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Cleaning Up: Help needed for huge stains on antique quilt |
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quiltee
True Blue Farmgirl
7546 Posts
Linda
Terrell
TX
USA
7546 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2015 : 08:15:09 AM
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I'm not sure if this is where to post this, but maybe someone can help.
My boyfriend showed me a quilt his grandmother had hand pieced and quilted. It had been in storage. It has huge 7" in diameter brown stains throughout from something that had gotten in it or on it when it was folded and stored. Can anyone please give me suggestions on how to clean it? What can it be soaked in that might remove those stains? It is a beautiful quilt and I'd love to be able to remove the stains. Thank you.
Farmgirl hugs, Linda O Lone Oak, TX Farmgirl #1919 |
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gramadinah
True Blue Farmgirl
3557 Posts
Diana
Orofino
ID
USA
3557 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2015 : 10:00:12 AM
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I would use a cold water wash something very gentle cycle and lay it on the grass in the sun to dry.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
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quiltee
True Blue Farmgirl
7546 Posts
Linda
Terrell
TX
USA
7546 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2015 : 8:20:28 PM
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Thank you, Diana. I will try that. Will have to lock up the chickens in their henhouse. LOL!
Farmgirl hugs, Linda O Lone Oak, TX Farmgirl #1919 |
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katmom
True Blue Farmgirl
17161 Posts
Grace
WACAL Gal
WashCalif.
USA
17161 Posts |
Posted - Apr 14 2015 : 8:55:21 PM
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oh Linda,,, let us know how the quilt turns out... and like gramadinah said, ley it out on a grass lawn to let the combination of sunshine and the chloraphyl(sp) from the grass and that should safely fade the stains out unless they are 'heat' stains...
>^..^< Happiness is being a katmom and Glamping Diva!
www.katmom4.blogspot.com & http://graciesvictorianrose.blogspot.com
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AFinkberry
True Blue Farmgirl
310 Posts
Ally
Kalama
Washington
310 Posts |
Posted - Apr 19 2015 : 9:17:18 PM
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Just a quick tidbit, once, I poured hydrogen peroxide on a blanket (I'm pretty sure it was cotton) and let it sit in the sun...and the combined effect was bad. The H2O2 ate away and degraded the fibers so much that when I washed it (even on gentle) the top layer of the blanket had a hole in it. So whatever you do, make sure that it's rinsed out before you lay it out in the sun.
Ally Farmgirl Sister #5672
"There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness." ~His Holiness the Dalai Lama |
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quiltee
True Blue Farmgirl
7546 Posts
Linda
Terrell
TX
USA
7546 Posts |
Posted - Apr 20 2015 : 8:22:51 PM
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Thank you. I will remember that and rinse well.
Farmgirl hugs, Linda O Lone Oak, TX Farmgirl #1919 |
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Denise Ann
True Blue Farmgirl
831 Posts
Denise
Shoreview
MN
USA
831 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2015 : 07:28:56 AM
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You could try Orvus soap. ITs very gentle and used frequently for washing quilts. I used to buy it in a quilt shop in the area, but they closed, you can get it on-line. Or you could contact the historical society in your area and see what they would recommend. I was also thinking if there is a fiber artists group in your area, they may have some ideas.
Denise Ann |
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Marilyn Hartman Sullivan
True Blue Farmgirl
1138 Posts
Marilyn
Oxford
PA
USA
1138 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2015 : 07:55:41 AM
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As much as I like sunshine for bleaching white clothes, it CAN be bad for a fine antique. Those old dyes are sometimes not quite as good as the newer ones, and sunshine WILL fade the color quite quickly. My advice would be to fill your tub with cool water and Orvus quilt soak. Put a little extra Orvus on the spot itself. Let it soak for a while (even overnight), then drain the water, rinse rinse rinse, especially through the offending spot, and then squeeze the water out of the quilt without wringing or twisting, which is very bad for old cotton fabrics and threads. Try folding it over itself several times, squeezing the water out after each fold. If the spot has lifted, lay the quilt out flat to dry. Don't hang it. If you need to put it outside (quilts are BIG, after all!), put an old sheet underneath and another one on top (trying to keep that killer fade power off).
If the spot is still too dark or noticeable, try another go-'round with the Orvus.
Sometimes the spots are something transient and will lift with one or two washes, but if something has dripped onto the quilt or it's a stain from something being spilled on it in use, it might not shift.
Just the fact that you have the quilt is something special, even if the spot can't be removed. Anything you know about the history of the quilt or of the lady who made it will add to the memories and those things are precious. Let us know how it turns out! Pictures, too!!! Good luck.
Farmgirl #6318 "Where there's a will -- there's probably a family fight." |
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Cleaning Up: Help needed for huge stains on antique quilt |
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