Over the years, I have amassed quite the vintage collection (yeah, no one is surprised). And with that collection comes the responsibility to care for it to ensure its longevity. Now, nobody likes laundry, but cleaning vintage is a necessary evil (even moreso in my southern climate!). On several occasions, I’ve been contacted by many of you lovely would-be collectors about tips for cleaning, steaming, and caring for vintage. Truth be told, it can be a daunting task – so I’ve decided to start a series here on the blog to help you navigate the sudsy waters.
The first thing to be aware of, is that cleaning vintage takes more time and effort than normal laundry. My first (and most important) recommendation: do NOT use a washing machine (please, dear readers, don’t do it). If you want your vintage to last another 50 years, the best way to care for it is to hand wash. Even a delicate cycle in a modern washing machine could cause damage, and true hand washing is always going to be gentlest on your garment and reduce the risk of weakening the fibers.
In realizing how broad the topic of “Caring for Your Vintage” can be, I’ve decided to break this series into multiple parts, which will cover everything from cleaning, to mending, to freshening and getting out those darn wrinkles for daily wear.
In this post, I’ll be discussing stain removal, how to prevent color bleed, and general cleaning (as well as some of my favorite products). Note that the bulk of these tips are for linen, cotton, or cotton blend dresses; other types of fabrics can be a bit tricky and may require a trip to the dry cleaner. (I thought DeniseBrain put together a great list of how to handle different types of fabrics, if you need info on something other than cotton).
Okay, ready to get your hands wet? Let’s go!
Stain Removal
Given the age of the garments I collect, it is inevitable that pieces will have stains – rust, age spots, sweat, and food stains that have darkened with time are all pretty common in vintage clothing. Now, there are a lot of amazing sellers who have done a lot of the heavy lifting for you before you even get a piece, but it’s still a good idea to have stain removal tips in your arsenal, especially if you happen upon a treasure in a thrift shop or snag a deal from a seller who hasn’t had time to tackle a particular garment.
The first thing I do whenever I receive a vintage garment is do a pretty thorough inspection. Small stains and issues don’t worry me (and simply add to the story and charm of a garment), but I like to be familiar with some of the flaws. Places to look for discoloration will always be on the underarms, collars, and straps of dresses (which can accumulate sweat and discolor over time). If you let down a hem, you will almost inevitably see a telltale stain, as if someone spent years dragging the hem through the muck. I’ve also found a lot of stains in the lap of dresses (ladies who lunch do not always keep their lunch on their plates, apparently).
Whenever possible, I try to do a spot clean for minor stains. As you may have noticed, I own a lot of appliquéd pieces, which I do not wash by traditional means. For the most part, I rely on spot cleaning for these garments, and dry cleaning as needed. I have a few techniques for this, one of which is to make a mixture of warm water and a gentle detergent (like Retro Wash or Orvus Paste) and use a soft cloth to try to wash just the soiled area. Although I haven’t tried it, I have had others recommend Grandma’s Secret Spot Remover – it’s labeled as being made from an environmentally safe formula that is biodegradable, nontoxic, and contains no chlorine or phosphates. I’ll update this post once I tried it out for myself.
When you’re spot cleaning, sometimes you can leave a ring with a stain ‘residue” around it once it dries. I like to do my spot cleaning, and then once the stain is removed, I will steam the area or use a blow dryer on a medium setting (aim air from the outside of the wetted area in) to dissipate the extra water and avoid the ring. You can also iron the spot (at a lower setting), but be careful to ensure the stain is removed as heat can really set in a stain.
One of my favorite vintage hacks that has saved me on a number of occasions is baby wipes – they’re super soft and can be used to gently rub out minor stains. I also find them to be perfect for cleaning vintage handbags! (if it’s safe enough for a baby’s bottom, it’s probably safe enough for vintage). They can also help when it comes to getting deodorant residue off of the underarms.
Okay, once you’ve done your prep work, the time has come to soak the garment to get out those set in stains (NOTE: before jumping into the tub with both feet, I recommend reading the next section on how to prevent color bleed).
My very favorite product for removing 50-year-old stains is Retro Clean. This stuff is a miracle worker – super gentle on the garment and somehow manages to either remove or significantly lighten most of the stains I’ve thrown at it.
Here is my general process:
- To start, I will always do a spot test of the fabric (again, see below for the best way to do this prior to full soak).
- I then fill a bucket or bathtub with tepid to warm water (depending on the sturdiness of your fabric. For cotton, I usually feel comfortable with warm water. But NEVER hot, which can shrink or weaken your fibers. Keep it tepid.).
- While the tub is filling, add 3-4 tablespoons per gallon of Retro Clean. I also add 2-3 tablespoons of Synthrapol and a Shout Color Catcher (this helps prevent color bleed mishaps – see below).
- Then, zip up any zippers and close any buttons or clasps (you may want to remove any covered buttons, which are notorious for rusting as they have metal on the inside).
- Gently lay your garment into the water, carefully tapping it to be sure it’s submerged. If you are using a bucket, leaving the bucket in the sun is a good trick, as it will keep the water warm for a longer period of time. If it’s my first soak of a garment, I will usually watch it carefully for a few minutes – swirl the water a bit and see if there are any obvious signs of color bleed.
- Very quickly, you will likely see discoloration of the water, which is simply years of age coming out. Depending on how stained a garment is, I will usually leave the garment to soak from 45 minutes up to 3 hours. If the water is super dirty, I will drain and repeat.
- After the garment has soaked, carefully drain the tub and rinse the garment with cold water.
- Very gently lift the garment to the side of the tub or bucket. Do NOT wring it out – I usually carefully squeeze out the excess water on the side of the tub. The fibers are very delicate when they are wet, so try to avoid twisting or lifting the garment up until you have gotten out the bulk of the water.
- If the stains are still present, you can repeat the steps above multiple times, until the water is clear.
- Next up is washing!
I have been lucky enough to receive pieces from my mom’s friends who have cleared out their attic or their own mother’s closet after her passing. This one below came to me with some rust stains on the shoulders (likely from a wire hanger) and pretty significant stains on the underarms, set in with age. You can see after two soaks following the steps above, the stains lightened considerably (and I will be covering tips for repairing those holes in my next post!)
Preventing Color Bleed
One risk whenever you are cleaning a garment is going to be color bleed. Cause we all love those vibrant red roses prints, it can be a bit heart attack inducing to dunk her into a bucket of water. However, there are some tricks I have found to prevent color bleed, and a few things that can be done should the worst happen and you find some color HAS bled after a wash.
First and foremost: Spot check! – use the same temperature water you plan to be soaking the garment in in. If you can, test a small inconspicuous spot (I like to use the underside of the hem or inside a seam allowance). Dab the spot with water and let it sit for a few minutes. Then, take a white sock or cloth and blot the area to see if there is any color transfer. If there is, you’re best leaving the cleaning of the garment to a reputable dry cleaner in your area.
Even if your spot test comes back with positive results, it’s always good to have a back up plan. To help safeguard against color bleed when you take a deep breath and submerge a dress, here are a few of my favorite tricks of the trade
- Jacquard Synthrapol – this stuff is a miracle in a jar! It’s a pH neutral liquid detergent that helps to keep any loose dye suspended during washing. This helps to prevent the suspended dye from staining your garment (which is essentially what color bleed is). This little beauty also aids in the removal of any excess color. Once I started using this, I had no color bleed issues (knock on wood). I will say that it can be pretty rough on hands; if you’re doing a lot of this, you may want gloves or a seriously good moisturizer, especially if you have sensitive skin.
- Shout Color Catchers (I usually get the value pack) – definitely a good backup when soaking or washing. Like the Synthrapol, these handy little sheets lock up loose dyes to prevent them from running or bleeding onto other clothes. As a bonus, these can also be used in your normal washing. For my repro, I will usually toss one or two of these bad boys into the machine to help avoid a color bleed issue. It’s so satisfying to see the dye on the sheet and not my dress!
- I have heard a few vintage sellers who have said they will spritz areas that are likely to bleed with vinegar prior to a wash to avoid color bleed. I have not tried this personally, but I trust the experts…
In the case of a color-run-mergency (case in point), all hope is not lost! As some of you may remember, I had a horrible incident involving a coffee in my lap, a panicked washing, followed by a greater panicked color bleed situation. The best advice I can give if you see a garment has color run is to NOT let it dry. Get it back in the water with 2-3 tablespoons of Synthrapol and a few Shout Color Catchers. Drain and repeat over the course of several hours if necessary.
Although I have not tried it, there are a few products available in most food and drug stores if the garment has already dried. I have heard good things about Carbona color run remover. You can also try the Synthrapol again, who has one job and one job only: to bind those loose dyes. Put the garment back into water and add the appropriate amount, and hopefully it will lift some of the dye that offensively bled all over your vintage.
Don’t worry. The dress survived…
General washing
After dealing with stains, the next step is to wash the garment. For this, I have found Retro Wash to be great – very gentle on the garment and a good compliment to the Retro Clean. I know a lot of vintage sellers who also swear by Orvus and Oxyclean for cleaning sturdy cottons.
- As with soaking, I fill a bucket or bathtub with tepid to warm water
- While the tub is filling, add 1 tablespoon of Retro Wash for a roughly half-full bathtub. Even if I have already soaked it, I will also add 2-3 tablespoons of Synthrapol and a Shout Color catcher for good measure (can you tell I’ve been scarred by past color bleed disasters??).
- While Retro Wash is amazing at neutralizing odors, I have not found it to have any particular smell. I’m so used to things having a “clean” detergent-laden scent, that I will usually add a small amount of normal detergent or a few pellets of scent boosters to the tub during the wash (I like Downy Unstoppables in Fresh and Method Fragrance Boosters in Beach Sage, personally), just to give it a fresh scent.
- Turn the garment inside out, and put it into the water and submerge.
- For cottons, I will gently agitate the garment. Where I focus my washing energy is under the arms, using my hands to rub the garment in that area. Try not to be too vigorous here (as the garment is wet and more delicate).
- Then, as above, bring to the side of the tub, drain and rise the garment carefully.
Awhile back, I happened upon the most amazing cherry-embroidered dress of dreams at The Girl Can’t Help it. She needed some TLC – most notably, she had some stains on the waist and on the skirt. But, I was terrified of soaking her, as she had the most vibrant embroidery that was just smirking at me, threatening to bleed red and green all over. However, there are times in every vintage lovers life where she has to put on her big girl cigarette pants and dive in. So, I followed the steps above and am proud to say she came out good as new, without a whisp of red color run in sight.
There are a few schools of thought for drying. But the one we can all agree on is DEAR GOD DON’T USE A DRYER. The best way to dry vintage is to lay it flat and let the air do the work. Some say to lay in the sun on the grass (although I have not tried this, as I’m always worried about color fade and grass stains).
Personally, I like to lay it flat on towels in my bathroom, though I admittedly have a large bathroom. You can also carefully let it dry on the side of the tub or across a large bin, working to ensure there is no strain on the fabric (I do not recommend hanging over a door or a chair – it can pull and possibly damage the fibers). I’ve found that sometimes the drying process itself can be a color bleed culprit, so I usually dry with a towel INSIDE the dress as well, to avoid any color transfer between layers. Once the majority of the moisture is gone, you can remove the towel and let the garment dry completely.
Truth be told, caring for vintage can easily become a part time job – because we are entrusted with a piece of the past that needs to be preserved. I get so much satisfaction from unearthing a forgotten dress and seeing the years of adventure soak out, bringing her back to life again.
I hope you found this post helpful! I am certainly no expert, but have amassed a few methods that have worked for me over the years. Note that these techniques will have to be altered to suit your particular garment and always do your research on fabric content before diving in. When in doubt, for truly special heirloom pieces, I recommend dry cleaning from a reputable cleaner. I also found The Vintage Fashion Guild to be a great resource if you didn’t get an answer to all of your vintage cleaning questions.
Right, better get back to my mountain of laundry. I’ll be working on the next installment in this series – Minor Repair: darning, fixing holes nearly invisibly, reinforcing seams. So stay tuned….
Any questions? Tips of your own you would like to share? Let me know in the comments below!
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Any items in a post marked with a “c/o” (courtesy of) a retailer mean I was provided with an item for free in exchange for a review on my blog. I always provide my honest opinion of any item I’m reviewing, regardless of whether it was sent to me as a courtesy item or if I purchased it myself. In addition, this post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click and/or make a purchase through certain links or ads on this site, I may make a commission from that click and/or purchase at no cost to you, which helps with the day-to-day running costs of my blog.