MIL and I used 20-Mule Team Borax (Borateam) to clean brown out of hand crocheted table cloth she inherited from her MIL. We soaked overnight, rinsed, soaked again with clean mix, I think 3 times total. Came out beautifully removing about 75 years of dry cleaning solvent and cigarette smoke. Thread was originally a light ivory and by the time we were done it was back to it's original color. I see Borateam is still sold in WalMart.
added: We did all the cleaning in the bath tub, not in the washer, but when finished we dried on the no-heat setting of the electric dryer until almost dry, then laid on plastic on the floor to finish blocking and drying.
Last edited by ShirlinAZ; 07-09-2016 at 08:36 AM.