Cleaning an antique quilt? Help!

[slsurface]

My mother recently gave me an old quilt that my great grandmother made. It is in good condition for the most part. No rips, or damage to the fabric other than some mildew staining.

My mom thought I should have it professionally cleaned, but #1 I don't have the $ and #2 I didn't want it to be saturated in chemicals. I washed in my FL washer on "hand wash" cycle with Charlies Soap, tea tree oil, and a few drops of grapefruit seed oil. It came out of the wash looking very good and clean. But it still has a slight lingering order of mildew. I worry about washing it with vinegar, as it might deteriorate the fragile old cotton fabric. Any suggestions on how to remove mildew without damaging a 50+ year old quilt?

TIA!
Sarah

[cristeen]

Since you watched it with GSE, it's doubtful there's still live mildew, there may be stains, and there may be lingering smell.

The best thing for the smell is sunshine, although with something that old, I wouldn't want to put it in direct sun. If you have a clothesline, I'd hang it out there (draped over at least 2 lines), and cover it with a sheet (or two) so the sun doesn't damage the quilt. But let it get lots of fresh air and filtered sunlight, and that should help.

[slsurface]

Originally Posted by cristeen

Since you watched it with GSE, it's doubtful there's still live mildew, there may be stains, and there may be lingering smell.

The best thing for the smell is sunshine, although with something that old, I wouldn't want to put it in direct sun. If you have a clothesline, I'd hang it out there (draped over at least 2 lines), and cover it with a sheet (or two) so the sun doesn't damage the quilt. But let it get lots of fresh air and filtered sunlight, and that should help.

Great advice, thanks! I'll give it a try.

[PGTlatte]

You might try tip #2 on this page:

http://www.marklipinski.com/Tulip%20Tips/TTcontent.html

[jennlyn]

One thing to remember about old textiles is that they are more fragile when wet. Getting them wet makes them heavy and they are then more prone to tear. If I remember correctly, they say to wash quilts in the tub rather than agitate them in the washer and not to lift them when they are saturated, but rather let the water drain out and gently squeeze the water out.