Hand washing fragile silk items at home is the safest option other than dry cleaning. It's preferable to hand wash if the fabric care label says "Dry Clean" or "Do Not Machine Wash." Follow the instructions below to learn how to hand wash silk.
Easy 7-step by step instructions for handwashing silk clothes:
- Read the label. With any garment first thing you do when taking care of it you should check the label for directions. (Read about labels above in the article)
- Separate the clothing. You should always separate silks to dark, colour and white so the colours won't transmit.
- Prepare the water. Fill a bowl or a sink halfway with lukewarm to cold water. Into the water add few drops of silk wash of your choice and mix well into the water. Silk detergent is very gentle and made specifically for your silk garments.
- Add silk clothes. Submerge the silk clothing in the water and leave them to soak for 3 to 7 minutes depending on how dirty the garments are and how strong the detergent is.
- Mix. Move the silk garment in the water by stirring, agitating and moving up and down the water with hands. You do so that the dirt and any residue would be washed out.
- Rinse. Drain the sink or bowl to get rid of dirty water. Refill it with cold water. Mix until most of the detergent is washed then drain again. Rinse under the cold water the garment as many times as you need till the water runs clear and all the detergent is fully removed.
- Dry with a towel. Put wet silk on a towel and fold the towel over it, gently press to remove exes water. You can also, without rubbing, dry it with a dry towel by lightly taping the garment. Pro tip: Use a white cotton towel so it won't transmit the colour. You don't want to miss this step because it will leave the garment drier so it will need less time to dry and be exposed to the environment.
- Final dry. Hang the silk garment on the hanger or drying rack in a well-ventilated room away from sunlight. It should be dry in an hour.
Silk is a very delicate fabric so we usually face the general misconception that you can't wash silk garments in the washing machine. And even it was true with the first washing machines, now washing machines have more washing modes so you can wash different fabrics and won't ruin them. However, you should invest in a mesh bag and good detergent for silk.
8-step by step instructions to follow for washing silk with the washing machine:
- Read the label. With any garment first thing you do when taking care of it you should check the label for directions. (Read about labels above in the article)
- Separate the clothing. You should always wash delicates with delicates because adding firm and hard clothes like jeans will damage the fragile fibers of delicate clothes. Furthermore, you should always separate silks to dark, colour and white so the colours won't transmit.
- Use a mesh bag. Put the silk in a mesh bag so it will be protected from any unwanted damage.
- Load the washing machine. Don't overload the machine by leaving enough empty space.
- Add silk wash. Use only silk wash and silk detergent for washing silk as it best takes care of silk garments. Follow instructions on the package for dosage.
- Choose the right washing mode. Silk should only be washed in delicate mode with the shortest spin cycle and the temperature should be chosen as it is written on the garment label. It is recommended to remove the silk from the washing machine before the spin cycle then tap gently to dry with a towel.
- Dry with a towel. Put wet silk on a towel and fold the towel over it, gently press to remove exes water. You can also, without rubbing, dry it with a dry towel by lightly taping the garment. Pro tip: Use a white cotton towel so it won't transmit the colour. You don't want to miss this step because it will leave the garment drier so it will need less time to dry and be exposed to the environment.
- Final dry. Hang the silk garment on the hanger or drying rack in a well-ventilated room away from sunlight. It should be dry in an hour.
Drying silk clothes is one of the most important steps in taking care of the silk garments routine. Silk has fragile fibers so there are things you should avoid doing when drying silk. The general rule is to be really gentle and avoid any strong environmental factors.
4 things to avoid when drying silk:
- Never wring silk. Wringing will damage the silk fibers and it will lose its qualities.
- Avoid spin mode in the washing machine. By doing that you will avoid damaging the silk fibers and loosing its qualities.
- Never toss silk garments in a dryer. Dryer can overheat the garment and overheated silk shrinks.
- Don't dry in the sunlight. Drying in the sunlight will accelerate fading.
Every drying method mentioned in the list should be avoided at any cost if you want to have long-lasting silk garment.
Drying silk isn't hard when you follow these simple steps:
- Dry with a towel. Put wet silk on a towel and fold the towel over it, gently press to remove exes water. You can also, without rubbing, dry it with a dry towel by lightly taping the garment. Pro tip: Use a white cotton towel so it won't transmit the colour. You don't want to miss this step because it will leave the garment drier so it will need less time to dry and be exposed to the environment.
- Final dry. Hang the silk garment on the hanger or drying rack in a well-ventilated room away from sunlight. It should be dry in an hour.
Getting stains out of the silk can be tricky because silk is a delicate fabric and using harsh methods can damage it. Try bringing the stained silk to dry cleaners. Dry cleaners is the best option for cleaning matured stain.
Here are the 7 general rules for taking off stains from silk garments:
- Check the label. If the label says only "Dry Clean" you shouldn't use any home made remedies to treat the stain. It is better to act according to the garment label and take it to the dry cleaners.
- Treat quickly. Old stains is much more difficult to clean than the fresh ones. So acting quickly can make all the difference for saving the silk clothes.
- Don't use commercial stain cleaner. These stain removers are to harsh for silk fabrics and can damage the clothes permanently.
- Stain treatment should be chosen by the stain origin. You should consider what kind of stain it is so you can make following steps accordingly.
- Remove the excess. Try remove as much as you can from fresh stain. Use paper towel, cotton balls or other materials to absorb and drain out as much of the stain as possible.
- Always test your solutions. When using a new method or cleaning solution always test it by applying on a small and hidden area before applying to the visible part of the silk. This is how you will be sure that you are not damaging the garment while trying to clean the silk before dabbing the stain with it using a clean, white cloth.
- Don't be harsh. Although stains can be stubborn, silk is still a very delegate fabric and it should be treated as one. That is why you should never rub the stain, wring the silk clothes or be in any way harsh to it.
How to clean different kind of stains from silk garment?
Removing light stains off the silk garment like deodorant or perspiration stains:
- Make a gentle silk stain remover. Combine equal parts of cool water and white vinegar or lemon juice. This gentle stain remover should be able to clean light stains like deodorant or perspiration stains.
- Always patch test. Test the solution on a small and hidden area before applying to the visible part of the silk before dabbing the stain with it using a clean, white cloth.
- Use the solution. If the solution passed the patch test use the white towel to soak the cleaning solution and then tap the solution on the stain.
- Wash the silk as usual. Wash the silk as the label of the garment instructs. You can also use our recommendations above.
For more stubborn smudges removal like cosmetics and chocolate:
- Make a gentle silk stain remover. Dilute cleaning product containing ammonia hydroxide with cool water. Remember, the stronger the cleaner the more water you should add to your solution.
- Always patch test. Test the solution on a small and hidden area before applying to the visible part of the silk before dabbing the stain with it using a clean, white cloth.
- Use the solution. If the solution passed the patch test use the white towel to soak the cleaning solution and then tap the solution on the stain.
- Wash the silk as usual. Wash the silk as the label of the garment instructs. You can also use our recommendations above.
Taking off oil stains from silk garment:
- For oil stains best cleaner is talcum powder. A greasy stain can be cleaned with talcum powder. Baking soda, cornmeal, or cornstarch may be substituted for the talcum powder.
- Always patch test. Test the solution on a small and hidden area before applying to the visible part of the silk. You should test it by leaving the powder on for 12 hours.
- Use the solution. If the solution passed the patch test use the powder on the oil stain and leave it for at least 2 hours. After two hours brush of the solution. If you see oil stain becoming smaller leave it for up to 6 hours.
- Wash the silk as usual. Wash the silk as the label of the garment instructs. You can also use our recommendations above.