Care and keeping of vintage linens

[snowangel]

As my grandmother's and great aunts moved to nursing homes, I inherited the linens. I feel strongly that they should be used, except those that were fragile enough that I cut out the beautiful needlwork parts and framed them.

I have many sets of card table tableclothes with the four matching napkins. Some are linen, I'm sure, and some are cotton.

I used some of them this last Sunday and wonder the best way to take care of them.

I did, when I got them, unfolded them and rolled them around gift wrap and paper towel cardboard center rolls.

But, the laundering? I doubt seriously that in the mid 1930's that these things were drycleaned. I could better imagine the wringer washer, iron with starch.

And, a few of them were folded so long the have yellowing along the lines where they were folded. Remove? Method?

I'm sure these things, in their pristine condition are worth a lot of money. But, I think the intention all along was to use them, so use them I will.

So, suggestions for the care and keeping and laundering?

[maggiethecat]

My great-aunt Chi gave me a dozen enormous double-damask napkins she'd received on her wedding day in 1917. I pull them out for the Big Ones, Thansgiving and Christmas and so on. I try not to worry about wine, gravy and lipstick, but stains happen. After a multicourse dinner for twelve and the dishes thereafter I'm not in the mood for all the otherwise excellent Martha Stewart advice about salt, embroidery hoops and pouring boiling water from a height.

I do as my mother does-- and she is a serious collector of vintage linen. Take it to the cleaners the next day, explain how much you care about it and have it laundered and pressed, not dry cleaned. We've both discovered that a decent professional cleaner often has staff who adore beautiful old linens as much as we do and take special care at no additionalched cost.

Edited to add: Storage. The laundry will send tablecloths and runners, starched if desired, draped over coathangers, encased in the usual plastic dry cleaner bag. Hang 'em up in the coat closet. I tlore smaller pieces, including the napkins, in an old pillowcase in the linen closet.

[KatieLoeb]

I've had good luck with the OxyClean and similar type powders for older linen fabric and curtains. A good soak in some of that and then a gentle laundering seems to work well, especially on yellow-ness. Or make a paste with that stuff and use a very soft very old toothbrush gently on the spots and yellow lines.

[Jaymes]

Yes, and if you simply cannot get a stain out of a beautiful tablecloth, just set a serving dish on it.

And lower the lights and light the candles and serve plenty of wine.

Nobody'll notice that stain when they start passing the food.

I swear.

[maggiethecat]

Yes, and if you simply cannot get a stain out of a beautiful tablecloth, just set a serving dish on it.

is

And lower the lights and light the candles and serve plenty of wine.

Nobody'll notice that stain when they start passing the food.

I swear.

←

I do this all the time! Low lights, a couple of trivets and Bob's your uncle.

[snowangel]

So, I resorted to a recipe card in my great-great-grandmother's recipe file, as well as the "Woman's Favorite Cookbook." The latter comes complete with instructions on how to escape from a burning house. The recipes are all in prose, and all very inexact, and assume that you know how to can, butcher, and put stuff up.

So, I laundered the linens in my front loader washer (much gentler than the center agitator type) with a tidge of laundry detergent and some 20 Team Mule borax. I had forgotten about that wonder in between cloth diapers and now.

Bingo!

I laid them out until damp, and since I couldn't iron them when the time was right, did what my grandmother always did. Put them in plastic and stuck them in the freezer.

They are now ironed, and my great grandmother, who embroidered them, would be proud. They look almost starched, but feel better than if they'd been startched. They are clean, ironed, squared. I did break with tradition and didn't fold, but rolled them around empty gift wrap paper tubes. My friend's call me prairie stock. I'll be making sausages in the next couple of days.

[Mottmott]

So, I resorted to a recipe card in my great-great-grandmother's recipe file, as well as the "Woman's Favorite Cookbook."  The latter comes complete with instructions on how to escape from a burning house.  The recipes are all in prose, and all very inexact, and assume that you know how to can, butcher, and put stuff up.

So, I laundered the linens in my front loader washer (much gentler than the center agitator type) with a tidge of laundry detergent and some 20 Team Mule borax.  I had forgotten about that wonder in between cloth diapers and now.

Bingo!

I laid them out until damp, and since I couldn't iron them when the time was right, did what my grandmother always did.  Put them in plastic and stuck them in the freezer.

They are now ironed, and my great grandmother, who embroidered them, would be proud.  They look almost starched, but feel better than if they'd been startched.  They are clean, ironed, squared.  I did break with tradition and didn't fold, but rolled them around empty gift wrap paper tubes.  My friend's call me prairie stock.  I'll be making sausages in the next couple of days.

←

Keep in mind that paper (and wood) products, unless specifically archival will damage the cloth.

[bavila]

My mom stores her quilts in cotton or muslin bags. Pillow cases work nicely. Also lots of lavendar, and no icky mothballs.

[melonpan]

I've had good luck with the OxyClean and similar type powders for older linen fabric and curtains.  A good soak in some of that and then a gentle laundering seems to work well, especially on yellow-ness.

i can vouch for the oxyclean.

bought a slew of cheap irish linen on ebay. some were yellowed.

oxyclean soak half a day.

wash.

white.

use them!!! i use mine. you only live once...