Keeping your quilts and textiles in good shape, whether they're your own or in your vintage collection, can be a challenge. You obviously want them clean, but with old textiles you need to weigh the benefits of laundering against damaging the fabric. The first thing to do is to evaluate the fabric and any seams for age and condition. If you have any concerns, or if the piece is valuable, you should consult a textile conservation expert.

Laundering any textile involves soil and soil removal, solvents in the detergent, enzymes, whitening agents (e.g. bleach), and quality of water (e.g. use of a water softener). As a general rule, the less chemicals involved in the cleaning method the better.

When spot cleaning, know that grease and rust removers may chemically damage fibers, and dry cleaning solvents may do the same. Start with the mildest soap possible and go from there.

Since putting any textile through your washing machine causes abrasion on the fabric, don't use this method to clean antique or damaged quilts. Better to try and gently vacuum the quilt using the hand vacuum attachment with the end covered by an old sock. Another method is to vacuum the piece using clean window screening placed over the quilt on a flat surface. If you must wash an old quilt, let it soak in your bathtub with just a spoonful of delicate soap. (Orvis is a brand that is often recommended.) The quilt should soak with a sheet underneath it so that you can pull the quilt out of the tub (with help if necessary) without tugging the seams or the more delicate areas. Then air dry on a flat surface. If you lay it down outside make sure it is out of direct sunlight, which can fade fabrics and damage the fibers.

Your household dryer also can damage textiles through abrasion and agitation, so again, don't use the dryer for fragile fabrics. Line drying can cause some fabrics, especially wool, to stretch out of shape, and so the least damaging drying method is to air dry on a flat surface.

Seriously consider whether or not you can live with an imperfect fabric. Just like an antique piece of furniture, time and wear gives an aged look to your piece which may be preferable. Save the heavy duty laundering for your more contemporary pieces.