TEXTILES

Cleaning textiles

Textiles can hold a lot of dirt and dust, which can mar the appearance of the items and be damaging as well. You can clean your textiles if they are reasonably robust, but if the textiles appear to be fragile it is advisable to consult a conservator before starting to clean.

The best way to remove dirt and dust from textiles is to use a vacuum brushing technique. This involves lifting dust and grit off the surface with a brush, and vacuuming them away so that they cannot resettle on the surface.

It is important to make sure that the vacuum cleaner has low suction, so that you minimise the risk of damage to the item being cleaned.

There are a number of methods you can use to modify your vacuum cleaner to make it suitable for conservation use.

A product which will attach to any vacuum cleaner is now available commercially. The Micro Vacuum Attachment Kit, made by Schneider Industries Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii 96814, is ideal for conservation use. Another product is a Vacuum Accessory Kit made by Marbig. A variety of micro and mini vacuum attachments suitable for cleaning some fabrics are on the market. They are designed for cleaning computers.

When vacuuming very fragile objects, it is useful to put a piece of Nylon net over the end of the hose. First attach a rigid pipe to the end of the hose. A piece of net 200mm square can be folded into quarters and attached over the pipe using a rubber band. This prevents fragile materials being sucked into the vacuum cleaner. The rigid pipe makes it easier to control where the hose is placed. The suction of the cleaner can be modified by using extra layers of more closely woven fabric.

Vacuum brushing with netting around the end of the pipe to catch any loose fragments of the textile. Photograph courtesy of Artlab Australia

There are two methods of surface cleaning with vacuum suction.

Hold the vacuum cleaner hose at least 20mm from the surface of the textile, and use a soft brush to lift the dirt from the surface of the textile. The suction will then pick up the dirt.

Place a piece of net in a round embroidery frame and lay this on the textile. It can then be vacuumed through the net while preventing the suction lifting fibres from the surface.

While surface cleaning, always look out for insect frass—it is often an indication of insect attack—and fragments which have come away from the textile. These fragments should be retrieved and placed in specimen bags, and labelled with the title and accession number of the object, then given to whoever is responsible for the item.

If there is any soiling that cannot be removed from the object with light brushing, do not attempt to remove it because this will damage the surface of the object. Only a trained conservator should attempt removal.