The Golden Rules of Washing Vintage Items (2024)

FAQs

How do you wash vintage items? ›

Wash at 30 degrees where possible, use gentle cycles or lightly hand-wash Always hand-wash pre1960s vintage. If you're concerned that the fabric is too delicate, don't wash it at all!

For yellow age stain, the most effective stain remover is a hydrogen peroxide solution, which is available in commercial form as stain removers under brand names such as OxiClean. The main ingredient in most of these stain removers is a solidified form of hydrogen peroxide, combined with surfactants and detergents.

The best stain remover depends on the type of stain and fabric. Generally, mild soap, hydrogen peroxide or baking soda mixed with warm water work well for most vintage clothes.

Antique clothing can sometimes be dry cleaned by specialty cleaners. You can contact a local museum to ask who they use. Otherwise, using a very gentle detergent (like diluted woolite) in a clean basin with lukewarm water, very gently agitate it, rinse well in cool water, then to dry, squeeze it -do not wring!

The best solution is to allow your vintage clothes to air naturally outside on a washing line, allowing any lingering odors to disperse with the wind. If this isn't possible due to weather or lack of space, you should dry vintage clothes on low heat, as drying at high heat can cause any lingering smells to re-emerge.

A good rule to follow: Soap with caution, and consider these gentle options: Overnight soaking agents—made for dingy vintage. Hydrogen peroxide—3% for mild bleaching or full strength for stain removal. White vinegar—an inexpensive way to brighten colors, banish underarm stains.

We use Biz or Oxy Clean or Linen Wash (usually sold in stores where antique linens are sold.) You can also use lemon juice. Soak them in Biz or Oxy Clean in a plastic bucket for 24 hours. You may soak again.

Soak your linens in about two gallons of cool water with one cup of white vinegar. You can soak more than one thing at a time as long as you can freely slosh it around. Usually the water will turn yellow in short order. Sometimes you have to let things sit for a few hours checking the progress every hour or so.

The Shout Advanced Grease Busting Foam, our best overall pick, impressed us with its easy-to-use formula and ability to remove a variety of stains.

What is better than OxiClean? ›

Hydrogen peroxide and washing soda

If you want to be precise and make something the most chemically similar to OxiClean, you would mix hydrogen peroxide with washing soda. You can throw it in the laundry to remove organic stains or brighten a load, the same way you would OxiClean.

Dawn. If you have some Dawn dish soap, you can also use that to help remove blood stains. Dawn recommends applying a few drops of dish soap directly onto the fabric, covering the entire stain, and then rubbing it in with your fingers.

For severely discolored fabrics, you may need to soak them for days to remove decades of dirt. Then gently swish the linens in warm water with mild, nonabrasive, phosphate-free soap. Avoid using bleach, because it can damage the fibers.

Vintage clothes are usually delicate and should be handled with care. The best way to wash vintage clothing is by hand using a gentle detergent or soap. The goal is to preserve the original look of the clothing as much as possible, but also make it wearable again.

First step was to soak in a mixture of cold water and vinegar. I have found that this technique works very well with age stains (i.e.: the yellowing you might find on vintage crocheted work like this.) It also works very well as a first step for removing bad cigarette staining.

In a large plastic tub, create a mild temperature bath of white vinegar, water and Twenty Mule Team Borax. (Sometimes, I even add a drop of Ivory dish soap.) Let fabric soak for 10 to 15 mins, then lightly wash fabrics by hand. Be sure not to agitate the fibers too vigorously as sometimes this can cause tearing.

Vintage clothes are usually delicate and should be handled with care. The best way to wash vintage clothing is by hand using a gentle detergent or soap. The goal is to preserve the original look of the clothing as much as possible, but also make it wearable again.

Lastly, adding washing soda to your machine cycle is another great way to age t-shirts to make them look more vintage. Put two cups of salt and a quarter cup of washing soda in your washer's detergent drawer, then add in your usual detergent and run on a normal cycle.