The Miracle of Biz

On Sunday I did a post about vintage pot holders and I had a comment from a reader that she had some old pot holders she did not display because they didn't look good enough.  So it occurred to me that many of you may not know about the miracle of Biz. 

As a dealer and huge fan of vintage textiles I have been doing the Biz soak for many years.  It works great on the old summer cotton table clothes that are so popular, aprons, baby clothes, and you name it.  I take a very large glass salad bowl or I have a large plastic Tupperware type tub I purchased at the grocery store a few years back to keep my vegetable fresh after washing.  I fill it up with water (doesn't have to be hot) and pour the Biz into the water.  I use probably two to three times the recommended amount it would take to do a load of wash.  You want it to be strong.  I swish it around with my hand in the water to get it to dissolve.  Then I place my handful of old cloth napkins, dishtowels or whatever else needs a good soak.  I even do this if the item doesn't have visible stains.  Old textiles can hold a lot a residue from being stored.  If I have stained items, I will soak them for up to 5 or 6 days.  Each day I just toss them in the liquid with my hand just to keep them stirred.  As time goes on, you will see the water turn yukky grayish brown.  That's all the old stuff being pulled out. 

When the water is sufficiently grungy, I take my items and toss them in a large lingerie bag and throw them in the washer on a delicate cycle.  I usually do not machine dry them, but rather line dry them.  You will be amazed at the stains that are removed.  It really leaves the item looking clean and fresh.  I go ahead and iron the linens or baby clothes as I normally would.  They are ready for use once again.

This works even on embroidered items.  I have not ruined anything yet in all the years I have used this method and it does not pull the color out of the item, just the grunge.

Hopefully tomorrow I will begin painting my space.  It's ready for a makeover after almost four years at Aubergine Emporium.  I will keep you posted on the progress.  I also purchased a new camera this weekend.  New things are coming and I am working on a couple of projects to share with you soon.  Oh, and I also started my Pinterest bulletin boards.  It definitely is a new year!