Cleaning the linen

[ErieSurfer]

I did a few soaking sessions and scrubbing on these two recently-acquired linens. The one on the left refuses to give up the grungy appearance, and the one on the right has improved but could be cleaner.

Can I put them in my front-loading clothes washer with some towels and regular laundry detergent and bleach? Do I risk destroying them that way? I don't remember my other linens being so troublesome to clean.

Both are somewhat rigid, and the one on the right is more rigid than the other. Yes, the one on the right had a legible Red Imp stamp before I soaked both of them in OxiClean. I should change my screen name to 'LabelDestroyer'.

And while we're at it, how do you determine if a given linen is flax or cotton?

bot

 

[HazMat Shaver]

I have put them in a big pot on the stove and boiled them in water. I've soaked them in Oxy-clean and I've washed them in the clothes washer. I think the Oxy-clean was the best cleaner. I don't think you can damage them by washing or bleaching but I could be wrong. Just remember they will shrink when dried so stretching is a good idea when wet. I like mine to be soft. To help soften them I have rolled them over a wooden pole that hangs in the closet after a good scrubbing on the pole. Work it back and forth for a few minutes while damp. let dry and do it again and again until it's softer. This also stretches it.

I've also used a metal ruler's side. Run it back and forth over the strop on the edge of the ruler. The sharpish side will scrape the fabric and make it a bit fuzzy from tearing at it. It's hard to make them soft and some of the old IL strops I just don't ever use the linen as it never seems to get soft.

What is linen and what is cotton? I'd say that linen is a much tighter/Smaller weave like the one on the left. But that's JMO.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I think linen gets stiffer when it's wet, so be careful doing too much reshaping or stretching when it's wet.

Marty has some advice for cleaning here:
Post in thread 'What is the White Stuff on Vintage Linen Strops' What is the White Stuff on Vintage Linen Strops - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/what-is-the-white-stuff-on-vintage-linen-strops.620658/post-11654587

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Yup, don’t use bleach or Oxiclean, they will bleach, make white, but will also eat the fabric. Oxiclean is a stain remover, not a soap. The goal is to clean the weave, remove the dirt, not just whiten the fabric.

Soaking is the key. Soak in a mild soap, Woolite, dollar store knock off Woolite or Castile soap, like Dr. Bonner. You don’t need much soap, follow directions. Less is more, if you use too much soap it will be difficult to remove and can attract dirt. Same thing even if you do not remove all the mild soap, vinegar soaking will release and remove soap and dirt.

I soak in a 5-gallon bucket cold water over night, scrub with a stiff brush and soak some more. Soak to clean over night, soak in vinegar to rinse during the day.

Rinse/soak in clean water with ½ cup of vinegar. Vinegar is key in getting the years of crud and dust to release between the weave. It will remove dirt and more importantly soap.

It can take a week of over night soaking in soap and vinegar to get all the dirt out. You will know it is clean when the rinse water is crystal clean.

Flax will get rock hard when wet. Be careful handling it, it also dries fairly quickly and loosens up as it dries.

If you roll the linen as it dries, (hanging thrift store roller) you can both soften and stretch it back to original length. I have also hung strops with a weight, small anvil attached with para cord and clamped to the strop end to stretch.

The trick is go slow and use mild soap to preserve the fabric. It took years to get in the weave, can take several days to clean.

 

[Possum092]

Brand new linen is cheap and available. Personally, unless it has sentimental or historical value, I would pitch and get a new piece. Cheers.

 

[ErieSurfer]

Yup, don’t use bleach or Oxiclean, they will bleach, make white, but will also eat the fabric. Oxiclean is a stain remover, not a soap. The goal is to clean the weave, remove the dirt, not just whiten the fabric.

Soaking is the key. Soak in a mild soap, Woolite, dollar store knock off Woolite or Castile soap, like Dr. Bonner. You don’t need much soap, follow directions. Less is more, if you use too much soap it will be difficult to remove and can attract dirt. Same thing even if you do not remove all the mild soap, vinegar soaking will release and remove soap and dirt.

I soak in a 5-gallon bucket cold water over night, scrub with a stiff brush and soak some more. Soak to clean over night, soak in vinegar to rinse during the day.

Rinse/soak in clean water with ½ cup of vinegar. Vinegar is key in getting the years of crud and dust to release between the weave. It will remove dirt and more importantly soap.

It can take a week of over night soaking in soap and vinegar to get all the dirt out. You will know it is clean when the rinse water is crystal clean.

Flax will get rock hard when wet. Be careful handling it, it also dries fairly quickly and loosens up as it dries.

If you roll the linen as it dries, (hanging thrift store roller) you can both soften and stretch it back to original length. I have also hung strops with a weight, small anvil attached with para cord and clamped to the strop end to stretch.

The trick is go slow and use mild soap to preserve the fabric. It took years to get in the weave, can take several days to clean.

Thank you for that. I'll change my approach. I don't mind a slower method when it yields a better result.

By the way, I came across a prior post of yours that included a photo of the roller hung from the top of your open garage door. I keep an empty wine bottle handy for working my strops, and I'll use it for the same purpose as you described.

 

[ErieSurfer]

Yup, don’t use bleach or Oxiclean, they will bleach, make white, but will also eat the fabric. Oxiclean is a stain remover, not a soap. The goal is to clean the weave, remove the dirt, not just whiten the fabric.

Soaking is the key. Soak in a mild soap, Woolite, dollar store knock off Woolite or Castile soap, like Dr. Bonner. You don’t need much soap, follow directions. Less is more, if you use too much soap it will be difficult to remove and can attract dirt. Same thing even if you do not remove all the mild soap, vinegar soaking will release and remove soap and dirt.

I soak in a 5-gallon bucket cold water over night, scrub with a stiff brush and soak some more. Soak to clean over night, soak in vinegar to rinse during the day.

Rinse/soak in clean water with ½ cup of vinegar. Vinegar is key in getting the years of crud and dust to release between the weave. It will remove dirt and more importantly soap.

It can take a week of over night soaking in soap and vinegar to get all the dirt out. You will know it is clean when the rinse water is crystal clean.

Flax will get rock hard when wet. Be careful handling it, it also dries fairly quickly and loosens up as it dries.

If you roll the linen as it dries, (hanging thrift store roller) you can both soften and stretch it back to original length. I have also hung strops with a weight, small anvil attached with para cord and clamped to the strop end to stretch.

The trick is go slow and use mild soap to preserve the fabric. It took years to get in the weave, can take several days to clean.

Your advice is working. I can see the changes in the rinse water and linens. It is still a work in progress.

 

[JPO]

Can you use a steamer? I have steamer from a car detailing edventure that ended with allot of stuff that I did not need

 

[ErieSurfer]

I haven't come across anyone writing that they've used a steamer on linen. I've also never used a steamer for cleaning.

Brad's method of rotating soaks of soapy water, vinegar water, and clear water worked well for me. It does require patience but the results were quite good.

I also found this bit to be true - "Flax will get rock hard when wet. Be careful handling it.."