Silk is an investment. It’s a fabric that should be bought with a long-term relationship in mind. By buying a high-quality fabric like Chinese Silk that’s thoughtfully crafted using the world’s finest fabric, your investment piece will last longer.
How you store, wear, and wash your silk will help the longevity of your silk's life.
Washing Tips for Silk
Wash silk after every few wearings unless it needs freshening and stain removal. Remember that washing your silk clothes at home may put the garments at risk of color fading if cleaned too often.
When it comes to washing your silk, leaving it to the experts at the dry cleaners is the absolute best way to extend the life of your silk and keep its subtle lustre and delicate hand feel (especially if we’re talking stains). If the garment label says “dry clean only,” believe it. The garment may have inner structure materials like interfacings that will be ruined by hand-washing. Dry cleaning usually also doesn't fade the color of silk clothing as fast as home washing.
Silk garments with darker colors sometimes bleed when washed in water and may be better suited to dry cleaning, and those with multiple bright colors or strong patterns are often better cleaned by a professional dry cleaner who will use special chemicals that will prevent the colors from running together.
If the garment label says to "dry clean," this is the manufacturer’s recommended cleaning method.
Stay away from machine-washing silk fabrics. While machine-washing these garments in a mesh bag on a gentle wash cycle will generally work, a garment treated this way repeatedly will almost certainly show more wear than one gently washed by hand.
Maybe the dry-cleaning label is present but you find yourself in a jam or want an ‘at home’ way to freshen your silk. Then you can safely hand wash your favourite pieces. With light, single-color silk garments, gentle hand-washing at home is just as good as dry cleaning.
How to Hand Wash Silk
To help the longevity of your silk's life, the key is to use very gentle techniques and avoid heat. Make sure to wash colours separately.
When you're ready to hand-wash, mix cold water and a very small amount of a mild liquid laundry detergent in a sink, large wash bowl, or bucket. Read the detergent label before using it on your silk. Words like “suitable for silk and delicates” are your best friends when it comes to washing silk by hand.
Leave to soak (no more than 5 minutes).
Swish the garment slowly and gently. Don't scrub or wring the fabric—silk fibers are weaker when wet.
Rinse with fresh water.
To help keep its hydrated feel, use a fabric conditioner in the final rinse (or even a small amount of hair conditioner).
Rinse well in cold water.
Wringing your silk out will damage its fibers. Rather ball your silk together to remove excess moisture, then lay it flat and roll it in a towel to absorb any lingering moisture.
Lay flat to dry on a fresh towel.
How to Machine-Wash Silk Clothing
While hand-washing is always preferable, some silk items can be machine washed. Read your garment's label to make sure it is machine-washable.
Brightly colored silk fabrics may bleed the first time they are washed. Wash these items individually, not in a load that includes other garments.
Check the detergent label before using it on your silk. Use mild detergents formulated specifically for silk or delicate clothing, or choose a baby shampoo for another delicate option. If needed, a gentle fabric softener or even a small amount of hair conditioner can be added to the rinse water to soften silk garments.
As silk is a delicate fabric that can easily be damaged in the washing machine, it's important to place your piece of clothing inside out in a protective mesh bag or a pillowcase tied securely on the open end.
Load the mesh bag into your washing machine.
Choose the delicate cycle with cold water.
Remove the garment immediately after the wash cycle is done.
After rinsing, rather ball your silk together to remove excess moisture. (Wringing your wet silk out will cause them to dry with wrinkles or damage its fibers.)
Spread the garment on a heavy, clean white towel, and roll it up to absorb any excess water. Repeat with clean dry towels until much of the water is absorbed.
Hang the garment up to air-dry using a shaped or molded plastic hanger, as wood can stain silk clothing. If the garment doesn't fit snugly on a hanger, dry it flat on a towel or well-supported on a drying rack to prevent any stretching. This can take anywhere from two to 24 hours, depending on the garment or the air humidity.
Don't hang silk over direct heat or in the sun, and do not dry silk clothes in a tumble dryer (even on low heat).
Wrinkles and Creases
Most wrinkles in silk can simply be steamed out, but not everyone owns a steamer. A great steamer hack is to hang your silk in the bathroom and let it steam while you take a hot shower.
If you can’t steam the creases out then there are a few tips on how to safely iron your silk: Flip your garments inside out. Set the iron to low heat (or the silk setting). Avoid extremely high temperatures when ironing—they can scorch silk, wool, and other protein fibers. Scorching/yellowing occurs as the fibers begin to burn and such fibers cannot be revived.
Iron silk only once it’s dry. Do not spray or wet the silk while ironing, and put a pressing cloth between the silk and the iron to prevent any water stains or heat from harming the silk.
Hanging and Storing Silk
Since silk has a reputation for wrinkling and creasing, it is best not to fold or leave it balled up for long. To avoid ironing, store it by hanging it. Hang in a cool dry dark closet away from the sun, to prevent the colour from fading and the sun weakening the fiber.
If you’re storing your silk for a long period of time, then make sure it’s clean and stored in a breathable fabric bag to keep the garment dry (avoid plastic ones because they lock in moisture).
Silk is a protein, this means it can attract moths, so if you add a small amount of natural moth repellent (such as lavender or cedar balls) into the bag, your silk will be sure to thank you.
Refreshing Dull Silk Clothing
If you've mishandled washable silk, it can lose its sheen and become dull thanks to a whiteish film that envelopes the entire garment.
You can restore some of its original shine by using a vinegar-water rinse, helping the garment keep (or regain) its luster.
In a sink, large wash bowl or bucket, add 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to every 1 gallon lukewarm water. Mix well. Completely submerge the garment and swish it around to thoroughly soak the fabric. Remove it from the vinegar water, then rinse it several times in clean water. Do not wring!
Treating Stains on Silk Clothing
Be careful of commercial stain removers on silk. Spot treating with harsh stain removers of any kind on this delicate fabric can result in damage to the color and finish. Never use oxygen- or chlorine-based bleach, which will damage your silk’s fibers. Silk fibers will dissolve in chlorine bleach. Even diluted solutions of chlorine bleach can cause permanent yellowing, color loss, and a weakening of the silk. Also avoid baking soda with silk fabrics. While baking soda is an effective material when deodorizing and removing stains from many fabrics, it is an abrasive material that can damage fine silk fabrics.
If you have a fresh stain on silk, quickly handle it by gently blotting it with a clean damp cloth (don't scrub too hard), then air-dry.
If you see specific stain spots, apply just a dab of gentle detergent marked "delicate" (like Woolite) directly to the stain. Work in the detergent with your fingers and allow it to work for at least 15 minutes, before hand-washing the entire silk garment.
Avoid getting deodorants, perfumes, and other chemical products on silk garments, as these products can damage or badly stain silk.
To remove food stains, wash the entire garment and just allow it more time to soak.
Remove perspiration stains on silk with a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. Gently rub it over the stain with a clean cloth, rinse with another clean cloth, and air-dry.
For dark or heavy stains, take the piece to a dry cleaner, and be sure to tell the dry cleaner what the stain is so it can be appropriately treated.
Silk Clothing Repairs
Silk clothing may fray or rip at the seams. If you choose to repair such seams yourself, pull the snag back to the other side of the fabric and hand-stitch the rip by using a needle and thread matching the color of the fabric. Then apply an anti-fraying product or a no-sew fabric adhesive product, found at fabric stores, to the stitched repair.
Remember that most repairs to silk are not invisible due to the delicate nature of the fabric.
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