Thoughts re: cleaning 1920s devore velvet chiffon? :(

KM75007

KM75007

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Hello, all!

Apologies in advance as the nature of this question is gross, but last week I/my cat did something stupid and she got stuck in my closet for the better part of a day. In her haste/panic, she pulled a dress down from my shelving (a recent acquisition that I had been meaning to wrap properly and put away) and urinated on part of it. Of course it was a fragile devore velvet dress from the 1920s, and I'm devastated. I shouldn't have, but I panicked and immediately ran it under water and let it dry. It survived the initial bathing, but I would also like to clean it if I can. The devore velvet parts of the dress seem sturdy but the chiffon sleeves / underdress are fragile.

Is it worth attempting to soak, and would you recommend Orvus paste? I did go over the cleaning FAQ thread but since this is so specific I thought I'd ask here. When I ran water through it, the dye ran, but it seems to have dried normally (the dress is brown, so it's hard to tell, but I think it was dye rather than dirt that came out).

Any guidance at all would be appreciated, and thank you in advance!
 

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At this point Orvus paste is a bit like putting a doily on a burning chair... it's not going to help. Cat urine comes back so I would go to the pet store and get whatever product they recommend to remove pet urine smell. Once that is done you can wash it in something less harsh to help remove any residual chemicals from the urine remover. Velvet does not like to be washed, so you probably already have permanent wrinkles in the nap, but if you hang it to dry and use a hair dryer from the back, while brushing the nap on the front, you will lessen the wrinkles.
 
Thank you, Jonathan (and I'm definitely borrowing that analogy for future use)! I'll see what the pet store near me advises.
 
Thank you, Nicole! I hope so, too. I was sick when I realized what had happened (that closet is never open, and there are many other things in there that I would have sacrificed (e.g., Old Navy pants)...it just had to be the 90 year old textile).
 
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