Friday, March 22, 2013

Dear Quilters: advice, please?


Dear quilters and other fabric folk,

could you please advise me on the safest way to clean a quilt?


I recently inherited this quilt, made for a double bed.  It has personal significance, but even if it didn't, it is a beautiful quilt in its own right - the amount of work that went into it is both staggering and inspiring.

It is in fantastic condition as far as I can tell, apart from a few small stains of unknown origin; you can see two examples above the ruler, in the 5-7" area, in the pink and white fabrics.  I would guess beverages, but it is a guess.  The certainty is, that the stains have been there for a good long time.

In fact, I feel certain the quilt has not been washed or cleaned in years.  It has probably been folded up at the bottom of a bed in a spare room.  So even if this was good sun-bleaching weather, the entire quilt should still be cleaned in some way, just to get years of what I imagine as sneakily infiltrating dust out of the fabric.

My washer is a front-loader, and I could fit the quilt in it easily, but I wonder about the potential hazards of the spin cycle...?

Thanks very, very much for any and all suggestions!
~~~

9 comments:

  1. The fabrics look like circa 1940 or 50. The ones I have from that vintage aren't terribly fragile. Hard to tell what the batting is without taking it apart. Pretty sure I'd put it in my front loader on handwash, cold. It needs a gentle detergent--maybe Orvus or something aimed at quilts, no enzymes or bleaches. It'd be nice to lay it flat to dry, on a clean sheet. The stains are probably set, so I wouldn't worry about them. It'll be so happy and gorgeous with your TLC and attention!

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement, Linda! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks this quilt will "feel better" with some care :)
      The only Orvus soap I know about it for horses, but I'll bet that is NOT the one you are recommending?

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  2. Quinn-- my grandmother used to soak her quilts in that stuff you use to clean dentures-- can't remember the name. She swore by that and I've seen her do it hundreds of times-- she would fill a bathtub full of water and drop in 4 or 5 of those tablets. Her quilts were always beautiful---
    Vicki

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    1. Wow, that's interesting! I just googled "denture tabs" and found a list of sites recommending Efferdent tablets to clean everything from toilet bowls to narrow vases! Does Efferdent sound familiar?

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  3. I would use a commercial washer...gentle with cold water. Then, if you wanted to use it...put it into a duvet so it stays cleaner longer. It's beautiful, Quinn.
    Vicki's advice is good but...that quilt is going to be HEAVY when you take it out of the tub...you might need help so it doesn't rip.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for weighing in! When you say "commercial" do you mean a top-loader instead of my front-loader? Or a really large-capacity machine of either type? I'm trying to figure out if agitation is a good thing, or if a lack of agitation would also mean a lack of water flowing through the fabric... and you are so right about the weight! It's heavy dry!

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  4. Can you hand wash it in the bath tub with gentle detergent?

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    Replies
    1. A good idea, but I have no tub, only a shower :(

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    2. On second thought, I shouldn't say "only" a shower as if it is a small thing...it's a very good thing I have a shower! ;)

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