How to Clean Heirloom Vintage Linens

Clean Heirloom Vintage Linens

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Vintage linens are a hobby for many collectors. But when you're trying to restore and maintain linens that have been handed down through your family, the piece is valuable in a whole new way. You will want to pay particular attention to cleaning and storing your priceless pieces. Read on to learn more.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

gentle baby shampoo
vintage linens
oxygen bleach cleaner, such as Oxi-Clean powder
white vinegar
salt
large pot for boiling water and long soaking

Step1

Most vintage linens will come to you with some degree of fabric wear, staining or discoloration. Normal laundering techniques are much too harsh for these linens. The fabrics are simply too fragile and you could cause further damage. The best techniques for cleaning the linens are, ironically enough, probably similar to laundering techniques that would've been used when they were new.

Step2

Begin with the "first, do no harm" mentality. Add two or three capfuls of baby shampoo to a sink or large pot of tepid water. Stir to blend and carefully add linen piece. Very gently swirl the fabric around in the water, careful not to overwork it or twist the fabric. Allow to soak several hours or overnight. Rinse in cool water and follow drying technique below.

Step3

Oxygen bleach products such as Oxi-Clean powder works nicely to remove or reduce stains and discoloration. The powder must be activated with very hot water. However, you will do not want your old fabrics put into hot water, so you should add cold water until the temperature is between tepid and cool. Place the linens in to soak for several hours or overnight. Occasionally you can gently stir the fabrics around in the solution; but remember to handle them with care and definitely do not wring the fabric.

Step4

If you prefer a more natural approach or if the oxygen bleach soak doesn't give you the results you wanted, you can add a mix of 2 cups of white vinegar and 1/4 cup of salt to a large pot of cool water. Mix it slowly and add fabrics, again allowing them to soak with only gentle stirrings for several hours. If you like, you can add a couple teaspoons of lemon juice to help in removing the stains and in fragrancing the fabric.

Step5

After your linens have soaked, do not wring them out.Gently ball them into your hands, allowing the water to run through your fingers. Slowly close and open your hands a few times to remove some of the water.Lay the linen flat on a thick clean towel and gently roll the towel up with the linen inside. This will help remove even more of the moisture. At this stage, you can hang your linens in the sun for a brief period. Do not leave them in the sun too long, as over exposure could cause discoloration. Do not hang the linens over a wire clothes line or coat hanger. Drape a towel underneath the linen to prevent any metal from rusting onto the fabric.

Step6

After your linen has dried completely, do not use starch before storing it. Starch could cause discoloration over a period of time. You can make a spray bottle of rose water and lightly mist the linen for a nice fragrance that shouldn't harm the fabric. Again, you must allow the linen to dry fully before storing.

Step7

To store, wrap or fold your linen into acid free paper. If the item is small enough, you can roll it into the paper and store it inside a paper towel roll or an empty roll from wrapping paper. The key is to make sure the fabric is fully dry before storing to avoid any chance of mildew stains, which can be next to impossible to remove on older fabrics.

Tips & Warnings

Before attempting to "patch" small wears in vintage fabrics, remember you are taking a risk since the fabric threads are very worn and can easily tear even more.
If you choose to iron your linens before storing, use only on a very low setting and do not apply the full weight of the iron onto the fabric. A light steaming can help with linens that wrinkle easily after being laundered.
Don't be afraid to use your wonderful vintage linens. Someone once made these beautiful pieces to be used and it would be a shame to hide them away!
If stains happen while the linens are being used, quickly apply a damp baking soda paste or corn starch to the stain and blot with a clean cloth.
Test patterned linens with a moist, clean old rag. Dab it onto the colored area. If you are picking up the color of the dye onto the rag, don't go any further. You could cause the colors to bleed onto the rest of the fabric. Seek a professional tailor or cleaner for advice.
Avoid using bleach if at all possible. If you have not had success with other treatments and feel you should risk it, mix 1 capful of bleach with baking soda and a capful of water. Quickly rinse in cool water.