Vintage Suit Care

[AthanasiusKircher]

I have recently acquired a beautiful American-made 1940's suit. Double breasted, medium gray flannel with pinstripes. It's in quite good shape aside from some yellowing and a few nicks, and of course it has a vague musty smell. I wear it sparingly, and after use I typically brush it with a Kent garment brush and steam it (especially the inside which of course is exposed to sweat). I also sometimes spray vodka on the armpits. Is there anything else I should be doing to make sure this suit stays as clean as possible? Advice welcome.

 

[breakaway01]

If you really like this suit, suggest that you send it to a top-notch cleaner. In the United States, Rave Fabricare gets great reviews here. I have no connection with them. After a proper cleaning, I’d just brush it. Steaming is not a good idea for tailored garments—it can undo the ironwork that goes into shaping a suit and can pucker seams.

 

[AthanasiusKircher]

If you really like this suit, suggest that you send it to a top-notch cleaner. In the United States, Rave Fabricare gets great reviews here. I have no connection with them. After a proper cleaning, I’d just brush it. Steaming is not a good idea for tailored garments—it can undo the ironwork that goes into shaping a suit and can pucker seams.

Thanks for these suggestions. The suit had been pretty thoroughly dry-cleaned already when I bought it. I hadn't known that steaming can cause wear like that, so I'll avoid that from now on. Perhaps spraying with vodka or just spot cleaning with a damp cloth would be good alternatives?

 

[breakaway01]

I don’t know who cleaned your suit but there is a big difference between your typical chain dry-cleaner and high end garment cleaners. The fact that you said that the suit still smells musty suggests that proper cleaning still might do some good. Does the fabric feel a little stiff? Could also be an indication of improper cleaning over the years.
Just a suggestion of course.

 

[AthanasiusKircher]

I don’t know who cleaned your suit but there is a big difference between your typical chain dry-cleaner and high end garment cleaners. The fact that you said that the suit still smells musty suggests that proper cleaning still might do some good. Does the fabric feel a little stiff? Could also be an indication of improper cleaning over the years.
Just a suggestion of course.

Ah, interesting. I didn't know there were different services that can do a better job. I'll consider that, then. The fabric mostly seems ok, although it does feel like there's a bit of a residue of some kind, which I tought could maybe be from years of cigarette smoke since people commonly smoked indoors back then. So perhaps taking it to a more serious cleaners would be worthwhile. Thanks!

 

[stubloom]

A couple of points that apply to vintage garments**:

The musty smell in most vintage garments is primarily caused by a combination of one or more of the following over the years:

(a) Improper storage. Many garments have been stored in damp/humid environments, cardboard boxes, plastic coverings, etc. which exacerbates the mustiness.

(b) Accumulation of perspiration. The acids and salts in the perspiration cannot be removed by dry cleaning alone. If you have ever steamed the underarms of a sport coat or suit jacket and you are hit with a pungent odor, that's the acids and salts in the perspiration still embedded in the fibers of your garment.

(c) Improper cleaning. When it comes to vintage garments there is a strong likelihood that the garments have seldom if ever properly cleaned. Many vintage garments were continuously worn, hung to "air out" and "brushed out", but seldom if ever cleaned.

You mention that the suit was "pretty thoroughly dry cleaned already when I bought it."

It's possible that the seller did "put it through dry cleaning" but I highly doubt that the cleaning process was "thorough". If it were, then your fabric would have no odor and a soft, buttery feel or "hand".

Here's the problem: While "normal" dry cleaning may be able to dissolve most oil-based stains such as creams, lotions, body oils, salad dressing, pizza drippings, etc., dry cleaning does not -- and cannot -- remove water-based stains such as perspiration, juice, coffee, beer, wine and bio-hazardous liquids such as urine, etc.

The vast majority of stains on garments today are water-based stains, not oil-based stains. Those water-based stains must be removed by a skilled technician PRIOR to dry cleaning. No amount of dry cleanings and re-dry cleanings can "dissolve" water-based stains. That's just a scientific fact.

Given that the vast majority of dry cleaners just toss their "dry clean only" garments into a machine -and hope for the best, can there be any wonder why those garments still smell musty?

You mention that you "sometimes spray vodka on the armpits".

That's an old trick used by theatrical and ballet companies to temporarily mask the odor in garments in between performances. But those costumes still require proper cleaning once a week or, at the very least, at the end of the production run. And that's because acids and salts in perspiration that remain embedded in the fabric can rot/permanently change the color of the fabric over time.

** By the way, the issues associated with perspiration apply to all garments -- vintage and modern.... the same issues apply to a one year old Kiton suit or to a 1940's vintage suit: Water-based stains must be removed PRIOR to dry cleaning. Merely tossing a suit into a dry cleaning machine without removing the water-based stains PRIOR to dry cleaning is a fool's errand. That suit will be returned you "cleaned and pressed" (whatever ordinary cleaners mean by that terminology) but with the water-based stains still embedded in the fabric and with the resultant smell.

Sorry to be blunt/gross.

More on cleaning vintage garments:

Cleaning and restoring vintage garments: What you need to know

Stu Bloom

www.ravefabricare.com

 

[AthanasiusKircher]

A couple of points that apply to vintage garments**:

The musty smell in most vintage garments is primarily caused by a combination of one or more of the following over the years:

(a) Improper storage. Many garments have been stored in damp/humid environments, cardboard boxes, plastic coverings, etc. which exacerbates the mustiness.

(b) Accumulation of perspiration. The acids and salts in the perspiration cannot be removed by dry cleaning alone. If you have ever steamed the underarms of a sport coat or suit jacket and you are hit with a pungent odor, that's the acids and salts in the perspiration still embedded in the fibers of your garment.

(c) Improper cleaning. When it comes to vintage garments there is a strong likelihood that the garments have seldom if ever properly cleaned. Many vintage garments were continuously worn, hung to "air out" and "brushed out", but seldom if ever cleaned.

You mention that the suit was "pretty thoroughly dry cleaned already when I bought it."

It's possible that the seller did "put it through dry cleaning" but I highly doubt that the cleaning process was "thorough". If it were, then your fabric would have no odor and a soft, buttery feel or "hand".

Here's the problem: While "normal" dry cleaning may be able to dissolve most oil-based stains such as creams, lotions, body oils, salad dressing, pizza drippings, etc., dry cleaning does not -- and cannot -- remove water-based stains such as perspiration, juice, coffee, beer, wine and bio-hazardous liquids such as urine, etc.

The vast majority of stains on garments today are water-based stains, not oil-based stains. Those water-based stains must be removed by a skilled technician PRIOR to dry cleaning. No amount of dry cleanings and re-dry cleanings can "dissolve" water-based stains. That's just a scientific fact.

Given that the vast majority of dry cleaners just toss their "dry clean only" garments into a machine -and hope for the best, can there be any wonder why those garments still smell musty?

You mention that you "sometimes spray vodka on the armpits".

That's an old trick used by theatrical and ballet companies to temporarily mask the odor in garments in between performances. But those costumes still require proper cleaning once a week or, at the very least, at the end of the production run. And that's because acids and salts in perspiration that remain embedded in the fabric can rot/permanently change the color of the fabric over time.

** By the way, the issues associated with perspiration apply to all garments -- vintage and modern.... the same issues apply to a one year old Kiton suit or to a 1940's vintage suit: Water-based stains must be removed PRIOR to dry cleaning. Merely tossing a suit into a dry cleaning machine without removing the water-based stains PRIOR to dry cleaning is a fool's errand. That suit will be returned you "cleaned and pressed" (whatever ordinary cleaners mean by that terminology) but with the water-based stains still embedded in the fabric and with the resultant smell.

Sorry to be blunt/gross.

More on cleaning vintage garments:

Cleaning and restoring vintage garments: What you need to know

Stu Bloom

www.ravefabricare.com

Thanks very much for this detailed information. And apologies for my delayed reply. I wasn't aware of this distinction between water based and oil based stains, or that there are different cleaning methods for these two things. The seller I bought the suit from simply sends everything to a regular dry cleaner before putting it up for sale, so I'll look into some garment care services in my area that might be able to do an actual cleaning. There are no visible stains on the garment, but there's definitely a faint musty smell, and perhaps the hand-feel of the fabric could also be improved.