Dear Lace Launderers, I write on Arachne for the person washing lace at home. Museum conservators have much more training in the use of chemicals and advanced techniques. You often are not equipped at home to do what they might tackle. It is almost more than many can attempt when I specify Orvus and distilled or de-ionized water. (Alkaline-based Orvus neutralizes the damaging effects of acids residing in cotton or linen fibers.) 1. Has anyone used the "pureWash" product Susan informs us is available? For lace? I looked it up on Google, and it is an appliance for attachment to a washing machine, which Amazon listed for $450!. It introduces Photo Catalytic Oxidizers to the wash water. You will all remember that I have written extensively about avoiding chemicals (added to public water) and minerals (natural, and in both public and well water) by using *distilled or de-ionized water*, which is not available - that I know of - when you turn on water for a washing machine. Nowhere did I see how this appliance could be used for hand-washing lace in appropriate water. 2. I will wait to read a museum-conservator's comments on this new product, though I think it not appropriate for hand-washing lace or other items in museum collections. I used to work on Madison Avenue in the 1960's, and know that ad agencies are hired to write promotional material in the format of newspaper articles. These are sent to newspapers to be published under a reporter's by-line - with no questions asked. A one-month test by a columnist would not pass my standards. Do you suppose she washed a old piece of silk Maltese lace in a washing machine? When I write to you, it is always with the old laces in mind, because I do not know if you will be washing a fragile piece of old Mechlin or a sturdy new crochet. Caution is necessary. 3. To answer the original question from Vicky in Maryland about Orvus as "not suitable for silk": I wash my white/cream silk laces in Orvus, and rinse in distilled water until I feel I can drink the rinse water. The warning in the article you read is probably to avoid a law suit. I must warn against putting black silk laces in water. They are often weakened from dyes, and since I never know if you will be washing brand new threads or old threads (my advice is saved for later reference), I am very careful what I say to you. Black laces should be taken to a conservation professional for cleaning. 4. In the 1960's and 1970's I made silk shantung Summer dresses for work. These fabrics came from Italy, and I pre-washed them and the lining fabrics, with no loss of color. This was so the dresses could be washed in the future, and would not need dry cleaning. Water is used in the processing of silk. It is other steps in silk processing that leads manufacturers to recommend dry cleaning. Recently, I purchased some silk shantung from India, and pre-washed. After numerous rinses, it was still releasing a lot of dye. Yes, there are things you can do to stop dye from running, but since it was for something that would be used long after my death, it was returned to the vendor. 5. Many of you are enchanted with all the new threads in many colors, sometimes with mixtures of different fibers from various sources. These will challenge the lace conservators of the 21st century. I have told you that synthetics break down and try to revert to their original form. The report I gave you of the 20th C. costumes lecture at the Costume Society of America's annual meeting in 2011 made that very apparent. "Modern" items of attire or embellishment actually dissolve, change color, completely lose elasticity, become sticky, become brittle, etc. Conservators of the future will have many more challenges than we can imagine. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center --------------------------------------------------------- In a message dated 9/12/2012 10:22:54 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes:
Laundry is one of my least favorite subjects--but there was an interesting article in the Erie Times-News last week about a product called "pureWash". One of the columnists tested it for a month & gave it high marks. According to the article, this is an "electronic gizmo that uses ozone or O3" to clean garments using only cold water & little or no detergent in your regular washing machine. After checking other online sources, it sounds like an interesting product & apparently the process itself has been used commercially for some time because it effectively kills bacteria. There was no mention of the process itself harming fibers so I will wait to hear from Jeri on that side of the question! Sincerely, Susan Hottle, Erie, PA USA - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003/albums/most-recent
