A customer shared with us a recipe for cleaning old linens. This is great for cleaning antique linens you purchase or your old quilts (we have dozens and love them!) In a bathtub or other large tub, mix: 2 cups Biz, 2 cups Chlorox II (color safe bleach), and 2 cups Cascade dishwashing liquid with warm water.
Stir it up to mix and dissolve and make bubbles. For brightly colored items you might want to let the water get cold before adding the items, but white items can be added to the warm water. (For treasured items, it's always good to test on a hidden area, just to be sure.)
Gently poke them to soak through and let them soak for several days, stirring and gently prodding occasionally. To rinse you'll need to let the water out and refill several times. Let them sit awhile to drain (quilts will be very heavy when full of water), then carry outside in a plastic tub and let them dry in the sun, preferably on a clean grassy spot or some green bushes. The sunlight and the chlorophyll in the plants will help brighten the fabrics (and they'll smell great)!
Store your fine linens in a well-ventilated space. Cedar-lined closets are especially nice if you're lucky enough to have one. Lavendar sachets are supposed to help keep moths and other insects away. Here's a good tip to avoid damage from creases: Instead of folding linens, roll them around mailing tubes!
