Name: barbara
Message: I have a lot of fifty to sixty year old linens that have turn yellow. Is there anyway that I can salvage them?

The most traditional way to whiten linens is to use the sun to bleach them. Just lay them on dry grass in the sunlight. (I've seen speculation that the grass plays some important chemical role, but, in fact, its only purpose in this case is to keep the sheets from getting in the dirt while they are lying out flat in the sunlight.)

Have you tried washing them? If ordinary laundry detergent does not do the job, try soaking them for a while, or use an oxygen bleach such as Oxy-Boost or Oxy-Clean. For valuable archival-quality linens, use only a very gentle pure detergent such as Orvus Paste.

To counteract the natural yellow of the fiber, you can use Mrs. Stewart's Bluing, which can usually be purchased from the grocery store, or, more effectively, modern fluorescent brighteners, sold as Rit brand Whitener and Brightener . Follow the package instructions. Both of these treatments are much gentler than bleaching. They are, in effect, temporary dyes. By reflecting blue light, they make the fabric appear to be whiter.

There is no cure for fabric that contains polyester and has been yellowed by bleach damage. Polyester cannot tolerate treatment with chlorine bleach.

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