Perk

Cold water wash that safely removes the most difficult
stains from the most delicate of fabrics. BOOOST gives
it added power.

Product Description
Perk is an ultra concentrated and reusable cold water cleaner for antique or vintage clothing, doll clothes, cloth dolls, christening gowns, stuffed animals and toys, quilts, foxed and antique or vintage lace, silk, and virtually any other fabric. Perk will safely remove old blood, iodine, food, yellow and brown age stains, water marks, asphalt and most other difficult stains from just about any fabric. Even taffeta cleaned in Perk retains most of its original crispness. Perk is completely biodegradable and will not harm septic systems.

Directions:

• Dilute one part of Perk with three parts of cold water.
• Using a mayonnaise or other type jar or container of suitable size immerse the soiled clothing in the diluted Perk solution for one to one and a half hours, agitating from time to time.
• Remove and rinse the clothing under cold running water. A strainer or colander can be used to hold the clothing for rinsing. Remove excess water by rolling in a towel or other absorbent material and pressing on it with your hands. To avoid fiber damage, do not twist or wring the wet, rolled clothing.
• To remove any residual cleaner, dip the article in a white vinegar and water bath (an ounce of vinegar to a cup of water). Then rinse again in clear, cold water to remove the vinegar rinse.

Special Notes:

For tough spots and stains pour Perk directly onto the soiled area and allow it to soak for about a half hour. Then add diluted Perk to cover the article to be cleaned and allow it to stand until clean. We have soaked garments (including taffeta) in Perk for more than a week and have had no problem. There is nothing in the product that will harm any fabric no matter how long it is soaked.

Some fabrics are not colorfast. Please test for color fastness on the inside of a seam or a hem to be sure the cleaning process will not cause color to bleed or be removed from the entire garment. If dye from the clothing colors the diluted Perk solution, remove the garment immediately and rinse in cold water. To make an article colorfast, place it in a bath of half white vinegar and half ice cold water and allow it to stand for about thirty minutes. Rinse in cold water and follow the procedure for laundering. Fasteners on many old (1950s) garments are painted metal. The combination of color fasting and washing can loosen and remove old paint and expose the metal to the cleaning process. The result usually is that when the newly washed garment is drying, the wet metal can stain the garment. Either remove the buttons or snaps and quickly dry the garment around the buttons or snaps with a hair dryer on low heat to prevent the staining.

Trim like ric rac, velvet and velveteen should be removed from a garment and washed separately. Ric rac, velvet and velveteen tend to bleed on drying and they can stain the garment. Washed and dried ric rac, velvet and velveteen can be reattached to the garment after the garment is cleaned and dried. Care and common sense must be used when laundering any garment with any laundry solution e.g., white and red should not be washed together. Flowers and flocking are sometimes applied to fabric with an adhesive. Perk will soften glue. Flocking or any other glued material will be lifted or loosened by Perk. Note that some fabrics that appear to be velvet are really flocked. If you can pull a fiber from a fabric with a tweezer it is just a flocked fabric and it is not a good idea to clean it in Perk.

Antique doll clothes were almost always made of cotton. Perk is safe to use on virtually all fabrics. However, if the fibers are embrittled as, for example, breakage (even though it might not be obvious) caused by aged sizing (like starch) or the onset of dry rot, then any attempt to wash or in any way clean the fabric will expose broken or damaged fibers. Careful inspection for integrity is advised prior to cleaning.

Stuffed animals, dolls and other toys can be cleaned with Perk without soaking. First dampen a white, lint-free cloth or a white microwaveable paper towel (they are chlorine free) with diluted Perk (three parts water to one part Perk). Wrap the dampened cloth or paper towel around one or two fingers and squeeze to dampness (so it cannot drip) and wipe in one direction (not in a back and forth motion). After the fabric is clean, repeat the process using a cloth or paper towel dampened with plain water to effect a rinse. A word of caution: some older dolls, bears and toys have stuffing made of materials like straw that will bleed if wetted. Such stuffing should be removed and replaced with a polyester-type fill that will not bleed or stain.

The diluted Perk solution can be saved for re-use as a first wash for heavily soiled clothing. A garment placed in used Perk will not pick up soil suspended in the solution. Some collectors have taken the time to filter used Perk through a coffee filter for continued use.

To avoid pressing small garments like doll clothes, stuff them when damp with tulle or white paper towels, finger press and allow to air dry.

Perk has earned an excellent reputation for safely cleaning and removing stains from all types of delicate and antique fabrics. Sometimes, though, Perk needs a little boost to remove really stubborn stains and browned areas without bleach. For those times we have a product called BOOOST.

CAUTION: Product contains surfactants which can irritate the eyes if eye contact is made. In the event of eye contact flush with plenty of water. If irritation persists consult a physician. Keep out of the reach of children. Purchaser's sole and exclusive remedies for breach on any warranty concerning this product shall be replacement of the product or refund of the purchase price upon return of the unused portion of the product. Manufacturer shall not be liable for any consequential or other damage resulting from product use.