Housewifery - Cleaning of Vintage Linen

Housewifery - Cleaning of Vintage Linens

I imagine all of us have linens we inherited from our mothers and grandmothers. If they are to remain useful, them must be taken care of. Here are methods from handling them so that they may be passed on to our children and grandchildren.

Keeping heirloom linens clean not only allows you to use them in your home, but protects them from damage. Leaving them dirty will allow them to rot, so here is the procedure for preserving their beauty. It isn’t particularly hard, but it is very labor intensive.

First remove the surface dirt and dust from the linen. Do this very carefully, using a small vacuum on low suction with the vents open. Then examine each piece for food and grease as these will attract insects and will leave permanent stains.

Now prepare a cleaning solution suited for you old linens. Here are several solutions from which you can choose.

Recipe #1

1/4 cup Kosher or Sea salt
Gallon hot water

* Cover piece entirely and soak for at least 48 hours. Rinse well and lay out in the sun to dry. After washing linens, give them a good vinegar rinse to remove as much of the soap as possible. Use one cup of white vinegar per gallon of water. After the vinegar rinse, rinse again with plain water a time or two.

Recipe #2

* In a large roaster or pot, fill with hot water and several slices of lemon. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat and add your linens. Use a wooden spoon to push down the linens until they become completely submerged and saturated with the water. Cover the pot and leave overnight.
* Rinse well, wash with mild detergent and water as usual and then lay the items out in the sun to dry.

Buttermilk Soak – Recipe #3

1 Quart Buttermilk
1 Gallon Water
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice

* Soak linens in the buttermilk recipe for up to 24 hours, rinse twice, then launder as usual.

Next test each piece for colorfastness by blotting with a white cloth and water or the cleaning solution you have prepared. Then gently immerse the linen into the cleaning solution and carefully agitate it by hand. Do not wash these linens in your automatic washer.

Now rinse the linens and remove all soap residue using the solutions indicated or distilled water. Distilled water is especially important if the tap water is hard.

For stubborn spots, try treating them with a solution of lemon juice and salt.

Dry linens by laying them flat outdoors in the sun on absorbent towels on the grass or draping them over green shrubs.

Iron each item quickly and carefully using a minimal amount of starch.

Avoid dry cleaning heirloom linens because excessive agitation and heat can damage them. Store them in acid-free containers that you can purchase from places like The Container Store or Michaels.