Reader's Corner

"Washing Vintage Clothing"

by Barbara Fowler

Editor's note: At a recent doll club meeting, Barbara made an interesting presentation on caring for vintage fabrics. She kindly consented to share this information with us in The Fashion Plate for dolls.

The first important concept to realize is that we should not use any chlorine on older fabrics—it causes the fabric to break down and of course this results in tears and holes that are almost impossible to repair due to the weakened fabric. What does this mean? It means first of all, no bleach, except for Snowy Bleach which is natural and the sun which of course is the most natural bleaching agent available to us. But it also means that we should be using distilled water to clean these items because all tap water is treated with chlorine.

If the garment has any trim or ribbon that might bleed, remove it for washing. Test for bleeding with a q-tip dipped in water on a place that will not show. If it does bleed, chances are you will not be able to wet wash it successfully. If the garment does not bleed, pre-treat it by soaking in a mixture of 50-50% water and white vinegar in a large glass jar for about an hour. Using a jar will allow you to gently agitate it by simply moving the jar back and forth. This pre-soaking should loosen stains and dirt prior to washing.

If there is mildew on the fabric, test it on an inside seam with rubbing alcohol on a q-tip. If there is no bleeding, treat the mildew stains with the rubbing alcohol. This may need to be repeated several times until the stain is removed. Then pre-treat in vinegar and follow with washing in Ivory Snow Flakes.

Ivory Snow Flakes are very gentle and safe for natural fibers. They will clean the fabric without damage. After rinsing the vinegar from the garment, again use a large glass jar with a lid and follow the instructions on the box of Ivory Snow. Soak for about 24 hours, gently agitating the jar two or three times. Rinse using the same procedure of agitating and using clean rinse water. Then soak in Snowy Bleach and rinse. Depending on the condition of the fabric, it may take several days to be gently cleaned.

When the garment is clean to your satisfaction, rinse again in clean water and soak in a 50-50% distilled water-white vinegar mix for a short time.

After washing, do not wring the fabric. Instead, lay the clothing between clean, white towels and pat. Then place the garment on a clean, white towel and straighten the fabric with your fingers. For puff sleeves, bodice fronts or full skirts, make balls of white tissue paper and place them inside the garment. You may also wish to dry the garment on the doll itself.

You may lay the garments in the sun for gentle bleaching. Leave them out for about a half a day on a white towel. Do not hang, as the fibers will be weakened and stretched.

If finger pressing is not sufficient, you may iron the garment with the lowest steam setting and just press—do not run your iron over the fabric or go back and forth on it. This might cause rips in the fabric. You may use a pressing cloth to be safe. A sleeve-board or doll ironing board can be used or even rolled up fabric to fit the shape of what's being pressed.

Old silk may be washed wet in a liquid detergent such as Woolite. Check first for colorfastness and to be sure that the fibers will not tear when wet.

If you do not wish or are unable to take a garment apart that has both dark and light colors, use a "dry" cleaning method. Use a foam spray carpet and upholstery cleaner. Spray the foam on a clean cotton cloth and dab onto the dress. Do not soak the garment. When it is dry, use a firm, dry paintbrush to brush off the residue. You may also use this with wool and felt.

When storing doll clothes, they should be stored separately from the doll. All the staples, packaging, etc. should be removed and the fabric wrapped in acid-free paper.

I hope this information will be of benefit to you. I learned this from JoAnn Mathias of G&M Doll Restoration Seminars when training to become a doll doctor.