How do you wash a vintage shirt?

[GoldenEraFan]

I have here a '40s/'50s shirt, and I'm curious as to how to properly wash it. It has a somewhat nubby texture and feels as if it could be a cotton/rayon mix. Any loungers have any tips on how to properly wash these kinds of shirts?

 

[Travis Lee Johnston]

I've had clothes like that, and what I did was wash it BY ITSELF or with similar shirts in cold or warm water on a gentle cycle wash with a little amount of liquid detergent. Hang dry it, cool iron it. That's it.

 

[Tomasso]

Hand wash in tepid water using a mild detergent like Woolite. Gently squeeze out water without wringing, then place the shirt on a clean towel. Roll the towel into a cylinder and squeeze. The idea is to remove as much water as possible while minimizing any damage to the fabric. Air dry on line, hanger (plastic with wide shoulders) or drying screen. When nearly dry (if dry lightly dampen with a spray bottle), press (medium setting) on the reverse side of garment, using a pressing cloth for any touch-ups need to the front side.


That said, back in the day many people would have thrown it in the washer/dryer and taken a hot iron to its front side.



BTW, nice shirt.......love the pockets.

 

[GoldenEraFan]

Thanks for the tips guys!

 

[resortes805]

Hand wash in tepid water using a mild detergent like Woolite. Gently squeeze out water without wringing, then place the shirt on a clean towel. Roll the towel into a cylinder and squeeze. The idea is to remove as much water as possible while minimizing any damage to the fabric. Air dry on line, hanger (plastic with wide shoulders) or drying screen. When nearly dry (if dry lightly dampen with a spray bottle), press (medium setting) on the reverse side of garment, using a pressing cloth for any touch-ups need to the front side.

Yes!

 

[Guttersnipe]

I've had clothes like that, and what I did was wash it BY ITSELF or with similar shirts in cold or warm water on a gentle cycle wash with a little amount of liquid detergent. Hang dry it, cool iron it. That's it.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do not wash this shirt by machine. Some vintage items can be machine washed, but those nubby blends are pretty delicate. Tomasso's recommended method gets good results and wont damage your garment.

 

[Travis Lee Johnston]

Haha. Okey dokie. You're the expert, but some modern machines have hand wash cycles for clothing just as delicate as this item may be.

Maybe the original poster has a follow up on the outcome?

When in doubt about expensive vintage, dry clean it.

 

[avedwards]

When in doubt about expensive vintage, dry clean it.

I disagree. Dry cleaning can damage fabric over the long term due to the aggressive chemicals used. I think hand washing with cold or tepid water and mild detergent is the safest. That's how I get stains out of vintage suits and so far mine are none the worse for wear.

 

[Travis Lee Johnston]

Cleaning any clothes regularly wears them down over the long term. My dry clean stuff looks better than anything washed in a tub or machine. Even years later.

 

[avedwards]

Steaming is probably the least damaging, but I the idea of wearing a shirt which has only been steamed disgusts me a little bit, so it's only really an option for suits.

 

[Travis Lee Johnston]

Haha, fair enough.

 

[Tomasso]

My dry clean stuff looks better than anything washed in a tub or machine. Even years later.

Have you ever had a cashmere sweater dry cleaned? That's where the deleterious effects of dry clean become glaringly apparent. There's not a maker of cashmere that would recommend dry cleaning over hand washing yet the dry clean only tag is attached to all their garments. Funny that..........

 

[Travis Lee Johnston]

I don't own sweaters, mostly wool trousers and stuff like the shirt the original topic of discussion was about.

 

[Tomasso]

I don't own sweaters, mostly wool trousers and stuff like the shirt the original topic of discussion was about.

Hey, you're the one who brought up dry cleaning.................

Any loungers have any tips on how to properly wash these kinds of shirts?

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Time to buy a vintage washing machine!

 

[Guttersnipe]

Modern washing machines are not at all like old machines. Old washing machines gently rotated and rinsed garments; modern machines are far too vigorous and create too much agitation. Add to that the crappy center column a lot of modern machines and you have a recipe for 'effed vintage. Lots of vintage clothes have washing instructions, but remember those weren't for garments that are 60 years old . . . often times gab shirts have labels that say "unconditionally washable" which is a bold faced lie (then and now).

ANY form of cleaning shortens the life of a piece of clothing, so does wearing any piece of clothing for that matter, but NOTHING shortens the life of cloth more than being soiled. Dirt, oils, food particles, etc. will rot just about every form of fabric known to man.

If you're into vintage clothing a good dry cleaner, a wash tub, and some gentle detergent are you best friends. It's really up to you to use your own best judgement what method. Things that may not be color fast: Hawaiian shirts, patterned fabrics, or two-toned garments, I always dry clean; likewise suits, jackets, spotcoats and trousers, I dry clean because intricately constructed garments react badly to water, any shrinkage at all ruins usually them; cottons I hand wash. If you're not sure of fabric content, dry clean.

One thing I will say is that certain fabrics, which while hand washable, I still avoid washing. Rayon blends, like you find most gabardine shirts to be made of, take on a certain fuzzy texture once washed, so I usually dry clean those too (unless they've already been washed - which you can always tell).

 

[AtomicEraTom]

That center column is ironically called an agitator.

modern machines are far too vigorous and create too much agitation. Add to that the crappy center column a lot of modern machines and you have a recipe for 'effed vintage

 

[scotrace]

A front load washer is a grand thing.