How to Clean Vintage Clothing

Finding treasures at thrift stores is great, but how to clean vintage clothing is a different story. Cleaning these retro creations can be a challenge.  Learn how to clean vintage clothing by following some simple, slightly labor intensive, guidelines.

1. Vintage clothing requires special care. After all, these senior citizens in the style world have been through a lot. Check first to see if a care tag survived the years. If so, then follow the instructions to the letter of the law. Most likely, the garment does not have a legible care tag, or if it was hand constructed, never came with one.
2. Determine what fabric the garment is made from. If in doubt consult someone more knowledgeable, or take it up to the local dry cleaners.
   
3. Hand washing is, in general, the safest option. Fill a clean sink or plastic tub with cold water for natural products like cotton, use warm water for synthetics like polyester.
   
4. Add gentle detergent. Brands to try include Ivory Snow, or Woolite. Use ¼ cup of powder, or one capful of liquid detergent for every gallon. . 
   
5. Gently scrub stains with an old toothbrush. If there are stubborn stains, OxiClean seems to work well when cleaning vintage clothing. Create a paste to treat collars or underarm stains. Rub on and then cover with plastic wrap to hold the moisture in place for several days.
6. Rinse all the soap out of the garment. Drain the sink, or empty the plastic bin, refill with clean water and swish the item around. Then gently rinse until no soap remains. 
7. Dry your vintage clothing on racks rather than the dryer. If you do not have drying racks, lay out on clean white towels. Use another towel to blot up some of the moisture.
8. Machine washing is a possibility with certain vintage items. Heavier retro garments, cottons, denim and thick polyester can be put in the washer. If you decide to attempt this, be sure to turn the item inside out first and use cool water. Vintage denim should always be washed in cold water.
   
9. When in doubt, dry clean. Vintage clothing made from suede, wool, velvet or an item with lots of decorative embellishments should be sent to a dry cleaner.