For old vintage linens that are yellowed with age and need more than spot cleaning, here are some recipes for soaking the entire piece.

Check a spot to make sure the recipe won’t damage the fabric or colors before soaking the entire item.

Note: When drying linens in the sun, lay them directly on the grass instead of hanging them–the weight of hanging wet linens can warp or damage the fibers.

Recipe #1

1/4 cup Kosher or Sea salt
Gallon hot water

• Cover piece entirely and soak for at least 48 hours. Rinse well and lay out in the sun to dry. See notes below for rinse method.

Recipe #2

• In a large roaster or pot, fill with hot water and several slices of lemon. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat and add your linens. Use a wooden spoon to push down the linens until they become completely submerged and saturated with the water. Cover the pot and leave overnight.
• Rinse well, wash with mild detergent and water as usual and then lay the items out in the sun to dry.

Buttermilk Soak - Recipe #3

1 Quart Buttermilk
1 Gallon Water
1 TBS Fresh Lemon Juice

• Soak linens in the buttermilk recipe for up to 24 hours, rinse twice, then launder as usual.

Biz & Oxyclean Soak - Recipe #4

1 Scoop* Biz
1 Scoop* Oxyclean
1 Gallon Hot Water

• Soak in the hot water for up to 48 hours, then rinse and launder as usual.
• *Use the oxyclean scoop

Rinse Method

• After washing linens, give it a good vinegar rinse to remove as much of the soap as possible. Use one cup of white vinegar per gallon of water. After the vinegar rinse, rinse again with plain water a time or two.

Stain Remover Recipes:

Cleaning Vintage Linens Recipe
Bleach Stains From Old Linens

And here’s another spot treater recipe:

3/4 cup rubbing alcohol
1/4 cup water
10 drops mild dish detergent

How Long To Soak Vintage Linens?

You can soak items for a few days if they are heavily yellowed and the cleaning solutions aren’t giving you the results you want. Just replace with fresh hot water + recipe every day or two.

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