Textile Treasures: Practical tips for looking after them. Part 2

In a two-part blog, conservator Eleni outlines the best care and storage decisions for your textile heirlooms.

Textile Handling and Storage Practices

In Part 1, we covered the different types of textile fibres and good housekeeping practices. This second part will focus on handling and storage advice.

A person dressing a mannequin with a jacket

Installation of the exhibition Dressed to Deliver at The Postal Museum

Handling advice

Before handling any textile, wash your hands thoroughly.
Take off any hand and wrist jewellery to avoid any accidental damage.
Examine the item to understand its strengths and weaknesses. For example, the weak areas on garments may be associated with wear: overstretched collar, creases on elbows, stained underarm area. Heavily creased areas or brittleness can cause difficulties in handling that may risk splitting and tearing with careless movements.
Ask for help to handle, unfold and move anything large and always plan to avoid rushed actions.
Support the item on a flat rigid surface (such as a table) large enough to allow unfolding. Cover the surface with a clean smooth cloth to avoid wood splinters picking up delicate threads.

Storage Advice

Avoid using any plastic container or bag available at home, they can degrade quickly and give off gasses that might harm your heirlooms. The plastic decomposition will also leave a smell to the cloth fibre, which is difficult to remove. Anything stored inside a plastic microclimate can suffer additional types of damage such as tarnishing in the presence of metallic parts.
The best storage boxes are made from archival-quality acid-free cardboard that allows air circulation. This is important because moisture cannot be trapped in them, preventing mould from growing inside. Recycling a sturdy shoe box can often be seen as a good solution, but the cardboard quality might be low and likely made from acidic paper stock.
Use acid-free tissue to wrap the textiles in. This tissue is pH neutral and will not cause a reaction to any part of the object. The tissue can also be layered in between different fabrics, inside the sleeves or at each fold to reduce creases. The tissue layers support the textile in its folded shape. Make the least folds possible to avoid over-folding the items to fit inside a box.
Consider the best size box to accommodate the items in and use acid-free tissue to separate each of them. Avoid packing too many items together, this will create pressure and light folding will crease under the weight (especially if no tissue has been used).

A Royal Mail shirt folded and filled with protective tissue. — Insert a tissue puff into the neck cavity to retain the shape of the collar. Use a folded tissue strip under the collar to support the form. Examples of the tissue puff and strip on the right of the image.

A shirt being fold on a table — To fold a shirt, use acid-free tissue paper in each fold to support and level up the layers.

Structurally unsound or heavy garments should be stored flat in boxes and not hung. Use individual boxes per item where possible and avoid grouping different types of objects in one box. If several textiles are stored in one box, place the heavier one at the bottom and use tissue layers to separate each item. Line the box with tissue layers or a cotton sheet, this will act as a sling to help lift items out of the box. Use tissue in the required shape to fill the empty space around an item to prevent it from moving inside the box.

A GPO hat on top of a table — General Post Office Inspector’s cap circa 1950s.

A hat wrapped with protective tissue — Acid-free tissue puffs are placed in the head cavity to support shape. Rolled tissue is wrapped around the edges of the cap.

A hat inside a box, all wrapped with tisue — Rolled tissue is placed to fill the space either side and stop items moving around. The tissue hanging over the box is then wrapped around the objects before placing the lid on.

For clothing heirlooms that can be hung, full-cover cotton or linen storage bags are the best choice because they are breathable. They provide a barrier to dust, light, mould spores and pests. Note that any garment made with sheer fabrics (such as lace or textile embroidered with threads or beading) cannot be hung because it will cause pulling damage. Knitted garments should not be hung either as they will stretch. Vintage items that include feathers or fur should be well protected from pest intruders in garment bags.
A padded hanger is a useful support for keeping the garment’s shape. It distributes the weight of the garment over a broad area. Good quality padded hangers are easy to source and can be made by recycling clean home fabrics.

A cocktail dress decorated with a print made out of postcards and letters and displayed on a mannequin — A Coco Fennell cocktail dress donated to the museum for the 2021 exhibition Wish You Were Here: 151 Years of the British Postcard. Print designed by Emily May. 2022-0009

A padded hanger made from polyester wadding, covered in clean cotton and secured in place with a cotton ribbon.

A polyester-wadding padded hanger covered in tissue and secured with a cotton ribbon.

A cocktail dress decorated with a print made out of postcards and letters and hanged on a padded hanger — A Coco Fennell cocktail dress donated hanged on a polyester-wadding padded hanger.

If using a wooden cupboard or chest of drawers for long-term storage, line the drawer with archival-quality board and avoid overpacking to allow for air circulation. Pack in the same way as when packing in a box.
Never use mothballs or other similar types of insect repellent. Textile fibres will absorb the strong odours which are difficult to eliminate. Insect repellents are also linked to allergies.

Avoiding pests

The above basic housekeeping practices will also protect your textiles from insects. Pests come into our homes from pest-infested items and are naturally inclined to settle and breed if they find food, high humidity and temperature. Wool and silk are prone to infestations by clothes moths and carpet beetles.

A red frockcoat with black lapel and gold buttons. — Mail Guard’s frockcoat, wool with historic moth damage. Dated 1875-1882. 2010-0079.

The back of red frockcoat, moth damaged located at the bottom of it — Mail Guard’s frockcoat, wool with historic moth damage. Dated 1875-1882. 2010-0079.

Close up showing the moth damage, presenting little holes. — Mail Guard’s frockcoat, wool with historic moth damage. Dated 1875-1882. 2010-0079.

Always clean and put away cashmere and wool jumpers before the summer, wrapping them in tissue to protect them. Food stains and dirt will also become a food source for moths. Female clothes moths are attracted to dirt and dead skin cells on the unwashed woollens, where they lay their eggs. The emerging larvae feed on the dirty fibres creating holes until they are ready to hatch.
When cleaning near curtains, wool rugs, piano felts, upholstery and stuffed toys, look for small black specks (droppings), larvae tubes (stuck on the cloth fibres or loose), irregular furrows or holes from grazing.
When acquiring a new item, carefully examine it for signs of insect activity, such as holes or droppings. Keep the object in a separate sealed bag and check periodically until you can be sure it is free of any insect activity. This way an infested textile will not infect others.

Do you have any questions about how to care and store your heirloom textiles? Get in touch with the Conservation Studio at The Postal Museum.

Visit our exhibition Dressed to Deliver and learn more about the textiles and uniforms worn by postal workers through history.