>My mother has had to go into a nursing home and I'm clearing her house. I've >found numerous tablecloths and napkins, some quite old and interesting, a lot of >which have food stains on. I've washed them with Vanish (if you don't have that in >the US, it's a new oxygen-based stain remover) but it doesn't get everything out. I >don't want to bleach antique or coloured items. Suggestions, anyone?
Kate I collect, some whom I live with, would say "amass" vintage linens, quilts & unmentionables. Mostly I use baby soap, or whatever you wash your favorite sweaters in. If really done in, a gentle bleaching detergent. Air dry. Repeat until happy. When you finally get it clean enough, hot press those beautiful crisp folds & store them away. I would start with the gentlest treatment first on the most "replaceable" or hopeless item. See what happens. Work your way up to gentle, warm water & the oxy cleaner. You will probably never get the "foxing" out (those rust colored stains). Foxing can be caused by contact with acidic stuff (like wood, common paper and food debris) among other things. No sure how old "quite old" is but if really, really old, then you might want to stop at the cold, clear water rinse or cold water gentlest soap so that colors dont run. Truly magnificent items should be taken to a professional. My spare mom gave me two heavily embroidered unused gigantic table cloths, buffet cloth & each with 12 napkins each all with the original gift card as given to her mother. She said, "My mother stored this for 40 years. I have stored it for 40 years. Now it's your turn." I havent dared use it, but if I do, it's to serve white wine, dry foods with brush-away crumbs, no grease and it goes to the pros afterwards. <grin> To prevent or postpone future foxing, line your linen storage in buffered papers. I just use an old cotton sheet as the bottom layer in my cedar closet. Some items are truly hopelessly stained, moth eaten or torn and I'm not above recycling them into something else like a supportasse collar or petticoat. I have one of each made from a previous pillow case & table linen respectively. --cin Cynthia Barnes [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
