Any good secondhand shopper knows the thrill of finding that holy grail item. Like this woman in Texas who found a vintage Oleg Cassini gown for only $15. But it’s no secret that vintage clothing can get a bit…grungy. Even if you purchase something from a very clean home at an estate sale, you’ll want to give it a good wash. Here are my tips for washing vintage clothes – even for tough fabrics like suede!
Things to Remember When You Wash Vintage Clothes
Laundering a decades-old garment is ultimately a crapshoot. A frothy gossamer gown from the 40s might hold up better to washing than an 80s graphic tee! You’ll probably kiss a few frogs (ruin a few things) before you perfect your method. And that’s okay! Some garments are, sadly, beyond rescue by washing.
If you sniff something and think, “maybe I don’t need to wash this” – wrong. You will be absolutely shocked at the decades of sweat, cigarette smoke, and general life-ness that releases from vintage clothing. It’s always a good idea to wash secondhand clothing, as you don’t know the laundry standards of everyone who donated to that particular Goodwill, and many vintage clothes have been marinating in closets for decades to boot.
Rule #1: Unless You’re Really Sure, Handwash
My default method for washing vintage clothing includes handwashing. Washer and dryer appliances are simply very hard on clothing in general – and when you’re dealing with vintage clothing of unknown origins or maintenance, gentler is better. Though it is slightly more hands-on than using an appliance, handwashing is actually pretty simple (put your washboards away).
How to Handwash Vintage Clothes:
- Stain treat any noticeable stains. Set aside to allow stain remover to soak.
- Rinse out your bathtub to remove any leftover product, hair, etc that may be there.
- Stopper your tub and put about 1/2 of a scoop of powdered Oxyclean directly below the drain.
- Turn on warm (not hot water) and agitate the water around the Oxyclean to dissolve it.
- Once the detergent has mostly dissolved (it’s okay if some grains are left), turn the water temperature to cold. Fill the tub 1/3 of the way up with water. Important: the water should overall be cool or cold.
- Add your vintage clothing to the tub.
- Note, the following clothing should be washed by itself: dark or very saturated clothing (as it could bleed color), beaded garments (as they can catch on other things), specialty items like ball gowns and costumes.
- Agitate the clothing very gently in the water to ensure it’s totally soaked through. You’ll often see grime bloom from the garments immediately – that is good.
- Let the clothing soak for another hour or longer, coming back in to gently agitate it every once in a while.
- Drain the water out of the tub, and rinse each garment thoroughly before hanging up to dry. For very old or very dirty items, repeat steps 1-7 two or three more times to ensure it’s as clean as possible.
Rule #2: Always Use Cold Water
You may have noticed in the above instructions that I recommend using a small amount of warm water to dissolve detergent, but to ensure the water is overall cold by the time you add the clothing. Many of us default to using warm water for laundry, as it provides the most benefits for day-to-day washing. Hot water can thoroughly sanitize and deodorize heavy duty items. But for delicate garments, the additional agitation of hot temperatures can further break down fabrics, causing shrinking, stretching, and fading. Default to cold water to preserve your vintage items.
Rule #3: Never Use a Dryer
Honestly you should use a dryer as little as humanly possible on contemporary clothes, but in the case of vintage, you absolutely should not. Many vintage garments use materials that will shrink or tear in the high-heat, high-friction environment of a dryer. Most of the garments that have hung on all these years are specialty items that were never meant to be washed in a machine. Unless it’s a casual garment from the 70s onward – I wouldn’t risk it.
There is one exception to this – home dry cleaning. This is one of the easiest ways to clean garments that cannot be washed in water but need serious deodorizing. If using this method, turn garments inside out, zip all zippers and button all buttons, and dry clean one at a time to prevent items from catching on each other.
So, how should you dry vintage clothing? Air drying is best. Squeeze excess water out of garments very gently, then hang them on a drying rack (for very heavy items, lay flat to dry). Hanging items from the middle of the garment (the waist for a dress, the knees for pants, etc) prevents stretching. They will still drip quite a bit of water, so lay a towel or two underneath to catch drips.
Rule #4: Meet Your BFF: a Steamer
One drawback to handwashing and drying? Wrinkles and stiffness. Tumble dryers are hard on clothes, but they also pound out wrinkles and soften garments (by breaking them down, but still). If you invest in a lot of vintage or delicate clothing, an upright (not handheld – get that garbage out of here!) steamer is a must. You can find a decent one for around $100, and it is a worthy lifetime investment.
To properly steam clothing, hold the fabric taut and run the steamer on the underside of the garment. If a garment is big or heavy, you can lay it flat on a table and give it a first pass before hanging it up to do the details. Irons can easily scorch or warp delicate old clothes (RIP to the many vintage scarves I’ve ruined), so unless I need some heavy artillery, I rely on my steamer.
Rule #5: Store Garments Properly
Different vintage sellers and clothiers store their garments differently. I have read online sources where one in particular stored each garment individually, folded, in acid-free tissue paper in a box. Personally, I have neither the storage space, nor the object permanence, for such solutions. However, I have a few key rules.
First, padded hangers are best (as they won’t leave dents in the garments), but thick plastic hangers are second-best in my opinion. Wooden hangers have acids in them that can break the clothing down over time. The other advantage to plastic hangers is their slim profile, meaning you can store more on a rack.
Secondly, once garments are clean, if they aren’t on display, put them in a garment bag. This will keep them from collecting dust or any of the other ephemera of life. I’ll often group several items in one garment bag to save money and space.
Third, you’ll want to ensure your storage area is clean, dry, and repels animals. Many people (understandably) don’t enjoy the scent of mothballs, but cedar and lavender sachets are equally repulsive to moths, and smell better. Give clothing room to breath on a rack, and check on it regularly to ensure everything has breathing room.
Finally, some things should not be hung, as that bends them out of proper shape. Very heavy garments (such as beaded items) and knits (a.k.a. sweaters) should be folded neatly and stored in drawers or bins. I don’t recommend airtight plastic bins for humid climates, but they’re excellent for repelling pests in dry climates.
Myths About Washing Vintage Clothes
There are a few items of advice about washing vintage clothes that frequently float around the internet. I disagree with some of this advice, for very particular reasons.
Myth #1: Use Vodka as a Deodorizer
This has never worked for me. I have never seen a notable difference using this method. Honestly, I’d rather just try to wash or dry clean a garment to remove an odor. I also find garment sanitizing sprays more effective in general. (Always test sprays on a hidden area of a garment to ensure it doesn’t cause stains before use).
Myth #2: Dry Garments in the Sun
While vodka doesn’t particularly work, you can actually very easily ruin garments by setting them to dry outside. This advice comes from a good place – it does dry garments more quickly, and sunshine has some sanitizing properties. However, as anyone who has worked in retail can tell you, the sun often bleaches clothing, causing discoloration in the garment. Unless it’s white, I personally wouldn’t risk it.
Myth #3: All “Chemicals” Are Bad
Some people are very, very precious about what detergents they use on their vintage clothing, and default to very niche products. As someone with a lot of experience laundering delicate fabrics thanks to my time in lingerie, I can tell you unequivocally that Oxiclean powder and Oxiclean stain remover produce the best results. Many clothing made between the last 20-100 years (the range defined as “vintage”) were made within the invention of the automatic washing machine, and with the exception of special-occasion garments, most were made to hold up to commercial washers with commercial detergent. If you’re afraid to risk it, use a gentle wash like Forever New.
Dealing with Difficult Fabrics
Beaded Fabrics
While fabulous, elaborately beaded garments often work against their own interests. The weight of the beads can stretch garments badly over time, while snagging and ripping constantly lurks in the background. Luckily, they’re not so tricky when handled with care.
When washing beaded garments, do so by themselves! Not only can the beads snag and damage other garments, they can easily be ripped off. Also, make sure to dry beaded garment either flat or by hanging from the center point (around the waist, if it’s the dress, around the armpits if it’s a top). This will prevent the garment from becoming misshapen. Turn the garment inside out to steam it, as steam often gets trapped inside thick garments and can cause burns. Finally, store it flat to prevent warping over time.
Suede
True story: a few years ago I found an amazing 60s olive green mod dress from Neusteters, a former Denver department store, at a thrift shop. But it had one big problem: it REEKED of cigarette smoke. And it was suede. Because suede is a type of leather, and leather should not get wet, I knew I couldn’t use my typical Oxiclean trick to wash vintage clothes.
Enter: at-home dry cleaning. I was shocked at how effective this method was at removing the smell. Nothing else worked; not sanitizing spray, not vodka (see above), not leaving it in the sun. It was a very quick process, and the dress did not warp or shrink.
Now, this advice will not work on shoes. But, if you have a suede garment that reeks and can safely go in a dryer on low heat, at-home dry cleaning kits will change your life.
Wool
Superfine wool garments are highly prized for a reason. Soft, warm, and surprisingly practical, there are many great reasons to wear this durable natural fiber. But as anyone who’s ever shrunk a sweater knows, they can be a bear to clean.
Have you ever noticed that despite literally living outside, sheep are never super dirty? It’s because wool contains lanolin, a waxy substance that’s naturally water-repellent. Lanolin keeps both sheep (and sweaters) from collecting sweat and bacteria, keeping it cleaner. Because of this, wool garments only need to be washed every 25 wears (or at the beginning of sweater-wearing season).
Most gentle detergents do not contain lanolin, as it can weigh down delicate strands and cause non-wool fibers to break down over time. But for wool garments, you want to occasionally replenish the lanolin to keep the garments looking their best. Wash wool garments only with compatible knits, and lay flat or hand from the center to dry to prevent warping, as wet wool is HEAVY.
Silk
As a former purveyor of lingerie, silk has haunted me for years. I must set the record straight. First of all, silk is a fabric, while satin is a finish. Silk, polyester, and more can have a smooth satiny finish, but only fabric made from silkworm strands counts as silk. Silk can be satin, burned out, pebble-washed, and more.
In addition to its smooth feel, silk has the benefit of holding heat very well. Many people assume that because silk feels cool to the touch, it will cool you. In reality, it’s one of the best base layers in a cold winter for holding in body heat.
Real silk holds the distinction as one of the most difficult fabrics to wash. Some modern companies claim to sell “washable silk.” I’m not saying they’re lying, but I’ll believe it when I see it. For vintage silk, “washable” should not be in your vocabulary.
Silk can successfully be washed without ruining using the method above, with one fatal flaw: air-drying silk often leaves it feeling a bit crinkly and stiff. However, you can easily re-invigorate it by steaming or ironing it. Ironing has a better effect than steaming, but you can easily burn silk with a heat dial set too high.
Conclusion
Look, I know this article contains a lot of information. But trust me, once you get a feel for it, washing vintage garments doesn’t have to be difficult! For a personal vintage collection, cold water and a delicate cycle are sufficient for a heartier garment. As you gain confidence you can try to save trickier garments. You may burn a few silk scarves in the process, but it’s worth it to save dozens of precious gems.
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