Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
If the clothes are on the doll, remove the clothes from the doll.
Find a container that is big enough to hold the doll clothes, such as an empty gallon ice-cream bucket. Fill with cold water.
Add 1/8 cup Woolite or 1/4 cup Dreft per gallon of water. Woolite and Dreft are recommended because both of these are gentle on colors. Stronger laundry detergents may cause the colors to bleed or fade.
Test the fabric. To be sure the solution will not remove the color in your vintage doll clothes, rub a little of the solution on the doll clothes in an inconspicuous spot, for example, the back of a hem on the back of a dress. Rinse gently with cold water and allow to dry. If the color did not bleed, continue with the next step.
Soak each piece separately as you would with any load of delicate laundry. Wash colors in one batch, lights in another batch and dark pieces in another batch of solution.
Using your hands, gently swish the solution through the doll clothes. Allow to soak for an hour and repeat.
Rinse thoroughly in cold water.
Use a towel to blot excess water from the doll clothes. Allow to dry out of direct sunlight, because it can cause the colors to fade. Do not use the dryer. The heat and the stress of the tumbling in the dryer can cause the threads to break.
Iron on a medium setting to press out any wrinkles before storing or replacing on the doll.