Dirty Bunting

[Tony Smith]

Well, there was this girl I knew in High School called ........


















No, no, no! This is not THAT story!

I have a vintage 6' x 3' flag that is sewn together from heavy woollen bunting with cotton twine, made properly like proper flags should be. It is in excellent condition, with strong colours and no rot or rips, but at some time in the past, it has been put away damp, likely into a steel ammo tin.

It has a few small rust stains where the toggles have sat against the damp wool or the tin it was stored in. There is also a bit of dust/dirt that has not stained the fabric, but should easily wash out.

So how do I clean this without bleaching the colours or destroying the wool fabric?

I went to the best authority I know (The Wife ), and she has suggested a few cleaning products, but she can't say how effective (or destructive) they would be. They are:

1. A Eucalyptus Wool Wash. Supposedly great for cleaning woollen items like jumpers, cardigans and blankets. I think this would be fine for removing the dust/dirt, but would it be any good on the rust? And how likely are the dyed colours to bleach or run?

2. Oxy Action Vanish. A Hydrogen Peroxide cleaner said to be great on removing difficult stains from clothing, but would this be too harsh on dyed wool?

3. CLR, a Calcium, Lime and Rust stain remover from concrete surfaces, drains, plumbing work, etc. I'm sure this will rip into the rust stains and lift them, but what will be left of the flag?

4. Plain simple water. Cold, Warm or Hot? This should remove the dust, but will it bleach the dye or shrink the wool?

The cautious approach would be to try a small amount of each product on an inconspicuous area of the fabric, but unfortunately, there is no hidden parts of a fabric flag. There is no part of the flag I am prepared to see bleached or eaten through by harsh chemicals.

So what do you recommend? I realise that products available in your part of the world may not be available here, or the products I have listed you might not have seen where you are.