Silk Care Guide:
Easy Ways to Clean Silk
Many believe that cleaning silk is troublesome since it is delicate and vulnerable, but this is NOT true. Cleaning silk can be easier than you thought. This article is to help you get the hang of silk cleaning, so that you can conserve your silk longer with little effort.
Get Prepared: Choose the Right Laundry Detergent for Your Silk
This is important because silk is a protein-based fabric, and any detergent that is way too acid or alkaline can damage, even dissolve it, if it’s soaked in the liquid long enough. In addition, any applicable laundry detergent for silk should NOT contain any protease, enzyme, alcohol and bleach, since all these components can hurt your silk.
We recommend you read the ingredient list when you are selecting a laundry detergent for your silk. However, if you prefer to get rid of the trouble of picking, you can simply use a professional silk detergent or a baby shampoo, which usually has a neutral pH and contains no harmful components mentioned above.
Stains: Something You’d Better Pretreat
Before soaking your silk in water, you’d better inspect it for stains and pretreat them. Or else, these stains will remain on your silk like forever and spoil it at last.
To remove the stains correctly, you should use different methods when dealing with different stains. Below are cleaning methods for common stain types.
Stain Type | Cleaning Method |
Ash stain | Do NOT use water or any liquid, instead, use a dry, clean cotton towel and gently swab the stain until the ashes are gone. |
Bloodstain | If a bloodstain is fresh, place the silk under cold running water to flush out blood. If the blood is dried already, turn your silk inside out, and then melt an aspirin tablet in a cup of water. Dip a cotton bud in the aspirin solution and gently wipe the stain away with it. If you have a stubborn stain, soak it in the solution for 5 minutes and rinse it. Note: 1. No hot or warm water should be used in this process, or the blood will clot, making cleaning tougher. 2. The aspirin solution can also remove sweat stains; soak the silk in the solution for 5 minutes before washing, and sweat stains disappear. |
Grease smudge | Press a tissue on the grease smudge to absorb excess grease or oil. Turn your silk inside out (the duller side), and wet the stain with a 50/50 mixture of dish soap and lukewarm water (about 86℉). Gently rub the stain away and rinse it. This method can also be used for stains caused by coffee, juice, wine or any other beverage. |
Ink stain | First, remove the excess ink with a tissue. Then turn your silk inside out. Take a cotton bud and damp it with diluted professional ink remover. Gently roll the bud over the stain until it’s gone. During this operation, rotate the cotton bud to a clean side as you notice that ink has transferred onto the bud. Rinse the silk so that no ink remover remains. |
Kindly remind, we cannot guarantee that the cleaning methods above can remove all the stains. The best way to clean a stain is always clean it IN TIME. In this case, we highly recommend you apply any measure as quickly as possible if your silk get a stain.
Handwash, Machine-Wash or Dry-Clean?
Now you can finally start washing! But another question may come to you: which washing method should I use? Handwash, machine-wash or dry-clean? In fact, these three methods are all applicable, but there are details you may need to pay attention to.
Handwash
Handwash is no doubt the best washing method for silk. It minimizes the damage a laundry can cause to silk. When handwashing your silk, follow the steps below:
- Fill a washtub with lukewarm water (about 86℉).
- Add a small amount of neutral silk-friendly detergent and mix.
- Turn your silk inside out, soak it in the mixture for 3–5 minutes and gently swish it to clean.
- Rinse the silk with clean, lukewarm water for several times until no detergent remains.
- Roll the silk in a clean cotton towel and gently press out excess water.
- Air dry the silk in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.
NOTE:
- Do NOT wring or twist your silk, or it will be distorted.
- Do NOT use hot water when washing your silk, or it will shrink.
Machine-Wash
Handwash may work when your silk is a small one. But what if you are going to wash something bigger like a sheet or a duvet cover? The answer is Machine-Wash. Well, it was thought that machine-wash can ruin your silk, but this only happens when the steps are wrong. The correct process is as follows:
- Turn your silk inside out.
- Put the silk into a small laundry mesh bag and zip shut.
- Use neutral silk-friendly detergent in a silk-only load.
- Select a cool, delicate cycle.
- Once the cycle is completed, air dry the silk in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.
NOTE:
- Do NOT put your silk in a dryer. The heat damages fiber.
- Do NOT set the wash temperature to any higher than 86℉.
Dry-Clean
Dry-clean is the easiest but also the costliest way to clean your silk. If you are looking for a more economical way to clean your silk, please refer to the guide above and launder it at home.
Iron It! But with Cautions
Silk wrinkles easily. However, even though it’s widely believed that ironing can hurt, even ruin silk and it is true that silk should avoid heat, you can still iron your silk without scorching it as long as the directions below are followed:
- Iron your silk when it’s slightly damp.
- Use the dedicated silk setting of your iron if it has one. If it hasn’t, always use the lowest temperature, so that your silk won’t be scorched.
- Use a pressing cloth when ironing. If not, make sure your iron is stainless, so that no stain will transfer to your silk.
- Do not iron the sheeny side of your silk. Instead, turn your silk inside out and iron the duller side.
- Do not move your iron back and forth. Instead, move your iron quickly from one side to the other, so that no scorch mark will be made.
Tips for Storing Silk
As protein-based fabric, silk hates light, heat and moisture, and needs breath. Therefore, storing your silk in a dark, cool and dry place with air circulation is the most ideal method.
If you want to keep your silk away from dust, put it in a breathable cotton bag. Avoid using a plastic bag, in case unpleasant odor occurs.
If you prefer to hang your silk up, a non-slip, non-wooden hanger can help you protect it better, considering silk is soft, smooth and easy to snug.