This is another vintage dress that Chris got me for my birthday this year… isn’t it adorable? Unfortunately, this one smelled too! Do all vintage dresses stink? This one smelled more chemical-y than body odor though. Since it is silk (!) I took it to the dry cleaner, but it only helped a little. It was so overwhelming, I decided I would hand wash it as a last resort… I am glad I did! It worked! No more smell!
Here’s how I did it:
- First, I washed the tie in warm/cool water to make sure this wasn’t the worst idea ever. The tie did well, so I decided to do the entire dress.
- Also very important: I then gathered all the materials since time was of the essence with silk. Necessary materials: woolite, baking soda, vinegar, towels, and a hanger.
- Since the smell was more acidic than basic, I thought baking soda would be best. Eventually I used both vinegar and baking soda (but not at the same time, since they cancel each other out). I added a couple inches of warm/cool water in the kitchen sink with some woolite and then added the dress. I handwashed it in the sink, rinsing with vinegar and then water… and then baking soda and then water… until I couldn’t smell the chemical smell any more.
- I laid a towel out on the table, and then laid the dress on top. Then I rolled the dress up in the towl to soak up as much moisture as I could.
- I slipped the dress onto the hanger and hung it from the light fixture under the ceiling fan in my living room - this worked out really well because it dryed quickly. Then I ran it in the dryer for a few minutes.
Voila! Let me know how it works out for you!
Ooooh, love that dress