Orvus quilt soap review

I was given some old lace to use in a craft project, but it was yellowed with age. It was wound on a piece of cardboard, the culprit in the discoloration mishap. Wood/wood pulp products in contact with fabric can cause the material to turn yellow or brown due to acid-burn.

100-year old lace, original packaging

I tried two methods to lighten the lace, with similar results.

The first method was a destructive method. I soaked the lace for 48 hours in a salt water bath. It did lighten the material by a shade or so and erased some dark brown spots. However, the results were almost identical to the Orvus soap and soaking the lace in a salt solution probably weakened the fibers.

Orvus Quilt Soap

I ordered the Orvus soap online from Amazon for about $12. I checked on several blogs and it was strongly recommended as the safest way to clean delicate fabric or lace for conservation. It doesn't eat away at the cloth fibers like lemon juice, bleach or vinegar does. I cringe at how many people posted that they had soaked family heirlooms in a bleach-based cleaning solution. Sure, it might come out white, but it most certainly won't last for another generation.

I filled a large bowl with lukewarm water, added a teaspoon of Orvus (probably too much soap, based on further Grandma advice) and let the lace soak for a few hours. It came out a shade lighter and the material felt strong.

Lace soaking in Orvus bath

Bunny tails, washed in Orvus on the left and soaked in salt solution for 48 hours on the right.

As I now have a bottle of super concentrated soap, I thought I might try some hand washing. I soaked my bras in Orvus and they came out like new. Because there are no additives in the soap, the laundry doesn't smell fragrant, but that's a small sacrifice to make.

Overall, I would highly recommend Orvus quilt soap for hand-washing lingerie, blankets and restoring old lace. Soaking it in the salt for two days versus soaking it in an Orvus bath had no noticeable differences - both solutions lightened the lace by a full shade, but the Orvus is more gentle on the fabric.

I will try a double Orvus soak on more discolored lace and see if it can tackle heavier discoloration.