How do I clean my grandmother's 60 yr. old crocheted tablecloth?

Answer 1

I would make a couple recommendations:

Visit a craft fair and ask one of the craftspeople to inspect your tablecloth. Chances are the tablecloth is cotton, then you'll be able to hand wash it by using Wool-Ite. There is a chance, though, that if this tablecloth was made during WWII that it is made from wool. In that case, you don't want to put it in water at all.

Either way, I would urge you to have someone who's experienced in crochet take a look at it. There is also solution which is sold at craft stores (JoAnn, Michael's, etc.) for laundering delicate crocheted items. I've been a crocheter for 5 years (my mother does thread crochet) and we've never taken an item to a dry cleaner to launder. My mom feels that the dry cleaners use chemicals which may deteriorate the thread.

Answer 2

First, have a look at it. Is it cotton? Silk? Wool? Linen? Any of these can probably be washed. Are there any large holes that will need mending or stabilizing before you subject it to the stress of washing? Are there any stains, such as tea, blood, iron, mold? Some items will pick up dark stains (usually iron) from being stored in acidic paper or cardboard boxes or wood.

I'm going to assume this is a good family tablecloth and not a priceless museum piece. Measure the cloth before you start so you can block it back into shape later. Start by soaking and washing gently - and yes, you can probably use your washing machine on the gentle or soak cycle - but don't use regular detergent. Use Orvis soap, a special textile cleaner that you can get at quilting/fabric stores. It won't leave deposits or damage your fabric. After washing, inspect for stains again. Maybe you need to wash it a second time? Maybe there are some stains that can be spot-treated? Conservators might use a very mild bleaching solution on mold stains. You might try a commercial "stain devil" type remover for specific stains. But any old stain is very likely to have been 'set in' by now, and there might be nothing you can do. If stains are particularly bad and detract from the pleasure of using the piece, you might consider dying it with tea (lots of our grandmothers did this!).

When you think it's as clean as it's going to get, dry it gently. One of the best ways, if you live in a clean area, is to put a clean white sheet on the grass and spread the cloth out on that - out of the sun - until nearly dry. Gently pull the cloth back to the proper dimensions while it's wet, as it might have shrunk or bunched up in the wash. Come to think of it, if there are still stains, you might even put the cloth in the sun for a little while to see if you can get some light bleaching. Store it rolled up gently - not folded - in a clean white pillowcase or wrapped in acid free tissue or cloth.

Answer 3

Fill bath tub with cold water, use a mild detergent, let tablecloth soak for a while. Scrub and wring out. You could hang out to dry or lay it on a flat surface. I wash crocheted blankets that I made or my mother has made using the same method.

Answer 4

Soak it in cool water with a mild detergent. Rinse well and gently sqeeze out wter. Roll in a big towel to further absorb moisture and dry on a flat surface.

Answer 5

I would put it in the bathtub with cool water and Woolite and let it soak for a while and then get in there and walk around on it to get it clean.

Drain and then rinse and dry on a clothesline.

This is how I wash old quilts and it works great.

Answer 6

Hand washing is best. put one cup of baking soda in warm water in your kitchen sink and soak the table cloth move around and let soak for 1/2 hour. rinse out and wring out and line dry or put 4 towels on your bed and spread the table cloth out to dry.

Answer 7

If it just needs refreshed clean it by hand in cool water and woolite. If stained go to a dry cleaner.

Answer 8

Best to soak in mild solution of cold water and borax (not bleach, it will damage it). Let air dry (not in the sun). If ironing is needed, lay face down on a cloth and lay another cloth over it and iron on low heat setting. :)

Answer 9

Take it too a specialized dry cleaner and make sure they know what they are doing.