The Essential Guide To Laundering Vintage
Fundamental tools and techniques to extend the life of your vintage garments.
When we acquire a vintage object we become a part of it’s story, joining a lineage of stewards stretching back to it’s creation. Caring for our vintage with intention can help connect us with that history, adding a rich sense of gratitude and presence within our daily lives.
However, the responsibility of being a vintage garment’s caretaker can be a real downer if you don’t know how to approach caring for it. You may find yourself spending a considerable sum at your local dry cleaner or avoiding certain pieces in your closet altogether — fearful of ruining them.
Worry not! In this chapter of the The Vintage Lover’s Handbook, I’ll be covering The Essential Guide To Laundering Vintage. These fundamental tools and techniques are for anyone who is looking to extend the life of their vintage garments — plus they’re simple, effective, and cheap!
The Vintage Lover’s Handbook is a monthly series dedicated to providing you with a professional arsenal of techniques to care for your beloved vintage treasures. With a decade of experience buying and selling vintage, I’ve tested a variety of remedies and discovered what actually works.
My Essential Laundry Toolkit
These are the tools that I have found to be essential in my laundry practice. I’ve chosen them specifically for their versatility, accessibility, durability, and affordability — they have never let me down.
Large metal stock pot
I prefer to use a wash basin in place of a sink or tub, with my vessel of choice being a large metal stock pot. They are abundant at thrift stores, and are especially cheap when they are missing their lids. These pots are ideal for hand washing — boasting durability, portability, and can even be used on the stove if you ever wish to dye a garment. For big loads I have a large galvanized wash tub, very handy if you regularly need to wash items that will not fit in a stock pot, though not essential.
Dye-free detergent
Using a clear dye-free detergent is a safe way to avoid getting any unwanted blue stains when washing. I usually choose whatever brand is most economical, with liquid or sheet detergents being my preferred choice over pods — this way you can always customize the amount of detergent needed for each load.
Stirring utensil
A stirring utensil is used to submerge pieces and gently agitate them — your hands will thank you! These are also abundant at thrift stores. Metal, wood, or bamboo are long lasting.
Clothes line or drying rack
Clothes pins
A clothes line/drying rack and clothes pins are a happy pair that will assist you in air drying. If you have the outdoor space, a clothes line is ideal for it’s efficiency, and can be easily fashioned by tying a rope between two trees. If you are lacking space, you can find a folding drying rack at your local thrift store or estate sale.
Mesh wash bag
When washing in the machine, a mesh wash bag will help preserve your garments from the tugging and tearing of the agitator. If you can’t find one secondhand locally, eBay has a great selection of pre-owned options!
Steamer
A steamer is a trusty tool that will help clean items that can’t stand water submersion. For home use you don’t need to buy anything fancy, just pickup one secondhand off Facebook marketplace or the thrift.
Leather conditioner and suede brush
Leather and suede need some specialized care to help them last a lifetime. A dedicated conditioner keeps leather supple and helps with water resistance. A natural densely bristled brush works for cleaning suede and is another item that pops up regularly at estate sales and thrift stores.
The Art of Laundry
There’s something remarkably magical about practicing an art form that has been performed for centuries. In the same way that a vintage garment helps us visually contextualize and experience history, using time-tested techniques like hand washing laundry can be a gateway to seeing our modern world in a different light.
The domestic arts are an often overlooked and undervalued tradition that can bring a great deal of contentment and purpose — serving as a connection to our ancestors and a reminder of the ways that came before our obsession with “convenience”.
I’m all for finding deep joy in the mundane, and I look forward to sunny days where I’m able to sit outside and wash pieces clean. It’s a romanic process that I savor, one that allows me to slow down and take in the world around me. Plus the smell of laundry dried in the sun is a delicious gift!
This may come as a shock to some, but in my near decade of experience laundering vintage textiles, I have never used a dry cleaner! I personally find them unnecessary when cleaning nearly every type of fabric can be achieved at home — in a way that is more economical as well as eco-friendly. That being said, there are a number of pitfalls that must be avoided when venturing into the art of laundry.
Below the paywall I’ll show you how to use the items from My Essential Laundry Toolkit™ and walk you through my fool proof techniques for getting your vintage clean safely. My methods for washing cotton, wool, silk, linen, leather, suede, rayon, feathers, sequins and fur will all be covered!
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