Washing a vintage wedding dress?

D

Den

Registered Guest
I found this gorgeous vintage wedding dress. The box was dated 1964. The dress looked as if princess would have worn it, but the back interior had hidden yellowing that continued up the back of the dress.

I found this site with information on wedding preservation. It explained how items where washed in a sheet covered bath tub etc. ect.

I bought the dress and tried it. To my amazement, it did not completely reduce the yellow, but it made a noticeable and lovely difference. I am not a seamstress but wish I were. I would have done some adjustments prior to taking it to the cleaners. I was so so happy at this point, I felt that I had renewed a dress from the past!!!

I decided to check with my local cleaners. They felt they were up for the challenge. But...

To make a long story short, the lovely outer fabric just came apart and the dress literally seperated by the seams. I am salvaging lace, and am determined that a design is in my head and will bring that dress back to life. So, I will renew this dress and share it at some point. I don't have the before pictures because I was in tears but stay continued. I have questions...

Does anyone have an idea on how to reduce yellowing on vintage wedding dresses, and is there a safe way to take out stains on lace? I see several lovely vintage dresses, but several have the past remains of a dinner reception on the sleeves. :drinkingtoast:

I tend to clean the majority of the things that I get, but I do not get a bulk rate on my vintage items. So, I buy the occassional piece to try the techniques I read about and then of course I cry when things go wrong.

D at Favorite Forgotten Jeans
Our motto is renewing one vintage item at a time, and that is my continued hope!!! Thanks
 
Depending of fabric, I absolutely wash them!

For silks, rayon crepes and wools, I send them to the drycleaner (after removing buttons and doing all mending, making sure that everything is secure and robust). If it looks fragile, I won't do this of course.

All other fabrics I handwash, usually soaking in an oxygen product (Napisan Oxywash in Australia) for a monitored hour. If it doesn't have any stains, or doesn't look like it's coping, I pull it out at that stage. Otherwise, if all is well, I'll let it soak a bit longer. If it has stains, I might repeat the soakings to get out the marks. I find the Napisan Oxywash can even get out old "rust" marks. I remove all buttons and trims that might not like being soaked. If I can't remove them, I don't soak.

Then I rinse, squeeze gently and depending on size and fabric, either lay out on a towel in the shade or drape over the washing line. In both cases, I reposition regularly so that it dries evenly.
 
Marty, I just love that picture (sorry this is off topic) but is that you? or...a family member? Stunning!!!

nicolejenkins, thank you so much for the feedback!!!

vintageclothesline, I read something similar about aspirin.

Hollis,
I have read some and will head back!!! Thank you so much for posting such a wealth of information.
Regards,
Denise
 
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