Let me add a few other considerations before proceeding: is your water quality excellent (meaning none of your bathroom/kitchen sinks and toilets are stained by the mineral content of the water; is your water highly chlorinated; does it smell bad when it comes out of the tap? ) ? Remember that the contaminants in your water will be left behind in the quilt. If your water is hard (contains minerals), do not use a soap as the soap molecules will interact with the mineral molecules, creating a precipitate/soap scum on your quilt that will be very difficult to remove. The brand "Ivory Flakes" also usually contains perfume and optical brighteners (all left behind in the quilt as well). Instead, use one of the synthetic detergents containing a nonionic detergent with no added dyes nor perfume. Nonionic detergents are engineered not to interact with mineral molecules and so no soap scum will result. I have found these easily in the dishwashing/clothes washing aisle in my natural foods grocery store (and even main stream grocery stores) – just look on the label for 'dye free' and 'perfume free' products. You will also not need to use very much of the detergent – usually less than 1 tablespoon of a liquid detergent for example. Rinse at least 3 times with complete water changes. If you are going to wash your quilt top in a bathtub, remember that the quilt top will become very heavy once it is completely wet out – if you have a bad back/knees/shoulders already, removing this wet quilt top from the bathtub may end up being painful for you. Also remember that the quilt top will become more fragile and prone to tear when it is wet out and so must be handled even more gently when spreading it out to dry. Also, while the quilt top is wet out, the stains and mildew will be much more visible/darker, usually lightening as the quilt top air dries. After all that, depending on how long the mildew has been active on the quilt, washing/rinsing may not remove the stains that have resulted from the mildew activity.
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Margaret Geiss-Mooney
Costume/Textile Conservator in Private Practice
Petaluma CA
(707) 763-8694
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-10-2020 09:24
From: Katherine Owens
Subject: Safe ways to remove Mildew Stains on Textiles?
Hello All,
I am asking this question not as a collections manager as it doesn't involve an accessioned artifact but rather just a textile in my personal possession.
I have a quilt top that I would like to finish but upon removing it from storage in my grandmother's house discovered there are mildew stains on it. I don't believe it has ever been washed and dried so I am hoping there is still a way to safely remove the stains so that it is worth finishing. The quilt top is made of cotton fabrics.
Does anyone have any recommendations on what to try in hopes this piece can be salvaged?
Thanks in advance for sharing your expertise. Have a great day and stay safe.
It's YOUR History!
Katherine Owens
Curator of Collections
Missouri State Museum/JLSHS
100 Jefferson St.
Jefferson City, Mo 65101
Office # 573-522-1980
Find us on the web at mostateparks.com
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