How to wash/clean these quilts?
01-15-2012, 10:26 AM
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Lived in San Diego now retired in Eagar, AZ.
Posts: 887
i would follow pscott's advice about the front loader and the second 'no-detergent' second cycle... personally, i wouldn't put it in the dryer...quilts got washed for centuries and hung on the line...just hang over 2 lines so the pressure is not all on one place...that's the way our grandmothers did it and they just tossed them in the washer, too. No chemical baths...they don't care if they get them all out...we do... and i would be surprised if they are only 10 yrs old...are there any pix?
Last edited by deemail; 01-15-2012 at 10:29 AM.
01-15-2012, 10:36 AM
#12
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: S. W. Indiana
Posts: 7,484
Originally Posted by cola410
GrannieAnnie: i have a detachable shower hose, could i use the pressure from that to agitate and rinse the quilt good?
01-15-2012, 10:38 AM
#13
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: S. W. Indiana
Posts: 7,484
Originally Posted by earthwalker
The shower hose would work well for rinsing. I have been known to hop in and gently tread items in the bath....no wear near as fun as grapes, but does the job. It is also handy to tread out the excess water before removing from the bath. Mind you if your machine has a gentle cycle....I would be using it.
01-15-2012, 10:40 AM
#14
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: S. W. Indiana
Posts: 7,484
Originally Posted by Daylesewblessed
A 10 year old quilt should not be in delicate condition, but for vintage quilts that are hand quilted, I wash in the bathtub. Oxiclean is great for stains, and since it is "active" for 6 hours, the process can take days when working with an old quilt with spots. However, I have found it to be effective. I use vinegar in the rinse.
After squishing out as much of the final rinse water as possible, I lay towels out on a clean tile floor and put the quilt down flat. We live in a dry climate, so that works. When it is almost dry and much lighter weight, I hang it over a shower rod.
It is a lot of work, but so rewarding to have a fresh, clean quilt to use when finished.
Dayle
After squishing out as much of the final rinse water as possible, I lay towels out on a clean tile floor and put the quilt down flat. We live in a dry climate, so that works. When it is almost dry and much lighter weight, I hang it over a shower rod.
It is a lot of work, but so rewarding to have a fresh, clean quilt to use when finished.
Dayle
And the big advantage of the Oxyclean, in addition to removing yellowing and many stains--------it takes out odors and leaves a nice smell.
01-15-2012, 10:41 AM
#15
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Piedmont Virginia in the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mtns.
Posts: 8,562
I have never understood the idea of washing quilts in a bath tub. Quilts are very heavy when wet. How can the "delicate" seams handle being lifted from the water....drained or not....squished/wrung/wrapped in towels/squished again, etc. etc., better than they can handle the soft agitation and spin of a delicates/gentle cycle of a washing machine? Spinning gets much more water out of a quilt in a machine, making it lighter and easier to remove.
With the exception of *one 1860s quilt* which I foolishly washed before testing well, I've NEVER had one 'behave badly' when laundered in a machine with care, whether antique or vintage or recent.
Jan in VA
*2 of the fabrics in this quilt were more fragile than I knew and shattered a bit.
With the exception of *one 1860s quilt* which I foolishly washed before testing well, I've NEVER had one 'behave badly' when laundered in a machine with care, whether antique or vintage or recent.
Jan in VA
*2 of the fabrics in this quilt were more fragile than I knew and shattered a bit.
Last edited by Jan in VA; 01-15-2012 at 10:45 AM.
01-15-2012, 11:12 AM
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Lived in San Diego now retired in Eagar, AZ.
Posts: 887
Originally Posted by Jan in VA
I have never understood the idea of washing quilts in a bath tub. Quilts are very heavy when wet. How can the "delicate" seams handle being lifted from the water....drained or not....squished/wrung/wrapped in towels/squished again, etc. etc., better than they can handle the soft agitation and spin of a delicates/gentle cycle of a washing machine? Spinning gets much more water out of a quilt in a machine, making it lighter and easier to remove.
With the exception of *one 1860s quilt* which I foolishly washed before testing well, I've NEVER had one 'behave badly' when laundered in a machine with care, whether antique or vintage or recent.
Jan in VA
*2 of the fabrics in this quilt were more fragile than I knew and shattered a bit.
With the exception of *one 1860s quilt* which I foolishly washed before testing well, I've NEVER had one 'behave badly' when laundered in a machine with care, whether antique or vintage or recent.
Jan in VA
*2 of the fabrics in this quilt were more fragile than I knew and shattered a bit.
ps.... i lift the quilt out of the water every time i drain the tub...you don't want the dirty water to settle back into the quilt... it will be really heavy... you may need help to do this... a DH or a DF (friend)...
Last edited by deemail; 01-15-2012 at 11:18 AM.
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