This guide is written in response to your many requests for information on how we care for and launder the linens we sell. Our method is very simple and one that has been handed down for a few generations.  We all learned to do laundry at age ten (10) as did our sons and daughters and their children.

When we purchase antique or vintage "unique not yet antique" fabric of any type or style we usually determine by touch if it is made of wool, cotton, linen or silk fibers. If it has any wool content  for example an Irish sweater in order to remove storage odor we hand launder it in Woolite and lay it flat to dry or we dry clean them.  The new Dryell product is great and cost effective. We do  also have a rack that sits inside the dryer and the dryer drum can rotate around the rack. Great feature to look for when you buy a dryer, especially great for drying all washable walking or tennis shoes.

All of our fine delicates we hand wash with Ivory bar soap or Ivory flakes. We quick rinse always in cold water to remove any soap from fabric and air dry flat. All of the sturdy cotton or linen fabric that we prepare for our own collection or to resell is given a soak in Fels Naptha Soap. We usually rub it directly on any stain and then allow the fabric to soak some times overnight. We usually use a cup or two of white vinegar in the soak water also  especially if the cloth has a strong odor from smoke or pets.

Fels Naptha soap has kept baby clothing safe and clean for 100 years or so and even though it is expensive and hard to find it is always worth the purchase. We will list some in our Ebay store for our customers  who want to try a bar if you cannot find it in your local grocery store. It goes much further if you do not let the whole bar sit in the water for the entire soak. Make the water soapy and then remove the bar of soap. Your water will look gold the color of the soap and after the linens have soaked for awhile your water may even be brown.  Do a cold water rinse on the linens and then wash as normal in a washing machine with whatever fragrant or fragrant FREE detergent you prefer.

We rarely use Clorox or Oxy on our linens and if we do it is a quick dip not a soak. We do use Borax Washing Soda as an aid in the laundry for clothing. We soak the clothing in a Borax and water bath, quick rinse and then wash as normal in the washing machine. This always proved effective for children's play clothes, mens work or factory clothing and just great for clothing or linens worn or used in a nursing facility or hospital.

We always have a gallon or two of white vinegar in the house, we use it in the laundry, in spray bottles for pet cleanup or accidental food spills. Here is the recipe for home made soap.

2 cups of Fels Naptha shaved or grated from the bar.

1cup of Arm & Hammer washing soda & 1 cup of 20 mule team Borax.

Mix it well and store it in an airtight plastic container like the lock & lock which is sold on QVC and probably here on Ebay.

Use 2 tablespoons in your laundry water.

So there you have it!  "everything that is old is new again"  Our laundry habits are so old we are now "trendy" and we do not have to make any effort to go "Green"and help save the planet.

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