Can I hand wash these items?

little edie

little edie

Registered Guest
hello,
I have these two vintage bathrobes both quilted and I was wondering if I could hand wash them then line dry.
Thank you
 

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Do you know what they are made of? If not, I'd recommend you find out first, as some materials dissolve in water! You can do a burn test on a few threads if you cannot find out any other way.
 
If they are rayon, getting wet can be a problem with older rayons. If they are nylon, or cotton or a synthetic/cotton blend, probably fine. Silk, hmm, it depends somewhat, some silks handwash beautifully, others need to be dry cleaned.

That said, I have a 1960s satin quilted robe, made of nylon I think, looks similar to your right-hand one, that I've been putting through the machine now and then, on a delicate wash with gentle soap, and it's been fine.

If you want to take the risk, try a short cold hand wash with a gentle detergent. Rinse and gently squeeze out the water. Have some large dry towels to hand, lay the robes on them, and roll up the towel and squeeze to remove more excess water (the weight of the water can pull things out of shape if you drip-dry from very wet).

If they were mine, I would probably risk hand washing them, unless I thought they were rayon.
 
I work on the theory that all lingerie items are washable because I really can't see our grandmothers dry cleaning them - so I would hand wash both gently in mild detergent and lukewarm water, gently squeeze out the water and dry flat on a towel in the shade.

Haven't had a problem yet.

Yours look like they're both rayon. Ruth's right that some early rayons (especially crepes) can be problematic but yours should be fine.
 
Quilted items tend to have the padding bunch and mat when washed, so beware that you might lose the soft bouncy padding and end up with matted lumps.
 
Jonathan, that problem is solved by tumble drying, provided you can tumble dry it of course. It helps to take it out mid cycle and give it a good shake too. This is how I have dried my quilted coat and polyester pillows.
 
Jonathan is right: the wadding can move and become uneven but as long as you follow my instructions above you should be fine. You will have problems if you wash in a machine though, or tumble dry.

I had no problems with this '40s rayon dressing gown.

 
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