Inside: Need help with cleaning linens? Get those yellowed linens clean again. Check out cleaning linens so they look like new again.
A few months ago my mother gave my sister and me some of my grandparent's linens. All of them were very pretty however, the yellowing of the fabric made them look dirty.
I decided to take them home and see if I could get the stains out. It was amazing what a difference cleaning made.
If you are looking to clean your antique (or regular) linens, check out my tips below.
Why This Works
Why does this mix below work so well to clean those stained linens?
- Biz is an enzyme-based cleaner that can break down old proteins, animal fats, and plant-based stains.
- Cascade will help remove dirt, grease, and any kind of grime from your linens.
Cleaning Antique Linens
If you are dealing with yellowed or stained linens give this awesome cleaning hack a try.
To clean your linens you will need a few things.
Items Needed To Clean Linens
- Large Pot or Clean Sink- you will want really hot water!
- Biz (I bought on Amazon)
- Cascade- dish detergent
Note: Try this at your own risk. Mine were so badly yellowed and stained that I didn't mind if they were ruined.
See my stained linens below before I cleaned them.
Washing Stained Linens
Step 1: Fill a large pot or sink with a gallon of hot water.
Note: You want to make sure the water is very hot so it can fully dissolve all of the soap. I heated mine up on the stove to make sure it was hot enough.
Step 2: Once you have a gallon of hot water add in 1 cup of Biz and 1 cup of Cascade dish detergent.
Step 3: Stir well to make sure that you fully dissolve all of the Biz and Cascade.
Step 4: When you have mixed in all of the biz and cascade you can now add your linen.
Make sure that all of the linen gets fully submerged in the pot.
Step 5: Spend a minute or two stirring the linens so they don't get too hot on the bottom of the pot.
Step 6: Once you have stirred for a few minutes set a timer for 10 minutes.
Step 7: After 10 minutes check your linens to see if they have turned white and have all the stains gone.
If they aren't, then stir them up in the water a bit more and set a timer for another ten minutes.
Step 8: Continue to do this until they are a bright white again.
Note: Most of my napkins took about 20 minutes and a badly stained tablecloth took 30 minutes.
Step 9: When they are white again you can pull them from the pot and rinse them in cool water.
Step 10: Wash them as you usually would. I suggest using the delicate cycle on the washing machine or hand washing.
The difference between the linens before and after I cleaned them is amazing! Check out how great they look after cleaning them.
If you want to get your yellowed linens white again I recommend trying this simple tip for cleaning linens. You will be amazed at the difference it makes.
Antique Linen Cleaner
Equipment
- 1 large pot or sink
- 1 large spoon
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Biz
- 1 Cup Cascade
- 1 Gallon Water
Instructions
- Fill a large pot or sink with a gallon of hot water.
- Once you have a gallon of hot water add in 1 cup of Biz and 1 cup of Cascade dish detergent.
- When you have mixed in all of the biz and cascade you can now add your linen.
- Spend a minute or two stirring the linens so they don't get too hot on the bottom of the pot.
- Once you have stirred for a few minutes set a timer for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes check your linens to see if they have turned white and have all the stains gone.
- Continue to do this until they are a bright white again.
- When they are white again you can pull them from the pot and rinse them in cool water.
- Wash them as you usually would. I suggest using the delicate cycle on the washing machine or hand washing.
Notes
Need Some Other Laundry Tips?
EL says
I need to get yellow (maybe old grease?)stains out of my grandmother’s white Christmas napkins that have green and red ric rack. Do you think this cleaning method cause issues of bleeding or fading of the ric rack? Thank you
Julie says
If there are just a few spots that you think are grease stains then I would just try a little Dawn dish soap on the spots. Dawn doesn't typically cause bleeding or fading of colors. If that doesn't work then try the cleaning method in one small corner of the napkins to see if it will cause discoloration. I hope that helps.
May says
Julie what is biz and cascade .Is one a laundry detergent and what is the other never heard of them in australia
Julie says
Hi! Cascade is a powder dishwasher detergent. Biz is an enzyme-based, oxygenated and color-safe bleach. You would add it to your laundry along with detergent. If you ever shop at Amazon you should be able to order them from there using the links in the article. If you don't shop at Amazon maybe try a powder dishwasher detergent that you can get locally along with something like Sard Wonder Ultra Whiting? I hope that helps.