Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 July 1886 — Cleaning Costly Fabrics. [ARTICLE]

Cleaning Costly Fabrics.

A careless waiter or an accident at the dinner table may cause the apparent ruin of laces, silks, or velvets worth large sums of money. If the lady tries to"clean them herself she makes matters worse, and makes it impossible for the professional cleaners to do anything with them afterward. These cleaners have peculiar methods in renovating these delicate fabrics, and many of them they will not reveal, as they are secrets of their trade.

“Ths treatment of fine laces,” said a cleaner, “is an expensive and troublesome process. A thick blanket of soft rags is sewed around a bottle, and on this the lace is pinned. It is quite impossible to rub lace, as it would tear it to pieces. The bottle is then placed in a bath of soapy warm water. After soaking for twenty minutes it is boiled for some time, and then allowed to cool, It is dipped in several baths of clear water, until all the soap seems to be removed. The lace is then removed from the bottle, and after part of the water is driven out by gentle pressure it is hung tip to dry. “After a time it is laid on a soft cloth to dry still more. When still slightly damp it is placed on a hair cushion covered with flannel, and is fastened there with lace pins. This is a work of skill and patience. A pin is passed through each loop, and a twist is given before the pin is fastened. Sometimes the loop is drawn straight, and sometimes not, the operator seeming to follow the original design of the lace. When quite dry the lace is sponged with a weak solution of gum arabic, and when dry again it is almost as good as new. “ The method of cleansing velvet is a secret. It can be greatly freshened by steaming it over boiling water, care being taken to expose the wrong side of the velvet to the steam; but this is useful only where the damage is not very great. I can tell you only that the process is a dry one, and chalk is used in it. Velvet that has been wet is hard to treat, but we have been able to do wonders with it “It is a very common thing for actresses to bring elaborate silk and satin costumes to be renewed, and we also have many fine ball dresses. We do not take them apart, but cleanse them as they are. They are first dipped in a bath of naphtha, and this removes ink, champagne, and many other stains. Then they go into a bath of pure benzine, which takes out all the grease. They are softly rubbed in these baths, and any spots remaining are treated with oxalic acid. They are rinsed out in warm water and dried over steam coils. To iron them would harden the silk and make it shiny, so it is run over steam rolls or ironed between flannels. We have ironers whose business it is to iron dresses, and whpn they have finished a dress it looks new. Mildew is removed by oxalic acid. ”