At Market, I picked up a sample packet of a product called Retro Clean.

retro-clean-card

The instructions say that this product “safely removes yellow and brown age stains in vintage and antique washable fabrics, linens, and laces.”

Ooh, I couldn’t wait to try it out! When I got married 22 years ago, I asked for and was given several pieces of old family furniture. One of them was a humongous chest of drawers that I remember being at the top of the stairs in one of the houses I grew up in. It actually came from the generation before, from my grandparents. The family called it the ‘highboy’ but my husband refers to it as ‘the sarcophagus’ and every mover who ever had to lift it uttered things like “Jimminy Christmas.”

A couple drawers in the highboy were filled with old linens. Nothing fancy, nothing valuable, but, you know… they’re family linens, and they have sentimental value. I bet you have some of those too.

All these years those linens have stayed in the drawer. A lot of them look like this.

old-linens-1

old-linens-2

old-linens-3

Okay guys, you’ve waited 22 years, now you’re going to get soaked!

The sample pack contained about 5 tablespoons of the powder, so according to the formula I mixed it up with a gallon and a half of warm water. I gave the linens a quick wash and rinse in the sink and dunked them into the solution. You’re then supposed to stir and soak in direct sunlight for two days, so I set the tub out on the patio.

soak-patio

For the next couple days, every so often I swished and turned, swished and turned. After about 48 hours I dumped everything out (including the dead bug, oh well, he died clean) and gave the linens a quick wash and rinse in the sink.

O…M…G and a half! Check it out!

linens-3a

linens-2a

linens-1a

I’d say that’s one big improvement! Especially in those rusty old white damask linens. You better believe I’m ordering a regular package of Retro Clean.

Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie