How do you clean a white tunic ?

[Bill D.]

I have a World War II period white uniform tunic that is now yellow with age, dust, and perhaps old starch.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to clean it? If you use a dry cleaner, any suggestions for instructions to give to them on how to get it nice and sparkling white again? I've seen this done, but I just don't know how.

[Fred Green]

Clean

Greetings Bill,

My wife has great results whitening her old soiled linens with Biz. It is a powder soap that has no phosphates in it. It is nice that it pulls the dirt out and suspends it in the water and doesn't let it resettle on the fabric as your basic laundry detergent does! I highly recommend it. Also there is no chlorine to weaken the fabric!!

Fred Green

[keifer kahn]

Hi Bill,
Ive had success with Woolite.

No glow and does a good job of cleaning.Extrememly good on fabric that is made from natural fibres.

[Bob Hritz]

Bill,

Find a small 'ma and pa' dry cleaner that still does spot cleaning. This is a spray of naptha and then it is blown off with compressed air. if the tunic is done overlapping in sections, it will come out nicely. DO NOT allow your tunic to tumble around in a dry cleaning machine. The fluids are only filtered and reused and it can deposit other pollutants onto your white tunic.

The old time cleaners have a hand held sprayer and hand held compressed air spray. You may have to make some calls, but when you find one, tell them it is an important historical artifact and that you would like to be present when it is cleaned. In Chicago, there were several, but they were slowly being put out of business by the larger operations.

If you can get a cleaner to sell you a gallon of naptha, you can apply naptha with a spray bottle and use an air compressor with a hand held device to spray out the cleaner and soil.

Good luck,

Bob Hritz

[Bill D.]

Hey, guys...

Thanks for the suggestions! I appreciate it a lot.

Bill