Washing/cleaning silk

J

jollygoodvintage

Registered Guest
Hi,
I am not an expert in this field by any means...please could anyone advise me on the best way to clean this dress for my daughter's wedding?
I believe it to be 1920s silk. I was advised by the lady we bought it from to wash it very gently, however I seem to be getting conflicting advice. I have been advised not to wash, but to dry clean...likewise I've been advised not to dry clean because of the damage done by chemicals!
The dress is in good condition and the fabric seems to be strong. I was considering washing it in lukewarm water with soap flakes then rolling it in towels.
Any help would be greatly appreciated as my daughter's wedding is in May and I am really scared of ruining it! HELP!
 

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I think that's more 30s that 20s, and I believe it's a nightdress, not a wedding or evening dress.

I've heard people say they usually wash vintage nightdresses and lingerie, because the nature of the garment means it must have been intended for regular washing, and so should be able to take it. However, if it's rayon rather than silk, it may be more vulnerable to getting wet. Have you ever tried burn-testing, to establish what fabric it is?

If it were mine I would risk washing it, gently as you say with gentle soap and then rolling in towels.

I had a 30s silk or rayon night dress, with a little lace like yours, that I bought to wear as a night dress. Because I never get around to hand washing my own clothes, eventually I put it in the machine on a gentle cycle, with gentle soap, figuring I'd rather try that than have it live permanantly in the washing basket. It was fine, so I machine washed it regularly and it survived quite a long time, a few years. It didn't last as long as it would have, had I gently handwashed every time, but this meant I got to wear it, which was the point. Obviously I'm not saying you should put this in the machine! :) Just that a similar garment proved quite robust.

However, please wait for other advice before you take the plunge.

ETA: I may even be wrong about it being a night-dress. Does it button at the back of the neck? I can't quite tell...
 
Leonardo da Vintage said:
I think that's more 30s that 20s, and I believe it's a nightdress, not a wedding or evening dress.

I've heard people say they usually wash vintage nightdresses and lingerie, because the nature of the garment means it must have been intended for regular washing, and so should be able to take it. However, if it's rayon rather than silk, it may be more vulnerable to getting wet. Have you ever tried burn-testing, to establish what fabric it is?

If it were mine I would risk washing it, gently as you say with gentle soap and then rolling in towels.

I had a 30s silk or rayon night dress, with a little lace like yours, that I bought to wear as a night dress. Because I never get around to hand washing my own clothes, eventually I put it in the machine on a gentle cycle, with gentle soap, figuring I'd rather try that than have it live permanantly in the washing basket. It was fine, so I machine washed it regularly and it survived quite a long time, a few years. It didn't last as long as it would have, had I gently handwashed every time, but this meant I got to wear it, which was the point. Obviously I'm not saying you should put this in the machine! :) Just that a similar garment proved quite robust.

However, please wait for other advice before you take the plunge.
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Hi Leonardo,
Thanks for your advice. You are quite right about it being a nightdress - the lady we bought it from knew the provenance of the garment - it originally belonged to a Parisian lady in the late 20s and was part of her wedding night trousseau! It is going to make a beautiful wedding gown for my daughter, she looks fabulous in it- provided I don't ruin it in the cleaning process! My gut feel is that it will wash ok, but it's scary taking the plunge! We are having some embellishment added on the front lace panel and the back, so I need it clean before this is done.
 
Right. I agree it'll make a beautiful wedding gown. Actual wedding dresses from this period tend to be very demure and covered up, which isn't what today's brides tend to want.

I'd wait and see what others say (when the other side of the pond wakes up, I expect you'll get a few more responses), but night dresses were made to be washed, so you'll probably be okay. Some people recommend washing first in plain water, before using soap, as that may be enough.

Does it have any stains, or do you just want to freshen it up?
 
Leonardo da Vintage said:
Right. I agree it'll make a beautiful wedding gown. Actual wedding dresses from this period tend to be very demure and covered up, which isn't what today's brides tend to want.

I'd wait and see what others say (when the other side of the pond wakes up, I expect you'll get a few more responses), but night dresses were made to be washed, so you'll probably be okay. Some people recommend washing first in plain water, before using soap, as that may be enough.

Does it have any stains, or do you just want to freshen it up?
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It has some very light staining around the hemline and a few tiny age spots but nothing major. a good freshen up really. I've read a few posts that recommend a drop of white vinegar in the rinse water, followed by a rinse with a drop of hair conditioner?
 
This will make a gorgeous wedding gown! I use a very mild, unscented shampoo to wash my 30s, 40s silks followed by a touch of hair conditioner in the rinse water. And as you said rolled in white towels to remove excess water, laid flat to dry. I'm not familiar with the touch of white vinegar though. Maybe it's to remove residue from the shampoo?
 
EndlessAlley said:
This will make a gorgeous wedding gown! I use a very mild, unscented shampoo to wash my 30s, 40s silks followed by a touch of hair conditioner in the rinse water. And as you said rolled in white towels to remove excess water, laid flat to dry. I'm not familiar with the touch of white vinegar though. Maybe it's to remove residue from the shampoo?
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Now I'm totally confused! - I've just been advised that it's probably silk crepe de chine and that it will never look the same again if I wash it!
I really am at a loss as the best thing to do!!!:puzzled:
 
I've just been googling and although there is mixed opinions, a number of sources say you can wash silk crepe de chine. It would be at your own risk though, of course.

This page has good advice. Of course this is referring to modern fabrics, but still seems like good advice: http://www.jbsilks.com/cleaning-silk.html

apparently the vinegar is help retain true colour.

I do think you might want to check whether it really is silk, and not rayon.
 
Thanks for all your help peeps - is there a way to tell whether it's silk or rayon? It was sold to me as silk by an established vintage seller on Etsy.
 
Burn testing is the best way to be sure. If you can snip a small piece from the inside, and hold a flame to it, the way it burns, and especially the smell it produces will tell you which it is. Silk vs rayon is one of the easier ones to establish. Silk smells like burning hair, rayon smells like burning paper.

Here's one instruction: http://www.fabricmartfabrics.com/Burn-Test-Chart.html

Silk also feels cooler to the touch than rayon. If I have it in my hand I can usually tell silk by feel, but sometimes rayon is very convincing.
 
Leonardo da Vintage said:
Burn testing is the best way to be sure. If you can snip a small piece from the inside, and hold a flame to it, the way it burns, and especially the smell it produces will tell you which it is. Silk vs rayon is one of the easier ones to establish. Silk smells like burning hair, rayon smells like burning paper.

Here's one instruction: http://www.fabricmartfabrics.com/Burn-Test-Chart.html

Silk also feels cooler to the touch than rayon. If I have it in my hand I can usually tell silk by feel, but sometimes rayon is very convincing.
Click to expand...

Thank you, these links are great, really helpful! I'll try and have a go of the burn test and I'll let you know! :)
 
Just to add that if it were silk crepe de chine I have a 1940s dress of my grandmothers that was identified as such and I am 100% sure she never had access to dry cleaners in Romania so it would have been hand washed or washed in the twin tub washing machine that was still in use some 50 years later!
 
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