January 2015 — before I made the switch to Mama’s Miracle Linen Soak.
Hi Susan,
My name is Cathy, and I had a quick question about an old baptism dress I had when I was younger. It is about 24 years old, and it was never stored/cleaned properly. It has two medium brown stains on the left sleeve as well as some light brown spots on a bow that wraps around the dress. The dress has a layer of lace on top, and I was wondering if you could suggest what you think would be the best cleaning solution to try out first. I considered using Oxiclean, but from some of the stuff I’ve read, I feel like it might be too strong for such a delicate piece. Should I try Restoration Cleaner instead? I would really appreciate any suggestions you might have! I have pictures of the dress and stains if you would like to see them. Thank you for your help!
I love letters like this because I suspect it will be “easy” to save a family heirloom—and I love success stories with family heirlooms! And so I responded.
Cathy, I’m so glad you contacted me! Your baptism dress sounds beautiful, and I can just imagine how much it would mean to you to return it to pristine condition.
Unless your dress is silk (which is unlikely, but I must mention it), then yes, Restoration Linen Cleaner is exactly what I recommend. I suspect the stains on your gown are “the usual” oxidation stains that will soak right out, but why don’t you send me pics—just so I can confirm I’m on the right track. Better safe than sorry…
In the meantime, perhaps I can offer you some encouragement with this testimonial from a My Place to Yours reader/customer:
I purchased a 2# container and told you that I had a christening gown (french batiste, all handmade by my mother) that was almost 40 years old and was horribly dingy. I did a ‘test run’ on the bonnet, and it was fabulous. However, it was not as discolored as the main dress. Last night I decided to go for broke and did the slip and the dress… May I tell you that the gown and slip are as pristine as the day they were worn by my oldest son 38 years ago! They are BEAUTIFUL! Thank you for publicizing this wonderful product! I never, ever dreamed that this dress would ever look so wonderful. As a side note: my best friend’s daughter is expecting her first child, so the gown is now ready to go again! Thank you again! ~ Nancy (Baton Rouge, LA)
Can’t wait to see your pics! (If, by some chance, your dress contains any silk, let me know. I may have another suggestion.)
Thank you for the opportunity to help with your family treasure! Have a great week.
I followed up with Cathy recently to see how her linen restoration project turned out . . .
Unfortunately, I did not save those photos 🙁 and I didn’t take any “after” ones, but it did work, and I was able to safely store it away!
Success!
Two quick takeaways from this letter:
- Linens not cleaned and stored property will always come back to haunt you!
- Properly cleaning and storing linens is not difficult.
Check out my linen care series to see for yourself!
Click to see more readers’ letters
