<p>S2 was the last grandchild to wear the cotton heirloom Christianing gown. (It was first worn by my FIL in 1925). The time has come to hand it over to my pregnant niece. When I pulled it out of the box I noticed a huge “spit up” stain on the neckline. Oh dear…either I was bad and didn’t wash it before packing it away or an old stain has resurfaced. </p>
<p>I bought some Dreft, but am wondering if I should get some Dreft pre treater or just go with OxiClean. Opinions??? The fabric is very delicate, much like a lightly embroidered, uber thin ladies hanky of days gone by.</p>
<p>[Formula</a> to Clean Badly Yellow Stained Vintage Linens & Antique Lace](<a href=“sharonssolution.com”>sharonssolution.com)
I’ve used this stuff before and it works miracles. Sharon, the owner of the company, lives in my hometown. I read about her in the local paper and bought some of her Sharon’s Solution to remove climate stains from a lace tablecloth. It really works!</p>
<p>Unfortunately, these types of stains are almost impossible to remove because they contain protein. I put away lots of baby clothes that were perfectly clean, only to find yellow spots on them years later. The stains do emerge over time.</p>
<p>I would try various stain removers - Oxyclean, Grandmother’s, etc. I once had great luck with a very bad stain on white cotton using Grandmother’s and Dawn dishwashing liquid rinsed with Perrier between applications. Place the garment over a shallow bowl and soak just the stained area for an hour or so, then soak in sparkling water. Repeat several times. If nothing else works, give vinegar a try too. If you are completely desperate, you can use a weak bleach solution on a Q-tip to dab just the stain, rinsing well afterward. It may lighten the stain enough that it is not too noticeable.</p>
<p>I agree that yellow stains can come out after years, even if the garment was laundered before being packed away. I believe that Martha Stewart has published methods for laundering antique linens that might work for you. Good luck, and let us know how it goes.</p>
<p>I’m unclear how much family value is placed on this gown. If it is very important, I would take it to a dry cleaners which handles heirloom clothing, wedding gowns, etc., and can pack them away in protective boxes. I can’t think what they call it, but they know how to handle heirloom garments. Get their advice on how to handle it. You don’t want to be the one who ruined Grandpa’s christening gown.</p>
<p>I use Martha Pullen’s recommendations (heirloom sewing maven): Lay a large, white towel in the sink or bucket. Fill with warm water. Add Dove dish soap and powder Clorox 2, whip with a wisk. Insert garment and don’t touch it for a while (ie a couple of hours. When you are ready to remove it, drain the water (dump in bath tub if using a bucket). Rinse repeatedly in warm water. Lift garment using the towel (wet, old fabric is fragile). Lay flat to dry on a dry towel. Do not twist or wring out the water, kind of squish it a little. Don’t pull a lot on the fabric.<br>
This worked to remove stains from my baby clothes for D, and to remove other mystery stains from old table linens. If this seems overwhelming, I’d find a cleaner with experience in heirloom garments, as Skyhook recommended. And chances are, you put it away clean…these spots show up later…darn it!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the ideas. I am bringing the gown up to my Mom’s over Easter and hope that between your advice and her experience that we remove the stain.</p>
<p>Once the stain is out, you also should neutralize the fabric to make sure that any residues from the cleansers/bleaches are also gone. </p>
<p>For storage going forward, acid free tissue paper in a breathable (cardboard, say) box is good.</p>
<p>We have an antique wedding apron that needed cleaning before it was mounted in a (deep) frame – I called down to one of the museums in the city nearby and spoke with the textile curator, and he advised me to use one specific person at one specific cleaner who would do everything necessary by hand in the most protective way for the fabric and embroidery. That worked well for us. </p>
<p>The rest of the story: We had this piece mounted, but in the interim bought a new house, and did not want to go through the expense of having the (large) piece hung in our old house – so it sat at the framers for four months, where they hung it on the wall to keep it safe. The frame shop owner told me that he’d gotten more business framing textiles because of our piece on display than he’d done in many years – mostly christening gowns!</p>