REMOVING CRANBERRY SAUCE STAINS AFTER THANKSGIVING DINNER
 Keep an eye out for stains on your vintage linens at Thanksgiving dinner. Here are three suggestions for removing cranberry sauce stains. Immediately scoop up the spilled sauce and wash the linens as soon as possible with detergent and very hot water. (If you're using a modern tablecloth, read the directions about hot water.) Another solution is to scoop, rinse with cold water, pre-treat the stain with a commercial stain removal product, then wash. Here's one more suggestion--a very old one: Scoop, rinse with cold water, then soak the stain in a mixture of a tablespoon of white vinegar, a half-teaspoon of liquid laundry detergent, and a quart of cold water. Rinse. If the fabric is still pink, wipe the stain with rubbing alcohol and rinse again. If all else fails, wash your tablecloth using bleach (if bleach is safe for your tablecloth). |
BEWARE OF CHINESE MADE JEWELRY
Chinese made children’s jewelry is barred from the U.S. again. This time it is because they used cadmium as the metal. It is dangerous, especially for children. Be sure you have not kept any of the last recalled Chinese jewelry that was made with lead paint. All of this will be rare in the future but hopefully never a popular collectible.
WATERFORD CRYSTAL FACTORY SOLD
The Waterford Crystal factory building in Ireland is for sale. The glass making machinery is already gone. The brand and assets now belong to an American equity firm. Waterford started in Ireland in 1783.
TREATING LEATHER ITEMS
There is controversy about using leather dressing to preserve leather. It does look great when first used but collectors and dealers are now worried that eventually it darkens the leather and leaves it stiff or sticky. Get expert advice for treating leather.
BEWARE OF TRAVELING AUCTIONS
Watch out for traveling auctions that set up in a hotel or large (rented) house and advertise pieces owned by celebrities. This week we found a sticker on our daily newspaper that advertised a "due to losses caused by Bernie Madoff auction." That's a new twist to the old line, "including items belonging to." The "due to" doesn't mean fabulous antiques that once belonged to Madoff will be sold. The items up for auction probably belonged to people who lost money when they invested with Madoff. The "including items" line is a similar trick. It often means the auction has just one item that belonged to a celebrity. And that item usually has such a high reserve that it's never sold--it's just used for advertising. Always research out-of-town auctioneers in town for a week.
