Linens can yellow with age in addition to getting stained from usage. Cleaning them must be done properly to avoid damaging the often delicate fabric. This is a guide about cleaning vintage linens.
A few decades ago I saw an interview with the Royal Launderer, who said that the Queen's tablecloths were never washed. Instead, they were spot cleaned for stains. He said, with a straight face that they used spit.
Imagine being by appointment to her Majesty, the Royal Spitter. Actually, it works on clothes, and my granddaughter's face.
By Joan
Cleaning your vintage linens that have yellowed with age can be tricky. However, it can be done. First, make sure that the material itself is in good shape. If it is already fraying apart through age, then you may need to consult a professional dry cleaner.
But if the material is still sturdy and there are no colors (such as patterns or embroidery) on it, then wet it down and then soak it in a "mild" bleach solution for 1 - 2 hours. Gently squeeze dry and hang it in the sun to dry. Often the combination of the bleach and the sun will brighten and lighten the color, and get rid of that yellow.
If there are colors on your material, then do not use bleach. I have found that sometimes soaking in a solution of OxiClean will do the job, again along with drying in the sun.
For small stains or yellowed spots sometimes a baking soda paste directly applied to the spot and left to dry will help. Sometimes none of this works, but there are still thrifty alternatives.
I have a vintage lace tablecloth that was just too badly yellowed and I could not get it to lighten up. So I chose the solution of actually dying it a light yellow, and giving it a new life as a colored table covering. And I have had many compliments over the years on my sunshine-colored lace tablecloth!
Another solution is cover-up. If there are small spots and stains that won't come out try embroidering a small design on the piece and make sure your handiwork covers up the stains! My granddaughters like to embroider and we have done a few examples of this type of repair/cover-up together. And then you have a vintage piece with even more meaning.
As my own mother taught me, a little bit of cleaning and ingenuity can go a long way.
By Aunt Peg from Ft. Worth, TX
Some professionals use Orvus. You can order online or visit a feed store.
Source: Shared by a professional when I needed to eliminate yellow from aged drapes.
By Vicki from Roseburg, OR
I have several vintage tablecloth linens, dresser scarves etc that have rust like stains on them. I don't know how to treat them without hurting the material. Any advise? Thanks
Barb from Crystal City, MO
By Glenn'sMom
06/02/2008
I haven't tried it (cause I can't find it!) but my mother tells me there is a product called Wink that will remove rust. She lives in Mississippi and I'm on the west coast so maybe it's only found over there...I need to try it on some vintage table runners. I did have fairly good results with OxyClean. I soaked it in hot water for a day, rinsed, washed by hand and hung to dry. Most of the stains are gone.
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