In 1943, a booklet titled Make Do and Mend was widely distributed in England in an effort to encourage and teach households how to make their clothing last longer in a period of clothing and other shortages. This booklet became the cornerstone for households with information on how to reuse and reinforce old clothing as well as heaps of laundry tips and ideas on how to upcycle old clothes into something new. In today’s world, clothing has become disposable with most of what we buy to wear only being worn on average 7 times before it’s thrown out; this is causing so much destruction to our planet and it’s environment so sharing knowledge from decades ago, might just inspire us to take care of our garments better and reduce the amount we discard.
In a previous post, we covered Washing and Ironing Hints from Make Do and Mend which proved to be very popular. Today I wanted to expand on that post by sharing what the magical mending booklet says about washing and caring for various materials. In this post we will cover how to wash everything from blankets, lace, rayons, wool and more.
How to Wash Each Material
Blankets
Wash as Woolens. Hang the blanket with the stripes vertical and shake occasionally. Try to dry blankets on a warm, breezy day.
Corsets
Frequent washing is good for corsets, but they should never be rubbed with a cake of soap, nor two parts of the garment rubbed together. Neither should they be left to soak. Before washing, close zip fasteners, but open all metal clips and suspenders. Then press in a few soap flakes where the garment is most soiled, rub gently, and wash right side out, in two or three lots of lukewarm soapy water by squeezing gently. Another method is to brush with a soft nail brush under the soapy water. Rinse two or three times in lukewarm water until every sign of soap has gone, and roll the garment up in a towel to adsorb the moisture. Do not wring. Hang to dry lengthwise on a line, away from fire and radiators. Never dry in the sun or strong light. Corsets should not be ironed, for they are fitting garments, and the fabric will soon take on it’s proper shape again.
If you’d like more information on corset care, check out this blog.
Cottons and Linens
1. Avoid bleaching, which is an expert’s job. Hang in the sun to dry instead.
2. Separate whites from coloureds. Only the whites may safely be boiled.
3. Make a lather of soap in hot water, and be sure all particles of soap or powder are dissolved. This is very important.
4. Squeeze firmly in the suds, rubbing the very dirty bits with soap.
5. Rinse thoroughly to get all soap out and dry whites in the sun until only slightly damp.
6. Put coloureds in the same suds, except any that are likely to run. These must be washed separately.
7. Rinse thoroughly and dry in the shade.
8. All cottons and linens should be ironed slightly damp with a fairly hot iron.
Gloves
1. Make sure the gloves really are washable. Chamois leather, woolen, string or cotton can all be washed but never suede.
2. First try rinsing leather gloves in plain warm water as this will often get them clean. If not, wash them in warm, soapy water.
Put all gloves on your hands to wash them.
4. Rinse thoroughly and blow out the fingers when you put them to dry.
5. Never put leather gloves near a fire or radiator. This will crack them.
6. Put the gloves on your hands occasionally while they are drying to keep their shape.
If you’d like more information on how to wash vintage gloves, check out this post.
Lace
Soak white and cream lace articles in cold water for an hour, squeeze gently in lukewarm soapy water, rinse in tepid water and then in cold. Squeeze, do not wring. Iron when semi-dry under a cloth on the wrong side.
Rayon
There are many different types of rayon. The following instructions refer to the most delicate. Remember to use soft water if possible.
To wash Rayon
1. Never use very hot water, and be sure all soap is dissolved before putting in rayon articles.
2. Take off your rings, bracelets etc and see that sharp covered buttons or fasteners do not catch the material, and that they are not pressed into it.
3. Wash out very dirty marks first, then squeeze the the clothes gently in a small amount of soap worked up into a good later. Never leave to soak.
4. Never treat roughly, rub or twist; dirt stays on the surface of rayon so hard rubbing is unnecessary.
5. Rinse very thoroughly till there are absolutely no traces of soap.
6. Gently squeeze out the water with a towel; don’t twist or wring.
7. Spread rayon out to dry in the shade so that the weight of the garment is evenly distributed. For instance, hang dresses over a line by the waist. Pegging may permanently mark the material.
8. Never dry near artificial heat or in sunlight. In particular, never hang rayon stockings over a radiator or hot pipe.
9. Printed rayon especially must not be left bunched up. They them to dry spread out at once.
To iron Rayon
1. Never use too hot an iron. Test the iron by standing it on a pad of paper. If a scorch mark shows within fifteen to twenty seconds the iron is too hot.
2. Always iron on the wrong side, and iro =n only one thickness at a time.
3. Carefully pull the garment into shape before starting to iron.
4. Make sure seams are pressed quite dry or they may contract and pull the garment out of shape.
5. Never iron stockings
6. Never sprinkle rayons, as it makes them look patchy. If the material has become too dry, re-wet and dry again.
7. Be careful not to press buttons and other fastenings into the material.
Dull and suede finish rayons should be ironed nearly dry but be sure they are evenly dry.
Georgette This contracts considerably when wet. Iron when almost dry on a well-padded board, stretching gently. Iron once along the weave and then across the weave. This helps to restore the original measurement.
Knitted Rayons Iron when almost dry across the way of the stitch to prevent them stretching.
Marocains should be ironed fairly damp. Stretch the fabric gently both ways as you iron.
Satin Iron on the wrong side when almost dry, and then finish very lightly on the right side.
Silks
Wash and iron as for artificial silks, but the iron may be a little hotter.
Shantung and Tussore Wash as for rayons, but iron bone dry.
Stockings See Rayons.
Taffeta. See Satin.
Velvet and Plush
Wash as for rayons but handle as little as possible and hang dripping wet to dry. Smooth pile with a sodt cloth while drying. It is quite a good idea to dry velvet in the bathroom when it is steamy from a bath.
Woollens
1. Use little soap but work up a good lather, making sure all soap is dissolved and using soft water if possible, preferably rain water. Use best-quality rationed washing materials, preferably soap flakes.
2. Wash each garment separately, the lighter colours first.
3. Never soak woollens.
4. Never boil. Use warm water and squeeze gently in the suds. Don’t lift them out of the water when you are washing them.
5. Never rub or twist Rubbing shrinks and felts wool.
6. Rise thoroughly and lift the whole of the article out of the water at once, gently squeezing all the time, so that the weight of the water does not stretch it.
7. Roll woollens in a towel to absorb any remaining water before laying them flat to dry.
8. Never hang woollen clothes, or they may stretch.
9. Most woollens don’t need ironing. If they do, press the on the wrong side with a warm (not hot) iron when nearly dry, gently pulling them into shape as you press.
If you’d like more information on how to wash vintage woolen items, check out this blog.
If you’d like to check out more vintage laundry tips, check out these blogs:
Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way. There are no affiliate links and I do not benefit from any link clicks or purchases made.
I read a book last year that you might find interesting called “The Domestic Revolution”. The subject is a bit older than your niche, but I thought it was a really interesting look into how coal changed households and household routines. There was interesting stuff in there on how it changed house cleaning, including laundry, for example. 🙂 Thank you for sharing excerpts from these old books!