If you have already received a clean quilt from us, it will likely not need another wash for a while. With these antique textiles, the fewer washes the better! However, an old quilt that hasn’t been washed is probably much dirtier than it looks, and unless it will live in a cabinet or on a wall, you will likely want to clean it.

First Time Washing

Wash by hand only to extend longevity of your quilt. Machine-washing will likely damage or destroy the fabric. You can use your bathtub, a large bucket, a large plastic storage container, a big sink, or even a little kiddie pool. A larger container is helpful especially if there is any color transfer or bleed from any of the fabrics, as there is room for the quilt to spread out and be moved around.

Add cold water to your container and mix with detergent. Use a gentle, dye- and scent-free detergent. To dissolve the detergent quickly, you can start with a little hot water and then dilute with cold. A few options that work well for antique quilts:

• Orvus Quilt Soap

• Restoration Hypoallergenic Cleaner

• Retro Clean

• Simple dishwashing liquid or gentle clothing detergent

Submerge the quilt gently into the water, and move around gently. Once the water gets dirty, drain and refill tub to rinse. Many quilts may require more than one soak and rinse. The color of the water is a good guide! After draining the water on your last rinse, be gentle when squeezing excess water—just place your hands flat and press down on the quilt, up and down.

To dry, you have a few options: After using your hands to gently press out as much liquid as you can, gather the quilt into a pile (do not pick up the quilt from one end as the weight of the water can cause damage to the fabric) and lay on an absorbent surface — some old but clean large towels on a bathroom floor, table, lawn, or deck can work. To start, it is best not to hang your quilt but lay it flat, and if space is lacking, you can fold it over once or twice. You can also gently roll it in the towels to remove moisture.

If you're drying outside and are concerned about fading of the colors, use another sheet to place on top of the quilt as it dries in the sunshine or dry upside down if the back is white or cream.

Once the towels have absorbed a lot of the water and the quilt feels lighter, it can be hung on a line or over a fence to dry, although shifting the quilting frequently for the first hour or two can help it from stretching along the line it is hanging from.

For odor removal, soaking a quilt in a couple cups of baking soda diluted in the tub can help. Airing in the sun does wonders, though we recommend draping the front of the quilt down, away from the sun, to prevent color fading.

Note for extra fragile quilts: Waterlogged quilts can be extremely heavy, which can put a lot of pressure on antique threads in the process of lifting the quilt out of the basin or tub. To alleviate this stress, you can place a clean old sheet at the bottom of the basin before washing across. This creates a “hammock” which you can then use to lift the quilt out of the water.

Potential Dye Running! 

Occasionally there may be a fabric in the quilt that is not colorfast and will bleed when washed and color the lighter areas of the quilt. Test for colorfastness before washing the entire quilt. Using a wet q-tip, rub the fabric gently to see if the color rubs off on the q-tip.

If the color rubs off on the q-tip, it may be a quilt that cannot safely be washed. This may be a quilt that is better enjoyed on display. A few sunny days out in some fresh air and lying on grass can help remove odors and lighten some staining. (Note that there have been times when we have had some light color transfer onto q-tips, but didn't have any bleeding when washing the quilt.)

Some people will risk a wash and add “Color Catchers” sheets by Shout, which you can find in your grocery store or online. These look like fabric softener dryer sheets, and help catch dye that floats in the water when washing a quilt.

Removing Stains and Yellowing

We've tried a number of options, and we've had the most success with the following. You can experiment as well—we'd love to hear if you come across anything that works well!

• Grandmother's Secret Stain Removal (on Amazon and some large department stores).

• Oxiclean for bright whites (you can use this with colors, too). Note: Oxiclean contains chemicals that may weaken the fabrics and will lighten the colors of your quilt. We don’t recommend this with older 19th century quilts. However, it can be useful when quilts with white backgrounds are majorly stained or yellowed. 

• After cleaning, you can squeeze lemon juice and rub it in with coarse salt, then dry in the sun. This can sometimes help lighten stains, especially on white fabrics. (Be aware that lemon juice can discolor certain colors so proceed with caution.)

• Lie a sheet on the grass, then lie the quilt on the sheet. Grass and sun can be miracle workers in their ability to lighten stains.

Storing

Store quilts in a cool, dry area when not in use. High temperatures and humidity will weaken the fabrics. Be sure to take them out of storage and fold them in a new way every six months, to prevent weakening of fabric along fold lines.

Loving

This is the most important part! Your quilt needs love, and you do, too. What we’ve experimented with is practicing mindfulness while cleaning quilts, and it can actually be a meditative, calming experience. Think of all the women before you who have stitched, slept under, washed, air dried, repaired, and slept under your quilt. Think of all the beautiful hands that have touched it and cared for it, including your own. And enjoy yourself.