How do you make aged white wool white again?
Question:It has turned yellow from age and we want to restore it.
Answers:
Depending on the age...really old stuff should never be bleached...you might want to contact the historical society in your area to see which dry cleaner they use to restore older pieces. OR...you can try soaking it in cold-water and vinegar. Another thing you can use is Orvis soap--you can get a gallon of this stuff (sodium lauryl sulphate) at a feed store or tack-supply house for $17 a gallon. It contains no bleach and will whiten most aged materials. Just follow the directions on the bottle. They use it to restore old doll clothes and stuff. You can also try soaking it in Oxi-Clean. I've had good luck with that on antique pillow cases. Buy that at Target or the grocery store. It is also a non-bleach alternative.
FYI - BLEACH will disintegrate older fabrics, including wool. DO NOT use it.
Try soaking it in a tub of water with 25% bleach 75% water. If this doesn't work try increasing the percentage of bleach. It might not return to its original white.
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