Love me do! Little Blue Cottage’s guide on how to look after your vintage items

Little Blue Cottage want you to get the most out of your vintage pieces, so we recommend you follow our basic steps to care for your special garments, so they can be worn for generations to come! You can pass a dress down to your daughter with a photo of yourself wearing it-there’s nothing better than having an outfit that gets people talking, especially with a story behind it!

Storing Vintage Clothing

Keep your vintage clothes in a dry, dust-free place away from direct sunlight. Humidity or damp will damage delicate fibres, and sunlight can irreversibly fade vintage prints and colours. For the same reason, keep vintage clothes stored where they can breathe. Plastic covers should only be used for transporting your pieces. Hang your vintage clothes on wooden hangers or cloth-covered padded hangers. Metal hangers can leave rust stains on your clothes and they also leave permanent stretch marks which can be hard to get rid of.

Washing Your Vintage Clothes

Washing clothes is a controversial subject in vintage. If in doubt, always take to a professional cleaner, but follow these tips if you prefer to do the job yourself:
Always hand wash pre-1960s vintage, rather than machine washing and drying it. Use a non-biological hand wash, as little as possible to avoid any chemical reaction. If the fabric is very old or delicate, consider not washing it at all as a good airing can often work just as well for removing odour without damaging the garment.
To keep your precious clothes in good condition, wash them less. Repeated, vigorous washing can damage the fibres of both vintage and new clothes. Machine washing clothes at 30 instead of 60 degrees will also prolong their life, and is much more eco-friendly too, and will also save you money on your energy bills!
Never wash embroidered silks or satins, ever!
If you want to dry clean specialist vintage items that are durable enough for it, then use a reputable dry cleaner that you can build up a relationship of trust with. There’s nothing more stressful than leaving your special finds in the hands of strangers. It’s good to use someone that you trust to know what’s best for your clothes and will take as much care of them as you would.
With all vintage clothing and shoes, try not to wear the item two days in a row without airing it out – even if it is the height of the season and you have many social engagements! This will give your item time to breathe and will restore it for the next wear.

Maintaining Your Vintage Clothes

Repair small rips and tears immediately, as they will only get bigger if you don’t.
Use a lubricant for your zips! Old metal zips should be carefully lubed with zip lube to keep them gliding smoothly through your clothing. You can use a very small amount of Vaseline, but be careful not to get it on the fabric. Just remember that some vintage pieces are very old, old things simply need extra care so try to be careful.