Vintage Clothing Care
From Ieishah Clelland, former About.com Guide
With the right care and storage, vintage clothing can easily be an everyday part of anyone’s wardrobe.
Cleaning Vintage Clothing
Cleaning vintage clothing can be a tricky undertaking considering the age, fabric, construction, and condition of each garment. You definitely want to reconsider laundering vintage clothing the same way you would with contemporary clothing.
Vintage clothing often has different types of dyes, delicate hand work, and lack the protective finishes of modern clothing. Tossing vintage into a powerful electric washing machine with strong detergents is not usually in their best interest. In some cases, dry cleaning may be the best option; but in general, gentle hand washing is the best way to clean your vintage.
Removing Stains and Odors From Vintage
Part of caring for vintage will probably entail some stain and/ or odor removal at some point. The stain or scent may be of your own hand or a left over memory from its past life and past owner(s). In either case, great care should be taken in removing stains. There are many gentle, DIY methods of removing stains that will not inflict the same amount of damage as a modern chemical based stain remover might. Not only are at home stain removal methods friendly to your vintage and the environment, they are friendly to your wallet too!