How to Clean a Vintage Wedding Veil

Even delicate vintage veils can be re-whitened if you know what you're doing.

Weddings are filled with traditions. Sometimes these traditions can include wearing an inherited accessory during the ceremony. If you have an antique wedding veil that was passed down to you, it may not be as white as your dress. This is because white textiles and clothing tend to yellow over time, due to residues collected during storage. Vintage lace and tulle is delicate, due to its age and needs to be handled carefully during washing. If you're afraid of damaging the veil, or if it appears fragile, take it to a professional. There's no need to take risks with heirlooms. If, however, you're confident it can withstand a hand-washing, then you can whiten the veil yourself.

Things You'll Need

• White towels
• Color bleach powder

Instructions

1. Fill a bathtub with warm water. Add all color bleach powder to the water, following the manufacturer's instructions for the amount.

2. Stir the liquid until the powder becomes completely dissolved.

3. Lay the veil onto a clean white towel. Spread the veil out as much as possible, but if there are any parts of it sticking off the edge of the towel, fold those sections in.

4. Lay another clean white towel on top of the veil. The veil should now be sandwiched between two white towels.

5. Submerge the towels (with the veil in between) in the bathtub. Allow them to soak for anywhere between 20 minutes and 2 hours. Check on the veil every 20 to 30 minutes to see how white it is.

6. Remove the towels and veil (still together) from the bathtub when the veil has reached desired whiteness. Rinse the towel-veil combination in cold water.

7. Squeeze -- don't twist -- the towel-veil combination until most of the excess water has been wrung free. Remove the veil from the damp towels and place it onto a clean, dry white towel. Allow it to air dry. Your yellowed veil should now be white and ready to wear.

Tips & Warnings

• Add the bleach to a cup of very hot water before dumping it into the bathtub to help it dissolve quicker.

References

• Martha Stewart Weddings: How Do I Clean a Vintage Veil?