care of wool before invention of the dryclean

[jjoseph]

Pasted from another thread:

Once fabric is washed, it has a different "hand". I would avoid washing an all-wool kilt, even by hand.

Just a point of curiosity:
Barb, maybe you or Matt N. would know... How were woolen kilts cared for prior to the invention of the dry cleaners?

[davedove]

Well, for one thing, frequent washing of clothes (or even bodies) is a pretty recent thing. People didn't have the time or necessary fuel to keep heating up water for something as "unnecessary" as a bath - think "unwashed masses".

You would have a long-tailed shirt to protect the inside of the kilt from excess bodily oils, and it was a lot easier to wash the shirt. I suppose if the outside got a little dirty, they would probably beat it a little to get out dust and mud. If it got too dirty, you would have to wash it like anything else.

[Woodsheal]

Before dry-cleaning, woolen clothes were simply brushed - with a stiff clothes brush made for the purpose - to clean them. I've read accounts of soldiers, however, throwing their wool uniforms into large mess kettles and boiling them (mostly to kill the lice!).

Wouldn't recommend that for a kilt, however....

[Caradoc]

I've read accounts of soldiers, however, throwing their wool uniforms into large mess kettles and boiling them (mostly to kill the lice!).

In winter, it's a lot easier to just leave the cloth outdoors to freeze, then beat the ice out of it and brush the fabric roughly with a stiff brush (to get the lice and eggs out of the garments) before allowing it to "warm up" to dry.

[GMan]

This may seem like it is not going anywhere, but here goes..

When I was about 12 my family visited Ft. Laramie, Wyoming (the fort itself, not the town) on a trip. While being given a tour the ranger stopped in the back of the officers quarters and I noticed at least 50 huge ant hills (might not be that many, but remember I was about 12). He asked if we knew why the ant hills were so massive in size? No one really gave the answer he was looking for. He then pulled out of his pocket a very soiled hankercheif and placed it next to one of the ant hills. Within seconds it was covered with ants. He then proceeded to tell us that was how they kept their uniforms clean, they kept their uniforms outside on the ant hills over night, as dry cleaners were not very plentiful at that time, ants loved to pick off the grime and junk off of cloth. Hey the ants were digging it. When he was finished with his talk, he picked up his hankie and shook it off, and put it back in his pocket.

Maybe his story had some merit, and not sure about the accuracy, but it does make a great sound bite.

[Riverkilt]

Well GREAT GMan!

It appears I live in some PRIME kilt cleaning country. Y'awl ship your wool kilts to me and I'll have them cleaned up in a jiffy.

Ron

[Rex_Tremende]

This may seem like it is not going anywhere, but here goes...
[Domesticated ants]

Ah, so those ants in my kitchen sink were doing housework!
Guess I shouldn't have killed them - I should have paid them.

[Caradoc]

He then pulled out of his pocket a very soiled hankercheif and placed it next to one of the ant hills. Within seconds it was covered with ants. He then proceeded to tell us that was how they kept their uniforms clean, they kept their uniforms outside on the ant hills over night, as dry cleaners were not very plentiful at that time, ants loved to pick off the grime and junk off of cloth.

I know a few buckskinners who do this with their leathers. On the advice of one of them, we tried cleaning out a keyboard that had Coca-Cola spilled in it by letting the ants at it.

It worked. It probably would NOT work with a more modern keyboard, as apparently the "environmentally-friendly" resins are ant-edible.

[Kiltedfirepiper]

which is this one.....
I have two %100 wool kilts (13-16 oz ) and I hand wash them w/woolite in the tub with COLD water....it basicly is me soaking the kilt in the water/woolite mix(about 1 cap full) in about 6" of water and I lift the kilt in and out of the water about 20 times, the draining the water out and refilling w/fresh clean water( trust me the old water is DIRTY after you do this )
and repeating the process ( in and out probably about 30-40 times ) then I use 2 "skirt hangers to hang it to dry at that time I also run the pleats between 2 fingers to clean up the pleats and make sure they're straight and let it hang till dry in the bathroom ( in denver AND Tucson this only takes about 1-1/2 days ) and I havent had ONE problem with it looking any different ( stretched, pilling, felting ....ANYTHING ) I do this one to twice a year and the only thing I notice thats different is the colors look brighter!

just doing the in and out of the water method you'd be supprised how much dirt you get out of a kilt ....no need to agitate,wring(sp) roll up into a ball Ect.
after drying it WILL be a little stiff but wear it once and that will dissapear too ....also when I'm not wearing my kilts I put them in between my mattresses to kind of press them......it works well , but make sure the dont have ANY wrinkles in them or sure enough they will be there when you pull it out


Scott