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Clean cotton cloth without using liquids?


KathieB

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I have two marionettes that I bought in Nepal a long time ago. I would like to display them, but their cotton clothing is dingy and dusty and badly in need of cleaning and pressing. The photo below does not show the grime, but it's there. The bodies are of a muslin-like cloth stuffed with something soft. Their hands and feet are ceramic. The cloth heads are faceless but wear papier mache masks. The clothing is not removable. I blasted them with canned air, which removed some surface dust, but didn't touch the embedded layer.

Is there a method of cleaning the clothing without using a liquid?  Some kind of cleaner that can be applied and perhaps blotted but doesn't need to be rinsed out of the fabric?

 

Nepalese Puppets

 

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On 2/14/2016, 1:57:23, Selkie said:

Wonder if you could get some form of the professional dry cleaning fluid? Didn't they used to sell some home kit of sorts?

My dad used to swear by carbon tetra-chloride, but that's no longer sold to civilians. I'll ask at the drugstore if there is a non-lethal option.

On 2/14/2016, 2:10:35, havanaholly said:

Try a soft toothbrush and baking soda on an inconspicuous place.

 

On 2/14/2016, 2:27:48, stickyfingers said:

Yes, what Holly said. I used to restore dolls, and that was my method for non-washable clothing. You could also try a DRY Magic Eraser, very gently brushed over the fabric.

I tried dry baking soda, didn't see any difference. Tried brushing a paste in to the fabric and brushing it out when it dried, which left the yellow a lighter shade, but I'm not sure if it is because it cleaned the cloth or just left a white baking powder haze.

The problem is that it is not surface stains to be removed but just the grime of the centuries embedded in the cloth. I'll try the dry Magic Eraser. Am wondering if upholstery cleaning foam might work. It's not meant to be rinsed out after it dries. Working one section at a time (see how the dresses are in horizontal strips?), I think it would be okay for them to be damp for a period of time. I just wouldn't want to have to dunk or spray rinse the whole marionette.

Or dry shampoo? Although I think that works best on slightly greasy dirt, and this isn't greasy.

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5 hours ago, aggiemae said:

Can you find the spots where the cloths where stitched on?

 

Yes, but  don't want to take them apart, if that's what you're driving at. These are sewn rather primitively and I don't want to lose the charm of that in a clean-up. I'd rather display them grubby.

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1 hour ago, KathieB said:

Yes, but  don't want to take them apart, if that's what you're driving at. These are sewn rather primitively and I don't want to lose the charm of that in a clean-up. I'd rather display them grubby.

If that grubby could talk, what interesting stories it could tell!

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I have a can of Bissell upholstery cleaner that a friend gave me to try. Will do so today. It does say to vacuum, but I'm wondering if a good brushing with a semi-stiff brush would do the job as well. I had thought of a tiny computer vacuum, Tracy, and may well go that route. I am determined to clean up these beauties.

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Thanks for the warning. I did test each color before I forged ahead. The upholstery cleaner seems to have worked. I'm thinking I won't ever get the fabric sparkling clean, but it does look better.

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1 hour ago, KathieB said:

Thanks for the warning. I did test each color before I forged ahead. The upholstery cleaner seems to have worked. I'm thinking I won't ever get the fabric sparkling clean, but it does look better.

They are venerable ladies, so their clothes don't have to look pristine, just clean so the colors pop.

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Actually, I think the Nepalese marionettes are male dancers, and since they often perform out of doors in what is a rather dusty country, pristine would look out of place. The colors don't show well in a photo, but now they are a shade lighter and look worn and slightly faded in spots, which is perfect. I love the traditional hand positions and the intricacy of the design in their papiér maché masks.

Thanks for all of the suggestions, ladies. I'm glad to be able to display these beauties now that they've had a bath. :) 

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