Caring for Vintage Garments – How to Wash Vintage Clothes
Vintage clothing has now become a centre of attraction when following fashion. However, vintage outfits need extra care and protection than regular ones as they’re a part of history and have lasted longer.
The most important thing that catches people’s attention is that each vintage dress represents a specific character, whether a movie or a TV show, and that’s the reason these vintage outfits have so much demand. So, regarding “How to wash vintage clothing?” you must follow the steps below.
Before moving forward, if you’re facing some problems in washing your clothes, you can contact Love2Laundry and take advantage of their top-quality dry cleaning and laundry services in Amsterdam and let the experienced individuals handle the rest.
How to Wash Vintage Clothes – Tips & Tricks
Read the Label First
It’s crucial to read the labels of clothes, especially when washing vintage clothing. That’s because the care tag will guide you about all the details of the fabric, like what detergent to use, the amount of water required, and what to avoid to maintain the quality of your fabric.
Furthermore, vintage clothing requires special care, which means that the exact proportion of washing detergent and water is required, or else the entire look of your outfit will be ruined.
Separate the coloured and non-colored Fabrics
Separating the coloured and non-coloured vintage fabrics is also important because if you forget about it, the colour might fade away and damage other outfits.
So, the best option is to wash the sequence one at a time; for instance, if you’re using a washing machine, put the coloured clothing first and then the non-coloured clothing. However, if you want to wash both fabrics simultaneously, you can wash the second sequence by hand.
Use Cold Water
Another crucial tip for washing vintage clothes is to use cold water instead of warm water because most of the vintage outfits are manufactured from synthetic fabrics like polyester, and the fibres of these outfits are soft, which can get damaged if washed in warm water.
So, washing them in cold water will preserve the fibres of your vintage outfit and increase its durability.
How to Hand Wash Vintage Clothes
- First, water your sink or tub according to your laundry load.
Separating light and dark clothes to ensure the colours don’t overlap on fabrics.
- Put some laundry detergent in the sink or tub as required and stir the water with a spoon to dissolve the mixture completely.
- Please fill up your tub or sink with your vintage outfits and the mixture, and leave it for several minutes.
- After that, remove your clothes from the sink and drain the water as it absorbs all the dirt on your clothes.
- Rinse your outfits gently with the tap water to wipe off the remaining residue of the solution you prepared.
- If all the residue is completely removed, hang it on the ropes or put it in a dryer to dry your outfits.
Now that you’ve learned about how to hand wash vintage clothes, let’s have a look at washing them in a washing machine:
Washing Vintage Clothes in a Washing Machine
- When using a washing machine, wash these vintage clothes in separate cycles and close all the buttons, hooks, and zippers to avoid potential damage.
- If the fabric of your outfit is delicate, then make sure to put it in a laundry bag first before tossing it in the washing machine.
- Always go for cold water instead of hot water, which makes your outfits prone to colour fading and shrinking.
- Choose a mild detergent perfectly suited for the type of your vintage clothing, and avoid using bleach or other harsh chemicals to protect your clothes from damage.
- Keep your washing machine on a low cycle to avoid putting extra pressure on your clothes.
Parting Words
There’s no doubt that vintage outfits hold a special significance in everyone’s heart as they represent history and the durability of surviving several years and maintaining the same quality.
However, maintaining their quality requires special care, and you’ll find many searches for how to wash vintage clothes. For instance, you must use cold water, a mild detergent, and most importantly, read the label of your clothes to get more guidance on washing.
Before you go, don’t forget that Love2Laundry has expanded its operations in all the areas of Amsterdam. So, whenever you feel a shortage of time, hire our laundry services, and we’ll take care of the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do a vintage wash at home?
Yes, you can wash vintage clothes at home. However, you must make sure that the following requirements are completed:
- Read the label
- Separate light and dark colours
- Apply a gentle detergent
- Use a delicate cycle or wash by hand if required
- Choose cold water instead of hot water.
- Dry your clothes with proper care.
Can you machine wash vintage clothing?
Yes, you can machine wash your vintage outfits, but you must be certain to set your washing machine according to the requirements of your fabric. However, the most common setting is a gentle cycle, cold water, and a mild detergent.
Do vintage clothes smell?
That could be possible because these vintage clothes have lived for years, and having a nasty odour is normal. So, to remove the smell, you must hang your outfits for three days or place baking soda, activated charcoal, and cedar chips in the closet.
What temperature do you wash vintage clothes?
As mentioned above, vintage clothes require cold water for washing, so a low temperature is ideal. More importantly, cold water protects your vintage outfits from shrinking and stretching and protects the colour.
