Laundering Vintage Heirlooms
I recently bought two Dreamy bags full of Non -Wool,
Vintage Children's Clothing and Linens.
I couldn't wait to get home to look at my new Treasures.
From the title of this posting, You already know what came next.
They All Needed Work!
They were for the most part sound,
but each item had at least one little brown spot on them
which is for me, unacceptable by hastypearl's standards,
and...they ALL smelled like Grandmothers Attic!
I felt strongly, that they were marketable
and deserved the attention necessary to get them
back in usable condition.
Additionally, they all proved to be handmade,
and I felt something Emotional about that.
I spent a morning cruising the internet looking for guidance.
I was delighted to find MANY entire websites,
dedicated to saving Precious Linens and Clothing.
I printed out and read three lengthy "How To's",
that I thought were the most useful,
and made my grocery list for the products that they most often recommended.
You may Already have them in your laundry arsenal!
They are:
OxiClean
Borax
Fels-Naptha
The Sun
Time
Patience :)
I pulled out bowls, that I didn't mind leaving on my kitchen counter.
Since they were within sight and easy reach,
it was easy with a long handled spoon,
to stir or agitate the soaking items every now and then,
which I learned really helped the process along.
All sites suggested starting the sometimes long soaking process
with hot water,
and rinsing, rinsing, rinsing, in cold.
I followed the directions on the packaging,
for the amounts of product to use
and actually got all of my
stains and dullness and odor, out with OxiClean.
I checked my spots every now and then,
and gave them a gentle rub with my fingers and if needed,
I simply soaked longer.
In most of the pieces, the stains were completely gone in just a 24 hour soak.
And in ALL of the items where there was still a faint stain,
a few hours in the Sun just like Grandmother already knew,
and they were Completely Stain Free.
I was INSPIRED!
Inspired, to head back to my Personal collections,
and work on things that I would have previously
Only considered taking to the cleaners,
and OH, how you pay$ for that, right?
I recently heard someone say, that they enjoyed doing a basic house tending job,
because it was something that they could do and finish.
What I thought was just going to be about learning how to remove stains,
turned out to be more.
To watch a Beautiful pair of Vintage Handmade Baby Booties,
that need to be Cherished Again,
go from being stained to perfect, is FUN!
Nothing would bring me more Joy,
than to know that another family will use
and Value these Sweet Heirloom Pieces.
The Final Step, was also a pleasure to do.
With a warm iron...no starch...and a Movie on TV,
I pressed or repaired seams with needle and thread,
until each piece looked brand new!
The process was over all very educational,
and quietly meditative.
I thought about the Hands that had originally sewn,
knitted or crocheted each piece,
and those that WILL own them, anew.
So, with a little effort, you too can transform items that you
might have Passed over before.
Over and over the instructions were simply...
if you leave an item soaking Long Enough,
you can get just about every stain out.
*
Almost sounds Providential, doesn't it?
It's possible to get all of our human Worries and Stains out too,
if we will just be patient enough and Soak for a Little Bit Longer :)
Happy Soaking, All and thanks as always for stopping by :)
xo Laura
...oh, and if you see anything that you are interested in buying,
you can find my contact info on the right column of this blog
or always through my hastypearl page!
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