Cleaning Antique Quilts
It’s finally happened! It seems like forever you have been searching for that perfect antique quilt. Now you have found it. It spoke to you in sweet, melodious tones at a garage sale or auction. It smells a little, and has some odd spots, but what the heck? The colors are wonderful, the quilting sublime, the price exactly right. Now how do you clean it?
First, decide how you are going to use it. Are you going to display it folded over a rack, hung on a wall, or on a bed? If you are folding it over a rack, it may not be necessary to clean it at all. It is always best not to subject an antique textile to unnecessary stress, but leaving a quilt dirty is not a good idea either. Dust and dirt can actually cut fibers as they expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity.
Provided there is no active damage such as holes, rips, or frayed seams, and no delicate embellishments like those found on a crazy quilt, simply airing it outside on a nice summer day will remove dust and freshen things up considerably. Lay it on the lawn with a clean sheet under it and over it, or hang it over a wide railing with a sheet protector. You can also vacuum it using the brush attachment of a low-powered vacuum cleaner. If the quilt has elaborate embellishments or existing damage, place a clean, fine mesh screen over it first.
Should You Wash It?
Before you do anything else, ask yourself these questions:
- Is any part of the quilt made of silk or velvet?
- Is it embellished with yarn, feathers, beads, or inked writing?
- Is the fabric fragile?
- Does it already have holes, worn spots, frayed seams, or rips?
- Is this an extraordinary quilt because of its age or workmanship?
- Does the original glaze still appear on the cotton, as though it has never been washed?
- Will this fabric bleed?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, wet washing is probably not a good idea. It may cause further deterioration of damaged areas or permanently destroy the value of a really special old quilt.
If you plan to display your quilt on a bed or wall, you may want to reconsider wet washing. Avoid your neighborhood dry cleaner. Despite the name, the dry cleaning process is anything but dry. Clothing goes into a large washing machine and is washed with chemicals instead of water. A simple vacuuming is often the better choice for quilts that cannot be wet washed.
If you do decide to wash your quilt, be aware that you may permanently damage it no matter how careful you are. You may want to seek the advice of a professional textile conservationist first. The American Institute for Conservation at 1717 K St. NW, Suite 200, Washington DC 20006 can provide a list of conservators in your area.
Test for Bleeding First
Before wet washing, always test for bleeding. Using clean cotton balls, dab a little warm water on each of the different fabrics in the quilt. Saturate the fabric enough to get that top layer good and wet, but try not to soak the whole quilt. Rub the cotton ball on the fabric and check whether any color comes off. If it does, there is a very good chance more color will come off in the wash, and it may ruin the quilt entirely.
Do not assume that because one red print did not bleed, another one on the same quilt will not either. Test them all. Even after testing, lengthy soaking and exposure to soap can still cause bleeding that did not show up in your spot test.
Also consider the age and condition of the quilt. Many 19th century quilts used unstable dyes. Wet washing may cause those dyes to run, change color, or disappear altogether. Some quilt fabrics were produced using iron as a mordant to set the dye, which damaged the fabric so badly that washing causes the dye to vanish and take the fabric with it. This is called dye rot, and it makes your quilt look like it has the measles.
Washing Your Quilt
Do not head for the washing machine. Instead, commandeer the bathtub for the afternoon. This is a simple process, but not a quick one. Since your quilt will be at its most vulnerable, plan to give it the time and attention it deserves.
Find either Ivory Soap Flakes (not the same as Ivory powdered detergent) or Orvus veterinary soap, available at feed stores and sometimes quilt shops. Fill the tub about halfway with cold water, swish in the soap, and let it dissolve. Add your quilt and gently push it under water to soak for at least 15 minutes.
Do not use any soap that contains bleach or “brighteners.” Both are fine for sturdy modern fabrics but will cause rapid deterioration of fragile antique textiles. If you have hard water or water quality issues, consider using bottled or distilled water. You will need quite a bit of it.
After soaking, you need to agitate the quilt gently to work the dirt out. Ideally, recruit a small child to walk back and forth on it for a few minutes. You can do it yourself, but be gentle and watch your footing. On smaller pieces, you may be able to squeeze and swish the fabric by hand.
Repeat the process until the water no longer turns dark and the rinse water runs clear. This may take four or five cycles or more, which is exactly why you scheduled the whole afternoon. Rinse thoroughly. Soap left in the quilt will attract dirt faster than clean fabric ever would.
My Personal Preference
I use a washing machine, treating it as a giant wash tub. Fill it with water, hand agitate the quilt, let it soak, and then let the machine spin out the excess water. There is some debate about the stress that spinning puts on wet fibers, but the controlled action of the machine is arguably less stressful than lifting a heavy waterlogged quilt by hand. It also dries faster, which reduces the risk of mildew and drying streaks.
Other mild soap options include Ivory Soap Flakes, Fels-Naptha, or equal parts Dove liquid dish soap and Clorox II Powder (the powder form) in warm water. For natural cleaning, try this buttermilk recipe: for every gallon of water, add 1 quart of buttermilk with 1% or less butterfat and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Rinse well. For really dirty quilts, an enzyme cleaner such as Axion or Biz works well. There is no need to soak for more than 20 minutes.
The actual cleaning agents (surfactants) come in two forms: anionic and ionic (detergent and soap). Each type attracts different types of soil molecules. Ivory Snow liquid and Dreft are a simple combination of anionic and ionic surfactants with a few enzymes thrown in. Whatever method you use, be sure the quilt is thoroughly rinsed. Residual soap will attract dirt.
Getting It Out of the Tub
Drain the tub and let the quilt sit a while so water can drain from it naturally. Gently squeeze out as much water as you can. Do not twist or wring it. The fabric is extremely delicate when wet.
You will need a helper and a bedsheet or large towel to get the quilt out safely. Push the wet quilt to one side, lay the sheet or towel under it, and roll the quilt back onto it. Think of it like moving a hospital patient. You do not want to lift the wet quilt directly, as you risk tearing weakened fabric.
You and your helper lift the four corners of the sheet and move the quilt on this makeshift stretcher. Lay it, still on the sheet, on your lawn in the shade, then cover it with another clean sheet. If you do not have a lawn, a tile floor works well. Resist the urge to hang it on a clothesline. The stress is hard on wet fabric.
To dry your quilt indoors or in the machine-wash scenario, lay it flat over clean towels or a towel-padded surface. Cover with a clean sheet and run a fan on low to circulate air. Turn the quilt periodically so it dries evenly.
Check on it regularly to make sure it stays covered and is drying properly. You may need to flip it over, and it may take more than a day to dry completely. Bring it inside at night and continue the next day. And yes, keep an eye on it outside. People will steal a quilt off your lawn.
Dealing with Stains
Antique quilts come with a history, and sometimes that history left a mark. Old quilts are made of natural fibers that absorb easily, which is why white glove ladies at quilt shows are there to protect the cotton from body oils, liquids, and other organic substances. Over time, those invisible stains oxidize into colored ones.
Scattered spots called foxing are caused by mold growth. What looks like a blood stain or rust stain is often what remains of a dead bug. These stains are nearly impossible to remove. Brown stains that appear after years of folded storage often look like furniture polish, blood, or rust but are actually caused by dye migration. Changes in temperature can trigger this, and most dye migration stains cannot be removed because the dye has permanently bonded to the adjoining fabric. You can do more damage trying to remove them than by leaving them alone.
If your quilt has stains worth treating, spot clean before washing the whole thing. Be aware that you may end up with one area noticeably cleaner than the rest. Trying to decide what kind of stain you have so you can properly pre-treat it is difficult. Old quilts are made of natural fibers which absorb easily. That’s why there are white glove ladies at quilt shows – they are there to protect those cotton fibers from body oils, liquids, soils, and other organic substances. Over time, these invisible stains oxidize to colored stains.
Sodium perborate has been used in textile conservation for many years. It does not bleach past the original color, so if the fabric was originally off-white, it will not go lighter than that. Sodium perborate is the active ingredient in Clorox 2. You can also spot clean with a paste made from Biz, Ivory Snow Flakes, or Shaklee’s Nature Bright. Brush the paste onto the spot, let it dry, and vacuum it off with the brush attachment.
To remove pencil marks, try this: mix 1/4 cup water, 3/4 cup rubbing alcohol, and 7 to 8 drops of Palmolive detergent. Apply with a toothbrush.
The old home remedies of laying linens on the grass or using lemon juice to bleach stains may brighten things temporarily, but the effect usually reverts to yellow.
Whatever cleaning method you choose, make sure the quilt is thoroughly rinsed. Residual soap will attract dirt, and you will be right back where you started.
Here is a story one of our readers shared with us:
I was not sure if it was safe to hand wash an old comforter made from a seed bag with wool batting. The cover has a square of shiny floral fabric that looks like 1920’s. The fabric of the cover is frail, but both of only two small tears I mended. Well, I went to a rug shampoo rental shop in town, and after hearing my story, they suggested that I use their “Bissell Carpet Cleaner Self- Cleaning Formula”. I sprayed the cleaner very lightly onto the comforter cover {after testing it for colorfastness} and let it dry, and then vacuumed the cover briskly, according to directions. The colors on the fabric are brighter, and the entire piece is “deodorized” The water spots faded considerably! Anyways, all went well with the cleaning, and I’m glad I did it.
So don’t be discouraged! You own an original piece of American history. With proper care, your quilt will last a lifetime. Keep it clean, out of direct sunlight and high humidity areas and most importantly, enjoy it.
For More Information
The Bishop Museum has prepared this handout for cleaning a quilt from a strict conservation standpoint. You might also be interested in The Collections Care Manual From Mt St Marys Museum. If You Are Laundering Linens, Try This Article Or This Article.