Then Pen is Mightier than the Sword

When it comes to vintage clothing the least amount of handling and "tinkering" is always better. We are selfish to think these pieces are ours and that we are the end of a vintage garments journey, for some vintage pieces unfortunately it is ,with a lot of vintage buyers too immature and caught up in the latest trend to even care .  Some of the much older pieces I have have survived because of how well the original owners took care of them, like wearing underarm shields and undergarments and cleaning the pieces (ONLY when absolutely needed) before storing them away. 

I'm a big fan of spot cleaning, if you are careful, like wear underarm shields and undergarments it is not necessary to wash your favorite 1950s frock EVERY single time after you wear it.  And if there is a spot my absolute favorite tool in my vintage first aid kit is my Tide to go pen. Of course always test in a inconspicuous area of the garment before using, but other than that I have found that this "pen" has saved me from taking things to the cleaners on more than one occassion.  Especially in the boonies where the cleaners are really expensive and do not have any real experience handling vintage textiles.  I should buy stock in this product I use it so much.

Another thing you will find in my vintage first aid kit is the Clorox Bleach Pen.  Love this one too, excellent for use on double knit polyester for brown or yellow stains that will not come out with a wash and doesn't degrade the material either because you are not submersing the garment in bleach.   Because of the tip I have been able to draw only onto actual stains and avoid colored patterns.  This pen is really the only bleach I have in the house, anything else like cottons or linens get more natural treatment like being layed out on the lawn during a sunny day and if it's really bad horse shampoo.  And if that didn't work only then will I  treat the spot with the bleach pen and then wash on delicate with normal detergent.