Newsletter Updates
Your vintage treasures are special pieces, they have been loved and lived before and now they are ready to live again but as with anything truly special they do need tender care...
Through our own trials and errors the advice below is purely that which works for us but every garment is unique and will have it's own special needs for care and storage.
Always repair any holes/ tears / embellishments immediately. If you have bought an item in need of repair do this as soon as possible after getting it home to avoid worsening.
We always repair pre 1950s items by hand and even many later items are repaired by hand. If in doubt seek the advice of a seamstress or experienced tailor/ repair service - be very careful to ensure anyone you hand your vintage garments to for repair has experience of such pieces, word of mouth reccomendations are by far the best and your vintage seller should be able to recommend someone in your area and in fact many, like us offer a repair service by experienced seamstresses.
Always try to steam or iron garments rather than cleaning or washing frequently, try not to wash any more often than is necessary.
One of the big questions with vintage garments is to wash or to dry clean!
We prefer hand washing for almost all pre 1950s items. In reality this is probably the method used at the time!
Having said that embroidered and embellished silks and satins, rayons and fine silks (can shred & split in water) should not be washed, they will always require specialist dry cleaning.
Dry Cleaning
If you are taking vintage pieces to be dry cleaned it is very important to use a specialist cleaner who understands the processes required.
Embellishments will very often have to be removed and replaced and the non synthetic fabrics of the past require much gentler chemicals.
As with repairers personal recommendations of specialists are the best, talk to your vintage seller and find out who they use. Always aim to use someone with whom you have or can build a personal relationship. You need to have confidence in your chosen specialist and ensure that time, care and attention are given to your vintage garments.
Hand Washing
You have purchased a special piece which needs a little more care and attention than your usual disposable pieces of today. The method of hand washing we advise is a little more time consuming than usual but so worthwhile! It is a slightly less complicated method than that used by professional restorers of vintage clothing.
Always wash one item at a time, preferably in your bathtub.
We use soapflakes which are gentle and as close to products used in the past as possible, you could use any gentle handwashing agent however we have found the best results in terms of brightness, colour, and preserving texture is with soapflakes.You need to agitate the soapflakes before immersing the garment to nesure they are dissolved.
Once your garment is immersed never agitate - pat gently in the suds and leave to soak for 15-30 minutes (cottons/linens)
Do not oversoak woolens.
Rinse in fresh cold water 5/6 times to remove all suds.
Wrap in a bath towel to remove excess water and then hang on a strong padded hanger to dry.
NEVER hang knitted items, again remove excess water using a towel and then lay flat between towels to dry.
Stains
Baking Soda is very effective in removing many stains.
Use a small amount of baking powder mixed with water and rub into the stain before soaking in a mixture of 1tsp of soda and 1L of warm water.
Follow with the handwashing process above.
(Perspiration stains amy need more than one application of baking soda mix and will be almost impossible to remove from silk and linen fabrics).
Odours
If odour is a problem on purchase then white wine vinegar is very effective in removing this.
If you have a steamer use a 20% vinegar, 80% water mix to steam your item and this should remove most odours.
If you do not have a steamer, fill your bathtub halfway with hot water and add 1 cup of white vinegar, hang your item as close above the water as you can (without allowing it to touch the water) leave overnight and again you should find most odours removed.
Another easier but less effective method is to rub the garment with a febreze dryer sheet!
Always store your vintage pieces in a cool dry dust free place away from direct sunlight which could fade your fabrics.
The fabrics of the past are much more pure than those of today and they do need to breathe therefore do not store in plastic covers, muslin/fabric covers are much more appropriate.
Do not hang on metal/ plastic hangers, always use wooden or covered hangers which are much gentler on your garments.
Older pieces which are very fragile and vintage knitwear should not be hung but stored folded and covered in acid free tissue paper in boxes, again in a cool dry place.
If you do have any questions about caring for yoru vintage treasures please do ask carole@gentlywornvintage.co.uk and we will do our very best to find the answers for you.