on vintage items, first scrape off as much as possible with a dull knife.  Scrub washable article with an old toothbrush and hot soapy water.  If a brown stain remains, soak in a solution of diaiper wash/sanitizer containing sodium percarbonate followed by a good rinse in warm water.

• For deoderant stains on vintage garments, sponge stain thoroughly with a laundry presaok or spot stain remover and warm water.  Rinse.  If some stain remains in whites, use a chlorinated laundry bleach or a diaper wash/sainitizer containing sodium percarbonate. Antiperspirants may cause fabric damage and color damage in some dyes. Color can sometimes be restaored by sponging with ammonia. Dilute ammonia with an equal amount of water for use on wool or silk.  Rinse well.  

• For egg stains, scrape away as much as possible .  Sponge with lukewarm water immediately. Never use hot water, as heat sets the albumin.  If this does not succed, spread the stain with a paste of cream of tartar and water, adding a crushed aspirin to the paste.  Leave for 20 to 30 minutes.  Rinse well in warm water. 

• For grass stains on a vintage tablecloth, napkin, etc. soak in a solution of chlorinated laundry bleach or sponge with wood alcohol.  Remove this with warm water and wash it as usual in the washer.

Storing Vintage Linens and Garments

I store my personal collection in acid free tissue paper when not in use. Please store your antique and vintage linens close at hand. If you keep them well out-of-sight, you won't use them. I place a sheet of acid free tissue over each linen and gently fold it and put it in the pie safe where I store my vintage linens. I like to use the linens in my pie safe throughout the year and I wash them after each use, iron them,  and then store them away between acid free paper.

I starch my linens right before I use them. Starch breaks down and gradually turns stored linens yellow over a number of years. Thus, I like to always iron and starch my antique and vintage linens right before I use them. It takes a little bit more of extra work, but I don't mind. I want to do everything I can to preserve them. Many of the ones I own are over 100 years old; how wonderful it would be if they would last another 100 or more years.   

A Final Note:  Use and enjoy your vintage linens no matter their condition. It's their loving use that keeps them lovely and ready to be cherished and enjoyed by the next generation.  

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