Care and Feeding   Vintage tablecloths are our living embodiment of "herstory". They tell us about the women who managed their households and the families who loved them. The printed tablecloth was a wonderful way to express some creativity and inividuality. These vintage linens have provided years of enjoyment. They're historical documents! Because of their long attention to duty, vintage tablecloths require more careful handling than new textiles. They prefer hand washing and hanging to dry rather than being dried in the dryer. They should always be well rinsed because chemicals left in the fibers can cause deterioration. Excessive cleaning is a bad thing! I can't tell you how many tablecloths I've ruined trying to get that last little stain out. To clean stained tablecloths, I often use oxygen bleaches. There are some tablecloths that oxy is not recommended for. These are rayon cloths and cloths with metallic threads or dyes. You might start with a beauty and end up with swiss cheese! Caution should also be used when using oxy on red printed cloths and deeply colored textured cotton. Reds can run in oxy and textured cotton fabrics can fade excessively. Be careful with using the oxy spray on unfaded cloths, it can also cause colors to run. For tablecloths that cannot be soaked in oxy, I use a mild Biz soak. Please note that even though oxygen bleaches are a "natural" chemical, they are still toxic. A couple of years ago I breathed in the fumes while filling a big tub. I had sore lungs for two weeks and am now very sensitive to any oxy bleaches. Even touching a liquid laundry detergent makes my tongue prickly. Oxy bleach fumes also trigger my migraines so please clean carefully! For any kind of soak, keep the cloth in only as long as required. Swish it around to limit any bleeding of dye and check the cloth frequently. I then wash in a laundry detergent and rinse very thoroughly. Once rinsed, I do put my tablecloths into my front loading washer to spin out excess water. If the tablecloth is hung when too wet, the weight of the water can stretch it out of shape and can make the cloth more likely to tear. Stains can also be lightened by laying the tablecloth out on a sunny piece of grass. Something to do with the chlorophyll in the grass helps to create a natural oxygen bleach. Tablecloths in Sealed Bags - A Cautionary Tale I'm trying to get my fall section up onto my website so I'm working through some MWT tablecloths right now. I have this adorable Simtex rooster tablecloth that was still sealed in the original bag. A good surprise was that it came with napkins! The bad surprise was that the printing has transferred off to the neighboring white space on both the tablecloth and the napkins. I think it's probably because of the bag. The tablecloth smells like vinegar too, which I vaguely remember is the smell some plastic makes when it breaks down. I hope you enjoy your new textile and happy petting!