How do I clean this embroidery?
by
Marj
+6
I did this embroidery many years ago but it was never behind glass. It has these marks/stains all over it. I don't know what they are from. Possibly dampness since I live in Florida and did not always have A/C? Does anyone know of a way to clean this?
I have a few pieces stitched by a great grandmother & one of my own that were mildewed from a flood. I took mine to an independent cleaners (not a dry cleaning chain) and they were able to remove 90% of the black spots and all of the lighter spots (similar to yours). Good luck.
I have had good luck using Shout spray on cross-stitch pieces. Saturate from both sides, let sit at least 30 minutes, then hand wash (or delicate cycle if you think it can take it) in cool water with Woolite or Oxi-Clean detergent. Rinse well. Check for stubborn spots, repeat if necessary. Lay flat to dry, press with pressing cloth. Mildew is stubborn and may not come out completely.
BEST cleaner ever.... Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner. It gets out everything! Spray on and let soak in. Spray again and then wash/rinse. With 3 very active boys, this stuff is wonderful. Never had any luck with traditional laundry stain removers.
Lemon juice and place in the sun. Rinse after.
I'm a retired professional thread artist for wild life that has had my work shown over ten years in several art galleries in NYC, San Francisco, Chicago just to name a few. I agree with Martha Anne Horning with her treatment to help restore your precious artwork ! After you restore may I strongly suggest having them framed using two suede like mats with reverse bevel cut openings, (last / next to glass with an opening cut 1/3" to 1/2" smaller than the back one) then stacked with spacers between. This allows fabric to breathe. The mounting and mats should be archival, glass being at least Tru Vue Reflection Control Non-Glare. These are not always cheap, but will preserve & protect your treasured memorabilia.
Before you get water or anything wet near your handiwork, check for color fastness. Wet a qtip and touch it to some of your work. Years ago, some flosses and yarns were not colorfast. You needed to prewash the floss/yarn before using it on items that were to be washed. I seem to remember brown and red being especially bad about it. It also sounds like these pieces are old, so I'd use gentler treatments. I had excellent results using Oxyclean on what was called Indianhead linen embroidered in the 40's and 50's. If it isn't colorfast, I think I'd take it to a cleaners who knows how to deal with such items.