Removing Stains from Antique Crochet Dollies?

I have several antique, cotton doilies my great-grandmother made. They were originally white. Some have a few tan stains on them, but the one I feel nervous about is obviously a food stain. It's purple/red, could be beets, blackberries, or even dark grape juice. The rest of the piece is white. How do I remove this difficult stain?

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Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 107 Posts

September 9, 20170 found this helpful

many different things can be used on stains

always test each method in one inconspicuous corner so that you don't ruin the pieces
lemon juice
lemon juice + baking soda to create an acid-base explosion which can eliminate odours and stains
hydrogen peroxide
enzymatic cleaners can be good and are fairly natural for stains, odours, etc of an organic nature
if they're all meant to be white, you could also just bleach them in a very diluted bleach solution

mag4828

March 19, 20190 found this helpful

My go-to product for old stains on antique linens (such as doilies, lace, or tablecloths) is Mama's Miracle Linen Soak. It may take a few hours of soaking but usually removes every trace of stain without damaging the piece at all.

Don't even consider using regular bleach because it will weaken the threads and may ruin colored embroidery. Also don't wash delicate pieces in the washing machine, only by hand.

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