Water Stains on Witco wall hanging fabrics - how to remove / restore?

Hi all:
There's so much in the "Show Me Your Witco" thread to do with wood stains that search has been ineffective.

Am wondering if anyone has found a good method of removing brownish water stains from the burlap fabric that backs most Witco wall hangings? Thinking about trying to clean up one of our pieces, am curious as to whether any particular methods see good results.

Naturally we don't want to damage the piece or alter it in any other way!

Best,
Rupe

WOW that is a tough question to answer well. I'm sure the fabric backing is approaching the forty plus year mark. The fabrics on the pieces I own almost certainly were exposed to sunlight, smoke, dust and who knows what else over the years. The burlap used on many Witco pieces seems to hold up best over time. The printed fabrics fade and thin with age and can be rather fragile. I have used a vacuum with a brash attachment to very very lightly clean the surface of the fabric but luckily haven't had to deal with any water or other liquid stains. Any chemically base product will most certainly effect the color in my opinion and may damage it beyond repair. If it is a solid color I would say go ahead and replace it. Printed fabric designs may be a bit tricky though. I'm interested as to what others have to say on the subject. Good luck.

I would suggest checking with a fabric store, or someone that deals with upholstery or fabric rehab. I would be surprised if there's an easy way to remove water damage, but I'd be interested in hearing it! Let us know what you find out, & post pics!

My temptation is to try a gentle cleaner, diluted maybe (Woolite, baking soda, or some basic soap) applied super gently... just figured I'd check here first before giving it a go!

Am curious to hear if anyone has tried this... or has any recommendations.

[ Edited by: rupe33 2016-07-06 15:00 ]

Cleaners and detergents may lighten and loosen the stain but are also meant to be rinced away if my thinking is right. Please do post some pics of the project.

I don't stand on ceremony &
you may call this blasphemy but,
I just replaced the stained burlap on a ship
with a color I like better.
Blue.
Looks like new.
I flipped it over & covered the back so
you could still see the unfaded ship imprint
on what is now the back.

That's a good note on replacing the burlap, and I did consider that possibility. The deal breaker there is that ours has some painted portions on it - which I think would lessen the impact of its original form.