Oscar De La Renta Silk Dress - Staining Issues

Okay last post and then will leave you all alone for while :)

This little ODLR is NWT. If you can believe it, it was hanging in a barn! It was $345.00 back in its day so imagine my surprise. I am so sad it is missing its belt but was still lucky to find. It has all its rhinestones and beads. The issue is the spots - I believe rust stains? I know I have seen other threads on this topic but was hoping to get some advice for this particular dress. The tags indicate it is 100% silk. From previous experience, I am pretty sure dry cleaner won't be able to help stains too much and I am petrified to do anything by hand for fear of water stains and shrinking the lining, etc.

So question - is it worth attempting to sell "as is" in hopes that someone more experienced may be interested or should I take the plunge and try something?

I would appreciate any thoughts on this topic. Thank you all.


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well, if it were mine, i'd attempt spot cleaning. as you said, dry cleaning won't do anything except probably set the stains.

hanging in a barn?! really? don't you wonder how it got there, and how it survived this long without more damage? who would buy a $345.00 back in the day, not wear it and somehow let it go sit out in a barn? mysteries.

i wouldn't want to sell it as-is, because i'd rather not sell things with stains, especially knowing customers would have no idea if they could remove the stains either.

looks more like foxing than anything else, which is a form of rust, or partly rust.

what i'd do is first shake it out to remove any surface dust particles, which are usually the case of water spotting, careful with the rhinestone trim on the cuffs (maybe bag them up a bit). if you've a vacuum with a low setting for delicate things such as lamp shades, you could use that.

then i'd find a spot that won't show. like one of the chiffon underlayers of the skirt, and test to make sure the dye is colorfast (the second cause of water staining).

then i'd get out my trusty bottle of folex (it's a carpet and upholstery cleaner, quite gentle), spray it onto a clean cloth and then take one stain spot and try to remove it. have a clean dry cloth nearby to gently go over it to dry the area a bit afterwards.

i have had pretty good luck with this process. if the dye isn't colorfast, then all bets are off, but it looks like this probably is.

it's a gorgeous dress. i hope you can save it!
 
So the Folex itself wont leave a mark on the silk? That seems to be issue I have everytime i try to clean silk - no matter what I do I can always see the area where the cleaner (or liquid) touched the fabric.

I haven't heard of Folex - going to track it down here. Thanks for new idea! :)
 
no. it's quite gentle, and very watery.

although, come to think of it, you might try testing on one stain (after doing all of the above) with water first, in case it's a sugary stain.

after water, folex is the next thing i try, going up the scale from most gentle. but i was going on the basis that these stains are foxing, and they might not be.

i love folex! it's available here in grocery stores. large white spray bottle.

best of luck!
 
It's available here at the hardware store. It used to be sold at carpet stores and wholesale carpet stores. I'm sure you'll be able to find it, Maureen. It's a very good product.
 
Wow..that is a wonderful tip. I have to get me some of that. You all are amazing. :)
 
I have a garment of unknown fabric with a similar stain. I think it might be silk; slightly sheer and has a sheen to it. I was going to try Stain Devils rust spot remover for fabrics. Would this work similar to Folex?

If using Folex, do you apply it to the stain and rinse off, or just blot dry?
 
I found that Home Depot carries Folex so just have to get out to get.

I tried using distilled water on one layer of underskirt. I blotted very carefully, then dried with a towel, then even dried with a hair dryer on cool setting. I still was left with a water stain. It didn't take out color but you can def. see a mark where water was.

I am feeling defeated with this one...worried everything else will leave mark if the water did. :help:
 
blacksheep, can you snip a small piece from an inconspicuous place and do a burn test so you know what fiber you're dealing with?

i do not like the stain devils. years ago i bought all of them and only found one to ever work, and even so not very well. plus with most of them you have to wash the garment afterwards, often enough in hot water.

that's why folex is so invaluable to me. you don't have to rinse it out, it's gentle, and you can use it on wools and silks. i've got things i can use on other fabrics, but wools and silks had always been a problem.

msgrossmyer, did you shake it out and vacuum on gentle setting? i figure since it was hanging in a barn for who knows how long, the chances are it has lots of dust particles in it. since you don't see color in the water stain, and also used distilled water, my guess is that's what the stain is from.
 
I didn't know about the burn test, thank you! The test showed that the fabric is synthetic. I couldn't narrow it down more than that. Tried some Folex on the stain, but it woudn't budge; and it left a water stain.

However, it did lighten an old stain on a silk sweater I had just about given up on. :excited:

Originally posted by Catbooks1940s
blacksheep, can you snip a small piece from an inconspicuous place and do a burn test so you know what fiber you're dealing with?

i do not like the stain devils. years ago i bought all of them and only found one to ever work, and even so not very well. plus with most of them you have to wash the garment afterwards, often enough in hot water.

that's why folex is so invaluable to me. you don't have to rinse it out, it's gentle, and you can use it on wools and silks. i've got things i can use on other fabrics, but wools and silks had always been a problem.
 
Hi Joan,

I did everything you suggested - and actually vacuumed again after your last post. I have now tried everything including Folex, M30, Awesome, and a host of home remedies with no success. I have mostly figured out how to prevent or seriously limit the resulting water stain but can't get the rust stains themselves to budge.

So my next question is this - given that this is close to being a loss - do I attempt taking to specialty dry cleaner? She is quite expensive but she spends time with your garment - she doesnt just toss into the ol dry cleaning machine and cross her fingers. My other option that could have disastrous results is soaking the entire dress. I know this a HUGE risk but if I am going to have write off the dress, I guess I am willing to to try just about anything.

I greatly appreciate all of the input and thoughts on this dress. I am so sad that I am having no luck. I just love it!
 
I am not a member here so I don't know if I can respond on others threads but I use an old-school mixture of white vinegar and baking soda and dab it on lightly with a silk hanky and it has gotten some crazy stains out for me in the past. That said I don't recall doing it on a silk garment and once it disintegrated a synthetic...so I would use it as a last resort on a garment that has no other hope!
 
Oooops sorry I think I bumped this by accident, I found it while trying to readup on foxing and forgot it was from months ago when I added my two cents. Sorry again!
 
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