Cleaning Silk Flowers On A Hat HELP PLEASE!

[hailey greenhat]

Not too sure where this should go so if it needs to be shifted to the Powder Room please feel free to move it.
Now to the point, I have a straw hat from the 60's with lavender silk flowers (both small rose buds and larger poppy-like flowers) on it, but the flowers are rather dingy. Does anyone know how i would go about cleaning them or what to use? I can up load pictures if it would be of more help.

 

[Joie DeVive]

I've tried steaming (like over a kettle) and then blotting with paper towels with fair results. If anyone else has some better techniques, I'd love to hear them too!

 

[RBH]

Your best bet may be to do as some here do with dingy ribbons, just replace the flowers.

 

[delectans]

If the silk flowers just have surface dust you could try gentle brushing with fine artist brushes. For more deeply embedded dirt I would consider a light steaming followed by careful blotting with distilled water and acid-free tissues, to avoid water stains. Unless there is a significant amount of oil present the distilled water should lift the grime away from the fabric fairly well.

Beyond that, I would leave the silk flowers alone, as you may end up causing more damage to the fragile material. Additionally, you can try contacting the textiles conservator at a local art museum such as the LA County Museum Of Art, as they generally will be more than happy to share their knowledge.

Best of luck!

 

[hailey greenhat]

Thank you all very much, i will try steaming and lightly blotting them.