Caring for Your Clothes: Tips for Vintage & Delicate Fabrics
Want your clothes to last longer? Proper care is essential, especially for vintage and delicate fabrics. Here’s a quick guide to help you keep your garments in great condition.
Disclaimer: We are not cleaning professionals and although we do a gentle wash after sourcing our items, we recommend cleaning your items upon receiving them to your liking.
Before washing any garment, always check the care label. They’re your cheat code to keep clothes looking their best. Ignoring them can lead to shrinkage, discoloration, or damage, so don’t skip the instructions.
Key Symbols to Know:
Washing: Water temperature and cycle type.
Drying: Dryer safety and temperature.
Ironing: Whether ironing is safe and at what heat level.
For a full guide to laundry symbols meanings, see the chart below.
Handling Vintage & Delicate Fabrics
Vintage items (30+ years old) often are missing care labels, making their upkeep tricky.
When in doubt:
Consult a Professional: Dry cleaners or fabric specialists can handle delicate pieces.
Avoid Soaking Certain Fabrics (dry cleaning is preferred): Leather, suede, fur, velvet, tweed, and suit or structured jackets.
Fabrics That Can Be Soaked: Cotton, nylon, polyester, spandex/elastane, wool, acrylic, linen, and synthetic blends. Use cold water to minimize shrinkage, color bleeding, or fabric damage, especially for delicate or blended materials.
Essential Handwashing Tips
*Disclaimer: Some below are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you make a purchase—at no extra cost to you.
Before deciding to handwash any garment, always check the care label for specific instructions.
Fill up a sink, bucket, or a large container with cool water
Use a gentle, mild liquid laundry detergent such as Woolite or Seventh Generation EasyDose Laundry Detergent. For an extra odor booster, use ARM & HAMMER Super Washing Soda Household Cleaner and Laundry Booster
Gently agitate the clothes in the water for a few minutes
Soak (10–30 minutes based on fabric)
Drain the dirty water
Soak in cool, clean water for 10 minutes and rinse
Gently squeeze access water out
Lay the garment on a towel, then roll it up to gently squeeze out excess water
Lay flat to dry, away from heat or sunlight
Sorting Laundry Matters
Make laundry easy and accurate by sorting your clothes prior to washing cleaning:
By Fabric: Sort clothes by synthetic and natural fabrics to preserve their quality. Synthetic fabrics like polyester can withstand a normal washing cycle, while natural fibers like cotton are suggested to use a gentle cycle. So separating them ensures the best results and prevents damage. Also, sort by dry-clean-only items.
By Color: Prevent dye transfer by washing darks and lights separately.
By following these tips, you’ll preserve the beauty and longevity of your clothes—whether they’re vintage treasures or modern classics. For questions about caring for your Kurated Pieces garments, email info@kuratedpieces.com. We’re happy to help!