I attended a seminar on the subject .....
I could type for an hour....but what it boils down to is no clorine bleach.....and don't lift by an edge when wet, and soak soak....drain and soak some more.
And the treatment is different for linens of the 1950's and 60's and for those that are from 1910.
What do you have?
Linda C

Hi Linda,
I'm not the OP, but I would love some info on BOTH kinds. I have my GM linens from her 1906 wedding, my DM's from
1944 and mine from 1965....They don't seem to have food stains...just storage stains. I am just now getting them all out to use...they have been packed away for 8 years. Some of the stains are old, and some are from the last packing.
ANY help would be appreciated!!
Sincere thanks,
Jaybird

Hi Linda
I'm not sure how old the linens are but a while back my MIL had said some of the stuff was her aunt's so maybe these could go back to the 30's or 40's. They look like possible food stains are they are on tablecloths. Some of the cloths are demask and some are linen. What would I soak them in? Thanks

Damask IS linen....unless it's rayon! UHG!
Soak the linens in a non ionized soap.....can't pull the name of it out of my head....used to wash quilts....maybe a place that sells antique quilts will be able to sell you some.
Make sure you never lift a wet piece by an end or edge....get under to lift....don't pull it out of the water.
Fold your piece and gat a big flat pan...fill it with distilled water and that de ionized soap....mix and lay your piece in there and soak for at least 2 days.....see if your stains are coming out.....if they are lighter....soak more.
For stubborn stains you may want to use a little oxygen bleach....like oxy clean....or even dab on some hydrogen peroxide....never EVER clorine!
If you are seeing progress but still have stains....carefully dump the stuff out and refill with more soap and distilled water and soak more....
Then rinse and rinse and rinse. If you have a very precious piece like a wedding dress or a christening gown....rinse in distilled water....and test with litmus paper until it tests neutral. Then lift out....squeeze gently and roll in a towel....repeat until it is no linger sopping....and spread out onto a pad of towels ( gently!....those old fibers that have been soaked for days are fragile!) and put fans on it and dry it as fast as possible.
If it's just an old tablecloth ...I put it into the washer after soaking and when the stains are as gone as they will get, and spin out.....
Let the washer fill....move it around with your hands....then spin out....never let the washer agitate or tumble!
Then spread to dry....or almost dry.
Linen should be ironed very wet!...I iron my napkins and cloths straight from the washer....never iron in a crease....but iron almost dry and spread to finish.....it will be very crisp!....then when it's dry fold.
This is REALLY hard to do with a big cloth!!!!
Linda C

Are the real linen? Cotton? Rayon?

ID the material a bit further. Real linen and cotton can, especially if undyed, take some serious cleaning with hot water and stain removers. Rayon needs gentler treatment.

Silk, if you have it, needs dainty methods.

Thank you LindaC...I will start working on this stuff this evening!! We have two quilt stores here, so I should be able to find the soap!
I appreciate your time!