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How do I clean an old sword bag?


waljamada

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Greetings Gentlemen,

 

I have this vintage sword bag that came with a wakizashi and it has the smell of age and attics.  I'd like to give it a wash but am unsure what would be safe.  Perhaps just a cold water wash and air dry?  Are soaps inadvisable or alright?  I honestly can't tell what material it is.

 

Below is photos of the sword bag.

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SmartSelect_20210903-201311_Gallery.jpg

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If you have an experienced dry cleaner you trust and have a good relationship with, you might want to talk to them.  I had a sports jersey that was signed, but needed cleaning and was worried the signature would get ruined, but after a discussion with the owner, he assured me he could handle it.  Same for an expensive silk fukusa that was stained with matcha.  An experienced cleaner should be able to evaluate material and give you a pretty good idea if they are comfortable cleaning it.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 5 weeks later...
On 1/6/2022 at 2:58 AM, waljamada said:

Rextar, sure.  I haven't brought it in to dry cleaners yet as truthfully I'm a little scared to do so.  But for the sake of science and community I'll give it a go sometime this month!

 

A dry cleaner should be fine.

 

If you can't find any that have experience in Japanese items, maybe look for one that works with fine saree.

 

My wife has a number of Kanchipuram Saree, which are composed of multicoloured silk threads and precious metals (zari), woven into intricate patterns on a handloom, so they're quite delicate and its vital that the colours don't run.

 

The fabric is finer, more delicate, and more intricate than any kimono I've seen in person. The price is quite low compared to a fine kimono, but bear in mind that the linked example is being sold direct from India, the labor costs are Indian and all you're buying there is the fabric. The saree is hemmed, but if your want it made into a skirt (lehenga) it requires a tailor and a trailer is also required to create the blouse (choli).

 

There are dry cleaners who specialise in these items and as I recall, they use a silicone based treatment which takes several days.

 

The results have always been excellent.

 

Just an idea if you're concerned about taking it to a regular dry cleaner.

 

I'll be sending my sword bags to the same people, when they need cleaning, but I haven't needed to yet.

 

If you're not worried about colours running or fading, you can cold wash with a suitable delicates cleaner.

 

All our bedding is mulberry silk (single colour) and is machine washed cold with a suitable cleaner. My wife has been doing this for years to no ill effects other than slight fading.

 

My wife also machine washes Merino wool garments on cold with a suitable cleaner, to no ill effects.

 

Other finer wools such as Cashmere and Vicuna are always dry cleaned; measured prior to cleaning, pre-spotted (particularly in the underarm area), cleaned in a gentle dry cleaning fluid and blocked to original measurements after cleaning. This is of course done by professionals, I only know this as I was curious about their process.

 

I'm giving all this info as I have no idea what the fabric is and I'm trying to give a thorough overview.

 

It obviously shouldn't be wool, but might be silk.

 

You'll find more info here.

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