Retro Clean takes yellow age stains, mildew, wood oil, tea, coffee, blood, water damage and perspiration stains out of vintage quilts and washable fabrics (including cottons, silks and wools).
Retro Clean is a gentle soaking agent while Retro Wash is an eco-friendly laundry detergent specifically designed to safely wash vintage quilts and delicates.
Retro Wash contains no dyes, phosphates, optical brighteners, perfumes and leaves no residue. It is non-toxic, hypo-allergenic, biodegradable, highly concentrated and is safe for all standard and HE machines.
1lb of Retro Wash does 35 full loads in a standard or high efficiency machine
Made in: UNITED STATES (USA)
Retro Wash and Retro Clean Instructions
RETRO WASH INSTRUCTIONS:
For hand washing, dissolve half teaspoon of Retro Wash in a bathroom sinkor 1 tablespoon in a half filled bathtub.
For use in a standard or HE washer, use only 1 tablespoon per large load.
For best results, run an empty load before initial use, to remove any leftover soap residue from the wash tub.
RETRO CLEAN INSTRUCTIONS:
Before soaking, wash and rinse the item to be treated.
Prior to washing your item, it is always important to check that the item is colorfast.
Dissolve 3-4 tablespoons of Retro Clean in each gallon of warm water. Make enough solution to adequately immerse item.
Soak for up to 48 hours depending on the degree of staining. Check and stir periodically. Make sure item remains immersed.
For optimum results, soak item in a portable container and place outdoors in the sunshine, if possible, as the sunshine helps to keep the water warm which speeds up the process.
Item should be washed and rinsed after soaking.
Store Retro Wash and Clean in a cool, dry environment. Keep away from children. Avoid eye contact.
Retro Clean FAQ
Question:
How do I check for colorfastness?
Answer:
One good test is to take a few q-tips with some cold, warm and hot water. Test by lightly rubbing the colors in questions with the wet q-tip (try all temps) in an inconspicuous location. If the color transfers to the q-tip, then your colors are not stable and will most likely bleed when placed in a washload.
Question:
How much solution do I need to make for a quilt?
Answer:
The item being treated needs to remain just below the surface of the solution. You would make approximately 3 gallons to properly soak a twin size quilt. On the other hand, a hanky could be soaked in a small bowl.
Question:
Is this for hand washing or can it be used in a washing machine?
Answer:
Retro Clean is meant to be used as a soak after normal hand or machine washing. It is usually best to use a portable plastic container, but it can also soak in a sink or tub. It's slow acting, therefore safe for your vintage fabrics. You would normally soak the item for up to 48 hours. Quite often, the stains are gone sooner.
Question:
I have a 1930's quilt that has several multicolored squares. Will it fade the colors?
Answer:
Retro Clean does not cause fading. In most cases the colors look brighter as the brown age stains are removed and the original colors are revealed.
Question:
I have an old tablecloth with brown age stains from being folded and stored and also yellow grease stains. Will it get all of these stains out?
Answer:
Retro Clean consistently removes yellow and brown age stains. This includes mildew stains, tea and coffee stains, perspiration stains, wood oil stains, blood stains, and water damage stains. In some instances it has only faded grease stains, but just as often, completely removed them.
Question:
Is it safe for all of my vintage doll clothes, even those that aren't 100% cotton?
Answer:
The rule of thumb is that if an item can be washed in a mild soap then it can be safely soaked in a solution of Retro Clean.