Need help cleaning a Volks outfit - stained and smells of cat urine

I would soak them in equal part water and vinegar. Let it sit overnight. Than wash them by hand I’m not super sure if it’s safe to wash in the washer machine but if your not to worry about than do it. The stains maybe some baking soda

 

@jessholy I’ve used it on other fabrics and it’s been fine but I’ve never done it with velvet fabric. Also I forgot to mention let them air dry don’t dry them in the dryer

 

I know this may sound silly, but maybe you could see about taking the outfit to a professional clothing cleaners? Especially for the velvet pieces...

One time I damaged and stained a very expensive doll dress... and I took it to a local clothing tailor and cleaning place and they repaired and pressed it for me. They thought it was kind of unusual but were kind and didn't charge a lot. Just a thought! Sorry about your experience, I hope you can get it cleansed!

 

I've washed some doll clothes that smelled of cigarette smoke in my washer before by putting them in one of those zip up intimates pouches and washing them on delicate, then letting the pieces line dry on tiny hangers. So it is doable so long as you're careful. Be sure to test if the colors bleed beforehand though. Otherwise you can also use a tiny bit of mild detergent in a bucket or sink full of water and hand wash the pieces as well. I clean porcelain doll clothes this way because they are super likely to have color bleed.

 

If it still smells of cat pee when the vinegar/water soak is done, try an enzyme cleaner specifically for cat urine. (I used Nature's Miracle Cat Urine Destroyer a lot when my cat, in the last few years of his life, decided the edges of my bedding and any towels or clothes on the floor were a dandy spot to pee. Nature's Miracle has my full endorsement, but it does have a very distinct fragrance that you'll have to live with in exchange for getting rid of the cat pee.) You would probably have to start VERY light, possibly testing on an inside spot just to make sure it won't stain or discolor, but it worked just fine and behaved well on everything I had to wash with it. After letting the enzyme cleaner sit I would personally hand-wash, in barely lukewarm water with the tiniest smidge of laundry soap, one piece at a time just in case any dyes think about bleeding. Rinse, dry, reshape/iron if needed.

Signed, someone who went through like three bottles of Nature's Miracle between their cat and a roommate's cat.

 

@jessholy It's kind of like a very strong clean/floral smell? I've never smelled anything quite like it but it does fade eventually.

 

@jessholy honestly? i wouldn't waste the time/effort. I tried washing my cat-targeted clothes and bedding with other things before just getting the enzyme cleaner and it immediately knocked out the lingering odor that other cleaners didn't quite budge from the fabric.

 

I was about to pitch Nature's Miracle, or Allersearch Allergen Wash - spot test on the fabric before soaking, but you WILL need an Enzymatic Cleaner of some kind to get rid of cat urine stench, or anything else from animals.

The Allersearch detergent is what I use as a laundry detergent on even delicate stuff, and so far it hasn't hurt anything. I use it to get rid of any dog dander, since I have a dog I'm sort of allergic to but refuse to give up. (Don't worry I'm in treatment with an allergist, and he likes this detergent approach)

 

Just to add another thought: You could try a hot stream device. I have one for ironing and a handheld one. While it is not a perfect method and you will have to repeat the process several times, the hot steam takes out smells and kills bacteria well, Especially for very touchy fabric like silk this is a life saver!

 

I have no advice, but a lot of sympathy:
Sorry to hear that the clothes you got from a second hand dealer were in such poor condition. Very dishonest on the dealer's part, I think you deserve a full refund. If it smells like ammonia it could be a health hazard to even handle. There should have been a warning, or at least an attempt from the dealer to clean the clothes.

 

Not sure this helps against cat urine but putting items in the freezer for a couple of days helps against a lot of odours, so maybe while you’re looking into enzyme detergents you may want to give this a try? It sure won’t hurt the items at all and if there’s other underlying odours (moldiness etc the freezer definitely works wonders - I saved a few vintage items I got off the bay like that and I am very scent sensitive).

Other than this, oh my, I am so sorry you have to put up with this at all. How could the person not realise what they were selling you?
Crossing my fingers tightly for you to find a rescue for your items, the outfit sure looks adorable on the advertisement pictures.

 

If you like I think baking powder won’t hurt (once everything is dry of course ) I did procede without any additional powder tho just because I had some items where it wouldn’t have been possible to get rid of all the powder again afterwards so I think you wouldn’t necessarily need to

your progress sounds very promising so far I really cross my fingers you managed to save your beautiful outfit.

 

I love the outfit so I am glad it could be salvaged!

 

Is that piece actually metal?

This may be hard to do at such small scale. But if it is, windex and aluminum foil does wonders to clean rust and scuzz off of tarnished metal

 

I'm glad you were able to shine it up! I'm sorry about the discoloration on the pants, and for the seller's lack of reply. That's really dishonest of them after sending such a damaged product!

Could you perhaps add some patches to the pants? That's a tricky one! And keep your eyes peeled on Mandarake or Dollyteria for a replacement someday. When outfits get pieced out, they usually are really cheap!