How To Care For Vintage Linens. Ive never ruined any vintage linens that Ive washed before so go ahead and give it a try. For severely discolored fabrics you may need to soak for days to remove decades of dirt.
Wearing rubber gloves slosh the linens around gently. I love ALL old linensquilts pillow cases hankies dish towels tableclothesall of them but I am especially fond of. If the linens are yellowing or have age-related lines pre-treat with a spot cleaner and soak in hot water with equal parts of Tide with color safe bleach Oxy-clean and believe it or not Cascade Automatic Dish Washing soap in powder form.
The first time I saw how well the solution worked I was so excited that I started pulling vintage linens and tablecloths out of drawers to get them looking like-new.
I soaked mine in warm water with 3 scoops of the linen wash for 15 minutes. For fine linen or pieces with handmade lace fringe or crocheted edging presoak about 15 minutes in clear water to loosen dirt. It really doesnt matter which detergent you use. Then place it in a large sink or container full of hot water and a gentle detergent.