Vintage Clothes general care ....

Vintage clothes-or any other quality garments-look better and last longer when they receive proper treatment and cleaning. With a little time and effort, yours will see you through many decades to come.

General care Tips

• Always do up all buttons, zippers, and other closings, so that your garment hangs properly and does not wear unevenly or loseits shape.
• Cover your wooden hangers with a stuffed batting covering. The softness will be easier on your clothes and they will not come into contact with the wood, which can eventually cause a damaging chemical reaction.
• Always remove dry-cleaning bags immediately; they smother your clothes. To protect against dust, cover your garments with cotton sheets
• Dry-clean or wash clothes immediately when they are dirty-don't leave them sitting in a damp hamper. But don't clean them more than absolutely necessary.
• Find a dry cleaner with his own equipment on the premises and who is a member of a professional association. Such a cleaner must take direct responsibility for the job he does and he is also likely to be more experienced and knowledgeable.
• When dropping something off at a dry cleaner, point out any stains that might need to be pre-treated or receive extra attention. Check your garment as soon as pick it up so that you can discuss any problems before you leave.
• Before using any stain remover, test it on a small, inconspicuous area, blotting with white, absorbent fabric to see if the color is coming off with the stain.
• After you have worn a garment, leave it out overnight so that air can circulate around it.
• Heavy wool garments should be brushed after wearing to remove dust. If loose dirt is left to settle in creases, it will hasten a garment's deterioration.
• You can vacuum your garment to remove surface dirt. To avoid seeing your garment sucked halfway up a dirty tube, place a nylon screen (or even a mesh colander) between the vacuum and the clothes, and use the vacuum's soft brush attachment.
• Mothballs may be put near woolen clothes to discourage nibbling-but not in direct contact with them. Over the long haul the chemicals in the mothballs may cause damage.
• If you are wondering whether to dry-clean or hand wash, here's a general guide: It's best to dry-clean any garment that has interfacings or linings or is made up of two or more fabrics. Dry-clean beaded garments or those containing metallic thread.

Specific Care Suggestions

Sweaters: To hand wash, use cool water and a gentle product like Woolite or baby shampoo. Do not wring or pull the sweater our of shape., although you may rub gently on dirty colloars or cuffs. Rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear. Lay your clean sweaters on a glass or wooden surface covered with a clean white towel (a collored one may bleed). A commercial drying rack (easy to buy) will hasten the drying process considerably. Squeezing the cuffs and waistbands together may help keep their form. Sweaters may also safely dry-cleaned. To get rid of those annoying "pills" that inevitably build up, stretch the sweater flat and clip the little buggers with your nail scissors or one of the cutely named products sold for this purpose. Never hang your sweaters (they will stretch out of shape), and do store those made of wool with mothballs when the summer comes.

Beaded or sequined garments: These garments should not be hung-they may tear under their own weight. Store them folded in acid-free tissue paper. They may be dry-cleaned- but not more often than necessary. If you decide to replace lost beads by yourself, back the area on which you are working with a piece of netting to help hold the beads in place. Old sequins are made of a gelatin substance, which may lose its color or even dissolve when washed. Consult your dry-cleaning professional.

Silk garments: These may be dry-cleaned or hand washed in cool water-with some caveats. Don't rub them or wring them out, or a chalky bloom, caused by broken fibers, may apper. Watch our for patterns-they can run. Spot cleaning may leave rings. Hang to dry on a coated plastic hanger or dry flat. All taffeta garments should be dry-creaned. Older silks should not be hung or folded. They should be rolled. Chinese silks should be given to a cleaner who knows how to deal with old embroidery.

Cotton and linen: Overpressed linen can become unpleasantly shiny. Steam it in your shower and press it while still damp. Velvet should always be dry-cleaned, never hand washed or pressed. If you are caught in the rain in your velvet opera cape, get it to a dry cleaner before it spots. Corduroy and denim items may be put in the washing machine. Turning them inside out will help preserve them. To remove rust marks from white cottons or linens, stretch the stained fabric tight over a pan of boiling water and sprinkle lemon juice on top. Rinse well, repeat as necessary. Alternatively, spread the stain with cream of tartar, and hold it over a steaming kettle. Rinse immediately.

Stain removal tricks: Some of these are a bit chancy-even bizarre-and should not be used on anything valuable or rare.

Makeup: Rub stain with a slice of white bread.

Ring around the collar: Rub stain with shampoo.

Perspiration stains: Rub with a paste of baking soda or table salt and water.

Or: Sponge with a tablespoon of white vineagar in a cup of water.

Or: Apply a paste of cream of tartar, crushed aspirins and water. Leave on for 20 minutes, rinse well.

Ink: If fabric is washable, spray with hairspray.

Protein or blood stains: Try toothpaste-not gel-without colors or additives.

Grease: Plain water will cause a grease stain to set. Always add detergent.

For other spots: Try diluted ammonia and glycerin or diluted hydrogen peroxide, or check out the commercial brands with the funny name sold in notions stores-Zout, Whink, etc.