The Palm Beach suit thread

Wild Root · Nov 17, 2006

Palm Beach and Oxi Clean= CLEAN GOODALL

Yes gents, that's right! Oxi Clean works very well! I have a late 30's Palm Beach that I've been dieing to wear but, there were ( and do mean WERE) stains on the pants. I bought some Oxi Clean, the stuff you see that bearded guy sell on TV and I put it into a bucket of cold water, mixed it around and put the pants in to soak.

When I put the pants in originaly, the stain was from wine I believe... what was a dark stain was a very, very light shade of yellow this morning. I'm going to check it out when I get home from work, it should be pretty much gone if not comepleatly!

So, if any one is wondering how to clean vintage Palm Beach cloth or any other linen or cotton vintage cloth, soak it in Oxi Clean! It wont hurt your clothes, there's no bleach in it so, it's safe to use. You can even use it on colors too!!!

If I had photos of what it looked like before, I'd share but, I don't. I will take some photos of the suit after Oxi Clean so you can see how well it worked!

=WR=

Nick Charles · Nov 17, 2006

I used it to clean a bunch of vintage ties and man was the water smelly and dark, but the ties were clean.:eusa_clap

Fletch · Nov 17, 2006

Were they silk? rayon? acetate?

Did it get out localized stains and spots? How about knot yellowing?

(I just got an auction lot of about 60 bellywarmers, and about half could benefit from such treatment if it indeed works. All of 'em, unstained ones included, smell like they've spent some quality time in a basement full of cats...)

The Wingnut · Nov 17, 2006

Worked great on my favorite '40s Haband tie after I spilled coffee on it.

Make sure you rinse the hell out of anything that you use it on. I have a white tie waistcoat that has yellow stains on it from ironing due to not completely rinsing the item out after treating it.

Again, rinse the hell out of the item when you're done!

...I should add, test if the item to be cleaned is colorfast. If it is, get the water as hot as humanly possible. This will accelerate the process and make it easier to dissolve the cleaning agent.

MudInYerEye · Nov 17, 2006

How old was the wine stain on the Palm Beach suit? I know a guy with a killer 30's linen beltedback suit for sale but it has nasty stains that are probably at least 60 years old. I wonder if Oxi Clean could clean such ancient filth.

Rosie · Nov 17, 2006

The ladies were speaking about the power of OxyClean not too long ago in The Powder Room. I have two dress, both from the mid '40s that I plan on soaking over the weekend. So far, its worked on cotton, rayon, and a dress that seemed silky-rayon-y.

Nick Charles · Nov 17, 2006

most of the ties were silk, couple rayon, just soaked about 1 hour then cold rinse and air dry.

Baron Kurtz · Nov 17, 2006

Wild Root said:
Yes gents, that's right! Oxi Clean works very well! I have a late 30's Palm Beach that I've been dieing to wear but, there were ( and do mean WERE) stains on the pants. I bought some Oxi Clean, the stuff you see that bearded guy sell on TV and I put it into a bucket of cold water, mixed it around and put the pants in to soak.

Gahh, you're a braver man than I! I have a formula from my source of suits that he got from some old menswear store guys. it involves a small amount of bleach, lemon juice, water and sunlight. I haven't had the guts to clean my dirty palm beach suit yet. I thin i'll entrust the job to a vintage clothing dry cleaner i found in Londinium.

bk

Marc Chevalier · Nov 17, 2006

.

---------------------------------------WARNING!!!!

Some Palm Beach Cloth suits have rotted fabric. That is, they were stored in a hot, dry place for too many years, and the fabric has become brittle. This brittleness is not always obvious to the naked eye.

When you soak Palm Beach Cloth suits, they tend to shrink. You then have to stretch them back into shape -- usually by pulling on the jacket's skirt and sleeves, the trouser legs, and perhaps the waistband. Guess what happens when you do that to rotten fabric? It tears and disintegrates. This happened to me once ... don't let it happen to you.

.

Wild Root · Nov 17, 2006

Thanks Marc for the WARNING!

When I got the suit, the stain on the pants were already a few years old. I took it to French's cleaners in Pasadena which are known for their expert vintage clothing care... they failed at getting the stains out!!! They said they were afraid to wash it because it might shrink... well, I know that this stuff is 60+ years old and has been washed many times before so, I wasn't impressed.

I spent $30 bucks on cleaning and it didn't even get the stains out! So, I bought some Oxy Clean (I've used it in the past) and had amazing results! I have an ivory gabardine shirt that I picked up at a vintage shop for $5. it had a bad red/brown stain (Spaghetti maybe?) on the left pocket... I thought, why not try Oxy Clean, I only paid 5 bucks for it and I didn't want to wear it like it was so, I soaked it in a tub of the stuff for days... IT CAME OUT!!! Oxy Clean is pretty easy on fabric, it's not bleach so, it wont destroy your clothes.

I'll have to try it on some ties I have, I've got some ties that I picked up on the cheap and are kind of stained or dirty... might as well give it a shot right? lol But, this Palm Beach fabric is pretty tough stuff and it can take a good cleaning now and again, I'd clean any Palm Beach stuff I get that's dirty or stained with out a second thought! BK, don't waist your money, just take a large tub or bucket, fill it with cold water and add a large scoop of Oxy Clean... stir it around and let it sit for a day or two. Empty it into the bath tub and then rinse it out as best as you can with cold water. Let it air dry for a few days and then take it to the cleaners and have them press it... it will be good as new!

=WR=

slicedbread · Nov 24, 2006

Palm Beach Suit?

Recently acquired this little guy off of ebay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=011&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&viewitem=&item=320048721599&rd=1&rd=1

Good find? I was a little hesitant because of the stain and all but it seems like Wild Root is having a good old time with that oxiclean and I don't want to have to miss out!

Benny Holiday · Nov 24, 2006

Looks real good!

The way the seller mentioned Oxyclean, maybe he/she is a Lounge member or at least hip to the FL and read Root's post.

Looks to be an original from the 1930's for a very good price. Now I guess we'll get your reviews on Oxyclean once the suit arrives!

And welcome to the Lounge!

slicedbread · Nov 24, 2006

You know...You're probably right! It did strike me as odd, however, that the seller chose to list this particular suit in the "suits" section rather than the vintage section... And yes, I'll be giving a review of my oxiclean experience (I hope it doesn't leave me in tears)... If it does work then I think some pics will need to be posted.

Baron Kurtz · Nov 24, 2006

That's a good one. And at a great price. You're lucky i didn't see it. That seller really shot themselves in the foot with the category they chose.

great find!

bk

herringbonekid · Nov 24, 2006

Baron Kurtz said:
You're lucky i didn't see it.

and YOU'RE lucky i didn't see it.

Fu Manchu · Dec 4, 2006

I saw it...

... and it's my size too. The rate that the seller quoted me for shipping, however, took me out of the auction. If I remember correctly, he also had a slightly smaller belt-back suit up at the same time in the same category. It went for around $100, I think.

I can't wait 'till I move back to the States.

Marc Chevalier · Dec 4, 2006

Slicedbread, be very careful when you soak your suit. Two reasons why:

1) Dry rot can occur to old Palm Beach Cloth that has been stored in a hot, dry place for years. Chances are, you won't see this dry rot until you soak the suit. Then, it will tear to shreds. If you suspect that the suit has dry rot (check the fabric for roughness, raspiness, and broken fibers), then don't soak it. Live with the stain.

2) Soaking will almost certainly shrink the suit's length. The jacket will become shorter and the trousers as well. One remedy is to restretch the garment by pulling on the jacket's skirt and the trouser legs, while they're still wet from the soaking. However, in doing this, you risk tearing the fabric and/or the seams. Go slow and be gentle.

.

Grace · Dec 4, 2006

It's never a good idea to soak anything with linings and interfacings. Shrinkage might occur, and it might turn out all lumpy and may never be the same. Spring for a dry cleaning.

That's a sweet suit!

Marc Chevalier · Dec 5, 2006

Grace said:
Spring for a dry cleaning.

Problem is, though, that Palm Beach Cloth doesn't seem to respond all that well to dry cleaning. The stains don't go away so easily.

Palm Beach Cloth suits were meant to be handwashed. (They came with handwashing instructions. "Use Lux laundry soap", I think the label said.)

.

Miss Sis · Dec 5, 2006

Ah, now I have heard tell of this Oxiclean stuff from the elusive Wild Root post (well, I haven't seen it)

Funnily enough, I bought the BF a double breasted Palm Beach jacket for his birthday which had a few stains and general storage marks. I used Napisan first which it would seem is very like Oxiclean, as it is an Oxygen 'bleach' - not a bleach at all. It's for babies nappies or diapers for all you Americans

Although it cleaned it up a bit, it still has faint marks. Then I found Oxiclean at a local supermarket as said BF had mentioned the stuff.

It seemed alright, but didn't really seem to do anything that Napisan didn't. The trick is sometimes to soak it several times and to make sure that the water you soak it in is tepid, so as not to set the stain in any more. I will be soaking his jacket for the third time in hopes of lightening the stains a bit more. Palm Beach suiting is sturdy stuff in general but I would check the condition is strong before hand. I don't know much about dry rot - it's too wet where I'm from!

Good Luck!

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