This article articles archives suggestions for Whitening a Christening Gown from 2006.
Can Oxi clean whiten 32 year old christening gown?
Joan from Rutherford, NJ
A number of years ago, before OxiClean was on the market, I had a similar problem. I used Biz and Clorox 2 (all fabric bleach) with great results. I would dissolve equal parts of each in a small amount of hot water and then add enough cold water to cover the clothing items. Add the clothing to the cooled down solution, not the hot. 1/2 cup of each to 1 gallon of water would work.
I let this soak for several days and just checked it daily to see if the stains were gone yet.
Dishwasher detergent works but I feel that it is a very strong bleach and might harm fragile fabrics. Dishwasher detergent also has a very fine abrasive ingredient in it to "scrub" the dirty dishes clean so I don't use it with any fabrics.
My son's old baby clothes, and baptismal outfit, were packed away clean, but 30 years later had ugly brown stains on them! I could only guess they were from old formula/spit up stains that appeared to be washed out but still remained in the fabric. I'm happy to report they all came out, much to my surprise and relief!
By Grandma Margie
If the Oxi-clean doesn't work, why not give old-fashioned laundry bluing a try? It's recommended for delicate whites and can be used to soak and hand wash something like a Christening gown.
Here's the URL to some info on bluing:
https://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Stewarts-Liquid-Bluing-8-0/dp/B00NU075EG/?tag=thriftyfun0b-20 (Affiliate Link)
Just a thought.
By Cynthia
My mom uses classic Ivory Soap. We had several family heirloom articles that needed whitening. Because they were old and fragile mom did not want to use harsh detergents with chemicals.
Lather the article really well with the ivory soap (the classic bar). Let the article sit with the soap in it. The soap lather will whiten the article gently. It may be necessary to repeat the process depending on how yellowed the gown is.
By Miss Cris
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Our gown is 198 years old. It is not paper thin but dont think its touched water in probably 70 years. Dare I try to drop in sink of soapy dreft ?
My grandmother kept our christening gown in a "blueing" bag. She had a muslin bag that she had soaked in bluing and I was instructed over the years that my brothers, my sister and I had been baptized in this christening gown and instructed me on how it was to be handled, I was the youngest of four. The picture of the 4 of us always hung in my mothers bedroom ,now in mine. The dress is still as white as it was in 1936 the only changes, the girls had pink ribbons ,the boys blue.
It was always washed with woolite or ivory soap before being returned to the bag. The gown has been worn by 18 babies soon to be 19 when my new granddaughter arrives in June/July.
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