Ruining vintage stuff :(

KittyT · Sep 14, 2008

Do you have an item that you've ruined? Maybe a dress you ripped when you were out dancing? An item that shrunk or disintegrated when you washed it? Something that got a careless cigarette burn in it? Something you stained during that nice dinner?

I just got to thinking about this - I soaked a bunch of vintage and non-vintage items in Oxyclean last night, and some of the dye bled out of an orange cotton shirtdress. The dye deposited on some items - one of my favorite white shirts, a pair of pink pedal pushers (both not vintage, fortunately, but I'm still gutted). There's one more vintage dress I have yet to inspect and I'm terrified to take a look. I'm never going to forgive myself if I ruined it. It's a lesson learned the hard way - soak like colors only.

I had a lovely dress some years back - a plain early 60s cocktail dress of undetermined fiber content. Shrunk about 5 sizes when I hand washed it. Maybe I should've dry cleaned it, but would the cleaners have destroyed it?

I also have a gorgeous 1940s velvet opera coat that somehow ended up with a large cigarette burn in the front some years ago. Again, totally kicking myself for putting it in harm's way.

Some lessons are learned the hard way

Dinerman · Sep 14, 2008

Deadstock yellow necktie with NRA tags that shattered once I took it out of the packaging and tried to wear it.

LizzieMaine · Sep 14, 2008

Years ago I had a gorgeous royal-blue rayon peplum dress with gold-studded ornamentation on the bodice -- very elegant, very late-30s, very special-occasion. But it had a faded spot along one side where it had hung in the sun in the shop where I found it -- the blue had gone purply. It wasn't awfully obvious, but it was enough that I felt like I couldn't wear it. So I was young enough and dumb enough to think I could re-dye it without it being noticeable.

Well, I couldn't. I found that out too late.

KittyT · Sep 14, 2008

#^%#!

It's ruined. The lovely light blue linen 50s dress with soutache on the bodice and skirt front. Nice swathes of orange dye all over. I've worn it once.

I guess I'll try soaking it again on its own. Anyone ever used dye remover on vintage?

olive bleu · Sep 14, 2008

Lovely 2 piece 195o's silk suit in the most delicious shade of aqua. Wore it to a wedding and spilled coffee all over myself.By the time i got home, the stain was hopelessly set.The lesson I have learned is I am , by nature, a klutz.Now i only drink white wine when wearing vintage

Foofoogal · Sep 14, 2008

soutache=ouch!!

My knees just buckled I think. I recently bought a dress about 2 sizes too small just because it has the most marvelous soutache. I may frame it and hang it the dress is so pretty.

I would try the dye remover I think or maybe the cleaners can assist you.
Did you ask anyone at the VFG board about it?
http://www.vintagefashionguild.org/forums/

Flivver · Sep 15, 2008

Back in 1968, at the age of 17, I managed to wash part of the printing off the celluloid dial of a 1934 Philco Model 60 radio in my haste to clean it. Since this was one of my first old radios, I was devastated. But I learned never to clean radio dials with water.

Fortunately, I found a replacement dial years later.

LizzieMaine · Sep 15, 2008

Flivver said:
Back in 1968, at the age of 17, I managed to wash part of the printing off the celluloid dial of a 1934 Philco Model 60 radio in my haste to clean it. Since this was one of my first old radios, I was devastated. But I learned never to clean radio dials with water.

Fortunately, I found a replacement dial years later.

I did the same thing with the dial in the Philco console in my living room -- I ended up putting the dial on a lightboard and could see just enough of the shadow of where the printing had been to trace over it with a razor-point Sharpie. That held me over for more than twenty years, until I finally found a replacement dial! But yes, it's a lesson sadly learned...

Sefton · Sep 15, 2008

O.K.,my father gave me his Levis denim jacket that he had since 1955. I did wear it many times,but since my father used to wear it when working on cars there were a few grease marks. I washed it. It fell apart. The one that I'll never forget though was one that my father actually ruined;in the '50s he purchased a beautiful Grundig console radio made in west Germany. AM/FM/Shortwave. Fantastic dark wood cabinet with gold pinstripe. Beautiful glass face plate with all of the station and countries painted on it. Great sound. He gave it to me and I loved to listen to programs from other countries with a hand made antenna. When I went to college I left it with Dad to look after it. Should be fine,right? After all,it was his. Wrong. He decides that he needs a cabinet for his turntable and records so...he tears out all of the electronics,throws them away and I come back to find the empty shell of a once glorious Grundig. I'd honestly rather have the Grundig over the Levis. I love Dad,but I don't think I'll ever completely forgive him for that one.

RedHotRidinHood · Sep 15, 2008

KittyT said:
#^%#!

It's ruined. The lovely light blue linen 50s dress with soutache on the bodice and skirt front. Nice swathes of orange dye all over. I've worn it once.

I guess I'll try soaking it again on its own. Anyone ever used dye remover on vintage?

I deal mostly in vintage linens, and I have used Carbona Dye Remover with great success. It's worth a try-what have you got to lose? Since it's linen, it will probably be ok. I wouldn't try it on old rayon. Best of luck to you!

KittyT · Sep 15, 2008

RedHotRidinHood said:
I deal mostly in vintage linens, and I have used Carbona Dye Remover with great success. It's worth a try-what have you got to lose? Since it's linen, it will probably be ok. I wouldn't try it on old rayon. Best of luck to you!

Thank you! My mom has told me that boiling it in dish soap and colorsafe bleach should work, or soaking it in Biz for 3 days. I'll try anything to save this baby!

Feraud · Sep 15, 2008

KittyT said:
#^%#!

It's ruined. The lovely light blue linen 50s dress with soutache on the bodice and skirt front. Nice swathes of orange dye all over. I've worn it once.

I guess I'll try soaking it again on its own. Anyone ever used dye remover on vintage?

Just an fyi, but I have had success removing 40+ years of accumulated dirt and lunch stains from vintage ties using Oxyclean.

Caroline · Sep 15, 2008

A Suit!

I ruined a fantastic vintage suit by attempting to raise the hemline myself. I thougt it would be easy, but with the girth of the wool, it wasn't and I might as well have taken a staple gun to the poor thing. It already had some moth issues but it was this deep colbalt blue tweed that you never see and I mucked it up. Oh well, I'll never try that again! It still haunts me to this day.

Miss_Bella_Hell · Sep 15, 2008

Feraud said:
Just an fyi, but I have had success removing 40+ years of accumulated dirt and lunch stains from vintage ties using Oxyclean.

Dunno if you read the OP, but Oxyclean actually created the original problem.

Lillemor · Sep 15, 2008

It would be terribly painful to try to remember all the vintage items I've ruined in my life due to ignorance and/or carelessness. I've just lost a vintage, cameo earclip because I chose to casually wear it on a week day when I was out and about and changed jackets, carried boys PE bags over my shoulder etc. That's not a ruined item but it's painful to think of what my carelesness has cost me.

I've got yellow stains on a 1900-1910s white, knit shawl that my husband's paternal grandmother "knotted"croched(sp?) herself.

I've ruined a heering bone/guitar patterned gold necklace. I don't know how old it was before I received it as a gift. It'd belonged to someone in my family, I believe.

Oh yeah, I've ruined several wool and paisley vintage skirts in my life by accidentally tossing them in the washing machine with the rest of my laundry.

KittyT · Sep 15, 2008

Lillemor said:
I've got yellow stains on a 1900-1910s white, knit shawl that my husband's paternal grandmother "knotted"croched(sp?) herself.

This sounds like a good candidate for an Oxyclean soak. A knit item shouldn't have any problems with that, and a good long soak will usually get out yellow stains.

I'm at it again! I just spilled coffee all over myself and a 50s cotton sundress that I'm wearing today. At least this one is a crazy print and you would never be able to tell, and a soak should fix it.

That's 3 dresses and a pair of pants in 2 days. Maybe I'm not fit to wear vintage. Or maybe I should pass on clothes altogether lol

Feraud · Sep 15, 2008

Miss_Bella_Hell said:
Dunno if you read the OP, but Oxyclean actually created the original problem.

Oh snap! I should have read slower. lol

The Shirt · Sep 15, 2008

My issue is with wearing chiffon dresses. I've ruined 3 now. Each caught on the latch on a steamer trunk in my dining room. A stich or twon on the patterned ones makes them a bit wearable for a dinner out but I won't wear them now where you might be in company standing for a long period of time.

Oxyclean and I have a love/hate relationship. Generally I only do one item at a time to avoid the dye issues with vintage. Another soaking as your mother suggested. I've had some luck with the dish soap route.

Sunny · Sep 15, 2008

I tore up at least half a dozen nylons on rough spots (thread ends, knots, and especially jagged glue) inside my shoes. It was so exasperating, because if I don't actually tear them, my stockings usually last for weeks to months of regular wear. Now I'm wise and take a nail file to all the rough parts of any new shoes, but it did cost me.

I broke a crochet handbag frame; the weight of my phone and keys just shattered the light plastic chain handle and part of the frame itself. I still feel guilty, although it really was not a quality piece to start with.

By the way, for all those dye accidents - I always wash with color catcher sheets now. They work amazingly well. I've got a red sweater with white trim that's now been washed many times, and the red has never bled onto the white a bit.

Ace Fedora · Sep 15, 2008

A 1940s-era radio that I somehow managed to knock out of a third-story window.

(By "somehow" I mean "through an amazing lack of common sense and basic thinking skills")

Ruining vintage stuff :(

I'll Lock Up

Super Moderator

I'll Lock Up

One Too Many

Banned

Practically Family

Call Me a Cab

Practically Family

I'll Lock Up

One of the Regulars

My Mail is Forwarded Here

One Too Many

I'll Lock Up

Practically Family

One Too Many

Familiar Face

Similar threads

Log in

Forum statistics