# Cleaning a Clergy Stole



## Timothy R. Butler (Jul 8, 2013)

Hello, everyone,
I'm not really sure where the right place is for this, but I noticed some pulpit gown and stole questions had gone into this forum, so I figured it might do. At Grace, we don't typically use gowns and stoles, save for a few special occasions throughout the year, so I've run into a problem that perhaps young pastors in more stole-inclined settings would have run into sooner. I wore a white linen stole that a friend gave me when I was ordained to a funeral today. At some point, after giving a hug to someone, I ended up with a streak of lipstick on it. I obviously want to get the lipstick off, but don't want to hurt the stole in the process. 

Anyone have tips for stole cleaning and what works best? I'm thinking about taking it to the cleaners...

Thanks,
Tim


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## ooguyx (Jul 8, 2013)

Well I don't know about stoles in particular, but when I get grease from a bbq on my clothes we just put some dawn degreaseing detergent on it and rub it in the wash it like normal and it always comes out. Worth a try.


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## Timothy R. Butler (Jul 8, 2013)

Thanks -- I guess I could try. I'm not so sure stoles are meant to be washed though, so I've been hesitant to use my usual cleaning techniques. Unfortunately, this one doesn't have a cleaning/care tag of any sort on it.


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## Philip (Jul 8, 2013)

What's it made of? Wool? Linen? Cotton?


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## Timothy R. Butler (Jul 8, 2013)

I'm almost certain it is linen. Thanks!


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