By following a few simple, easy steps you can clean any vintage accessory, ready for your wedding. A small mark or stain doesn’t mean that you have to dispose of your beloved vintage items.
If you want to make the most of your vintage items for your special day, here are a few tricks and tips to help you do so. Depending on whether you want to clean clothes, fabric or jewellery and accessories there are different requirements for each kind of vintage piece.
If you’re looking to renew your vintage clothes then here are a few ideas for you:
Hand washing: this technique is much more effective than most people think; after all it’s probably the cleaning method that was used on your vintage originally. You should always try hand washing first; it is a vintage piece so you don’t want to ruin it.
Dry cleaning: if hand washing was a failure in the removal of your unwanted marks then you could try dry cleaning. If you’re unsure as to whether your item(s) can be dry cleaned you should be sure to know the fabric that it’s made from and ask when you take it in.
Getting rid of imperfections: your items are old and have probably been worn thousands of times before you even got hold of it, it’s not going to be perfect; if your piece does have imperfections that you don’t want to see you could camouflage them using a variety of accessories. Not only will this take away those imperfections but it will also add a new lease of life to your clothing.
Now you’ve cleaned your vintage clothes and cloths you can move on to cleaning your vintage jewellery – this will probably be more important for your wedding day, as accessories mean everything.
Never put your vintage jewellery in water. Water can loosen stones and any clasps that are only attached with glue. First you should use tweezers to gently pull out any hairs or fibres that have become stuck in the jewellery; you may need a magnifying glass for this.
If you’re cherished piece is silver, gold or brass then you should purchase a recommended cleaner for the specific metal.
If the accessory is plastic then it just needs a wipe with washing up liquid and water, using a cloth. If the piece is small you may want to use a cotton bud or even a soft toothbrush to clean it if it is of an intricate nature. A great tip if you want your plastic to have an everlasting shine; use a small amount of Vaseline or a similar substance to polish your newly restored gem.
If you’re looking to rejuvenate your bone, ivory or shell embellishment then you should use a cloth dipped in vegetable oil. Make sure you dab it so that it’s almost dry and completely clean.
Although many gemstones in vintage jewellery and accessories are usually fake if they are a precious stone you should find a specific cleaning solution for that stone.
Now you’ve cleaning all of your vintage wears you’re ready for your big day. No matter what material they’re made from they’ll be buffed, clean and shiny ready to make you the Belle of the ball.
This article was written for www.bridalshoesuk.co.uk – leaders in the deliverance of great quality bridal shoes – by Lindsey Hutton, a vintage fashion stylist.