How To Clean An Old Wool Quilt

Welcome to week #1 of our series on caring for your antique and vintage quilts. Today we are going to exist talking about the tips and tricks for safely washing an antique quilt to preserve or employ information technology.

There are two methods that are generally used: hand washing and machine washing. We will get over both today, just if the quilt y'all are working with is a priceless possession hand washing is going to be your best method.

How to Wash a Vintage Quilt–Two Methods

Prepping Your Quilt

1. The first affair yous are going to practice is inspect your vintage quilt. If the quilt has any holes or pulled seams, you will want to repair or supercede those before washing.
2. If possible, place your quilt in the sun for a couple of hours. This tin can exercise two things–first, information technology will air out the quilt. Second, the sun can lighten some stains that may exist found on the quilt.
3. Side by side, you lot will need to exercise a color fast test on your quilt to make sure your fabrics do not bleed. To exercise this yous will demand a few cotton swabs. Next dampen darker fabrics (and especially reds!) and rub cotton wool swab over them. If the color bleeds onto the cotton fiber swabs you may not desire to wash the quilt at all as it will result in bleeding and perchance ruining the quilt.
4. You are now ready to choose your method for washing your quilt!

Hand Washing Method

1. Make sure your quilt is prepped equally explained above and that the colors volition not bleed.
2. Fill your cleaned bathtub with room temperature h2o until it volition encompass the quilt. Add together nigh 1/8 loving cup of liquid detergent to the water and gently agitate. (You tin can also add three T of vinegar to help with stain removal as well.)
3. Add your quilt to the bathtub and gently agitate under the water and soap for almost ten-xv minutes. If at that place are remaining stains you tin let the quilt soak for about 30 minutes in the h2o. If soaking make sure to agitate the quilt most every 10 minutes or and so to keep in fully submerged in the water and moving around.
4. Let water out of the tub and fill up with clean cold water to rinse. Keep agitating and adding fresh water until all the soap and vinegar are out of the quilt.
5. Gently wring out every bit much water as y'all can from the quilt. Be careful not to warp the fabrics or quilt equally y'all do this step.
6. Adjacent you will demand to prep your space for drying. Place a number of towels on a kitchen counter or table that will not warp with water. And so identify a make clean white sheet over the towels. Next, gently place your quilt tiptop on the canvass being careful to resize information technology to the original shape, only non pulling any corners or edges.
7. Let dry out on one side. Then flip the quilt over and let dry completely with a new set of towels and sheet on the opposite side.
8. And you are washed!

Machine Washing Method

1. Use a forepart loading washing machine or become to a laundromat that has front loading washing machines. These types of washers are much gentler on quilts, because they practise not accept an agitator in the center.
2. Load quilt and 1-2 clean white towels (and colour catchers!) into the washing machine with your quilt. The towels will help to go along your quilt soft as it washes and rinses.
3. Add together soap to your washer and wash on gentle cycle.
4. Lay apartment to dry out (every bit described in the hand washing steps) or dry in the dryer. The dryer method may cause some shrinkage of the fabrics, but many quilters love that "crinkled" look of a freshly dried quilt.

Other Tips and Tricks

*Do non dry clean vintage or antique quilts. The chemicals used in dry cleaning can sometimes react with antique quilts and cause the fibers of the fabric to disintegrate. If y'all have a very old quilt the hand washing method and air drying is the preferred method.

*There are several methods for setting textile dyes in a quilt. This method is one of the most popular and piece of cake. (Think to test a pocket-sized area starting time!)

*Although the scenes of idyllic quilts bravado in the breeze are beautiful, drying quilts on clotheslines is not recommended as information technology tends to stretch them out and crusade misshapen quilts.

*If yous alive in a identify where your water source is prone to hard water, utilise distilled water for washing your quilt. The minerals and iron in difficult water can stain the fabrics in the quilt over time.

Source: https://www.simplesimonandco.com/2020/09/how-to-wash-a-vintage-quilt.html/

Posted by: smithexciou.blogspot.com

Share this post