I found the following article in a 1911 newspaper, interesting, though I don't think I would use the skim milk ;-)) Esther Perry.
HOW TO WASH REAL LACE
To wash real lace the best plan is to baste it to a stripe of clean while muslin, catching each point carefully to the foundation. After soaking in a suds made from white soap and warm water, it should be thoroughly rinsed in clear warm and then cold water. Blueing should not be used for laces, not even the imitation. In order to restore the oil to the thread, and also to soften the color, the lace should be finally rinsed in skimmed milk.
To iron, lay a clean rag over the strip of basted lace and press with a moderately warm iron. Remove the cloth, snip each basting thread with the scissors and the lace will look like new. Women often wonder why lace curtains or those of net in an open pattern give better service than such materials as cotton voile or dotted muslin, and the reason is that close woven fabrics being opaque, catch the sun's rays directly and in full force. The heat in time weakens or burns the threads, while the open weaves, allowing as they do, the entrance of the sun's rays filtering through, escape much of the scortching(sic) as they do not receive the full force of the heat.
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