Annie Pearl

I have a red and white antique quilt that has never been washed. I believe it was made in the 40's or 50's by my great-grandmother. What do I wash it in Synthrapol, Retayne or something else. All this washing business is a bit confusing.

dunster

Definitely not Retayne. Retayne sets dyes, so you could wind up with red all over the white.

Since the fabrics in the quilt are vintage, the instructions that we typically give for more modern fabrics may not be correct. Do you know that the fabrics are all cottons? Are there any stains or other problems with the quilt?

Here's one site that addresses cleaning a vintage quilt - http://laundry.about.com/od/laundryb...antiquilts.htm

PaperPrincess

Don't use Retayne as it sets the dye! You use that on yardage before you cut.
Synthrapol keeps the dye suspended in the water rather than being deposited on the fabric.
Use cool or cold water, and lots of it (i.e. don't use a front loader or high efficiency top loader). Don't agitate. You can also wash it in the bath tub. Put a sheet down, then the quilt. after swishing everything around and draining, you can use the sheet to lift the quilt out so you don't put strain on it. if you have the room, dry flat.

dunster

Another site -http://museum.msu.edu/glqc/quiltcare.html

Most experts seem to recommend not washing a vintage quilt at all if it has never been washed, unless it is really necessary, and absolutely not putting it in the washing machine.