I found a box of very old baby clothes, shoes, boots, rubber pants, etc.. . . and christening, party dresses. There are ceilings in original packaging, now its pre? Opened. I’m not going to unpack them. I m RIGHTS? The rest freshened up, but I wei? not the right way to do it without M? do it legally possible ruin. Someone please help me. Some things are in one of the years hot? S avail attic? Rbt.

5 Responses to “How do I clean vintage clothing found in the attic ?”

1. Grandmabird says:

   July 30, 2011 at 4:06 pm

   Are you planning on using these items? If for dolls or just to keep and possibly display I would put them in the dryer on air no heat with a dryer sheet for 10 minutes of so/ Or sprinkle them with baby powder and then toss i the dryer again no heat.
   If you are going to use them on a human baby I would wash like regular baby clothes and dry. If they fall apart, oh well.

   Reply
2. Heather says:

   July 30, 2011 at 4:06 pm

   I’d either hand wash and hang to dry, or wash on the delicates cycle with warm water.

   Reply
3. tstandjam says:

   July 30, 2011 at 4:46 pm

   Hands wash, See link:
   http://www.fashion-era.com/Vintage_fashion/a13_cleaning_vintage_tips.htm

   Reply
4. Karen L says:

   July 30, 2011 at 5:29 pm

   Wash cotton or wool items by hand with a very small amount of ammonia in cool but not cold water. Use that because it won’t leave suds that have to be rinsed out a lot, or get one of those special lingerie wash detergents. The baby clothes are probably cotton or maybe wool. White cotton can be gently bleached, but rinse well and of course don’t use ammonia and bleach together. If you aren’t sure what fabric the dresses are, maybe better go to the best drycleaner in town and ask advice. Depending how old these things are, there might be silk which can be tricky to wash if washing can be done at all, and some synthetics don’t wash well either. They didn’t use to be as bulletproof as they are now, and much older stuff had no care tags. Hanging outdoors in not too much sunlight could help, for things you washed as well as things you didn’t, but don’t hang any knitted items. Lay those flat to dry on a towel. Be careful using a dryer, go easy on the heat which can shrink cotton or wool, and can set stains.

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5. Texas Gal says:

   July 30, 2011 at 5:33 pm

   I tried the washing machine and dryer once on old quilts and they simply fell apart.

   If they won’t be used, but simply displayed, I would not put them through the stress of cleaning. Lay them in the sun for a few hours. Then put them into a plastic bag with a dryer sheet and let them sit for a day or so.

   If you just really want to wash them, you MUST hand wash them very gently with very mild soap and then lay them out to dry.

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