Photo: Indiraswork - Stock.adobe.com
Silk is a very delicate fabric. It’s beautiful and comfortable to wear, making it a well-loved fabric choice for many women for their blouses, skirts, nightgowns, lingerie, dresses, and other clothing pieces. Given the elegance, sophistication, and craftsmanship that went into the creation of silk fabric, it can be quite expensive.
If you love silk and you have a few pieces of silk clothing in your wardrobe, it’s a must to learn how to actually give the care it deserves. To fully take care of your precious investments, knowing the right steps in cleaning silk clothing pieces would really make a difference.
To maintain its pristine condition and soft qualities for years to come, here’s a quick guide to caring for your silk clothing pieces:
Prop Naphthalene Balls In Your Closet
Insects love clothing pieces made out of wool and silk. When you keep silk clothing in your closet, you have to protect it from a possible insect attack. One of the best solutions is to put naphthalene balls in your closet, or in between every silk clothing piece you have.
Naphthalene balls serve as an insect repellant, because of their odor. If you’re concerned about smelling like naphthalene balls when you wear your silk clothing, such as blouses or scarves, you can always prepare it at least the day before wearing it, to give it a quick wash first.
Test For Colorfastness Before Washing
While silk may be top-quality, luxurious material that’s meant to last, the same can’t be said about its color. Unfortunately, you have to be wary of the fact that silk’s color will fade. In fact, it may even stain the other clothing pieces you have in the same batch in the wash.
This is the reason why it’s a must to test first for colorfastness before washing. You can do this by dabbing the inside seam with cotton buds or a clean, damp cloth. If the color bleeds, then take your silk clothing to the laundry shop, where they’d know best how to dry clean or steam clean your clothing item. If it doesn’t, it’s good for washing right at home.
Read The Care Label
Many top-quality fashion labels will always have care instructions sewn on the inside seam. You’ll never fail if you strictly follow those care instructions.
Here’s a hint. If the label says ‘Dry Clean’, it means dry cleaning is the manufacturer’s recommended manner of cleaning – but not the only way. If the label says ‘Dry Clean Only’, then there’s no other way to wash and clean that silk piece than to have it sent for dry cleaning.
Photo: Stock.adobe.com The care label won’t only pertain to washing, but to ironing as well. For as long as the iron isn’t set at a temperature that’s too hot, ironing your silk clothing is fine. However, if you have a steam iron, such is still preferred over the traditional one.
Never Wash With Chlorine Bleach
If you’re a parent already reading this, then you’d be aware of how to care for an infant’s clothing. The key is to treat it as gently as possible, without using any harmful chemicals. The same principle applies to silk clothing.
Never wash silk with chlorine bleach, even if you’re washing a white silk clothing item. Over time, chlorine bleach will damage your silk clothing’s natural fibers.
Avoid Direct Sunlight Exposure
When the sun is up and you’d rather air dry your clothes than use the dryer, be very careful about the sun exposure on your silk clothing items. Direct sunlight must be avoided at all times. The reason behind this is that prolonged exposure to sun rays may cause discoloration and damage the silk fabric.
Hand Wash, If Possible
Along the lines of treating your silk clothing pieces like it’s a baby, hand washing is recommended over machine washing. However, if your washing machine has a gentle wash cycle, then that would do just fine, too. But, it’s still highly recommended to hand wash, when you can.
Here’s how. Fill a basin with hot or cold water. Then, add a gentle detergent. Place your silk clothing in the basin, give it a quick stir, and then leave it to sit for a few minutes.
You don’t have to be very thorough with washing silk clothing, as silk releases dirt very quickly. After draining the soapy mix, rinse with clean water.
Handle With Care After Hand Washing
After hand washing, avoid twisting or wringing out the silk garment to let out excess water. All you have to do is gently squeeze the fabric, so you can let out any excess water.
Avoid The Dryer
Even when the weather is cold and damp or the sun isn’t out, avoid using the tumble dryer for your silk clothing. Remember that silk is a very delicate fabric. Exposing it to the high heat from the tumble dryer may shrink or damage your silk.
You can even leave silk clothing on a hanger, to dry in your bathtub or bathroom, while leaving the bathroom windows open. Because silk is delicate and thin, it won’t take any longer than an hour for it to fully dry.
Always Use A Very Mild Laundry Detergent
If you’re buying from a clothing line that only sells silk products, you can ask the sales associates for recommendations on what laundry detergent to use. Typically, they can help you out with insights. There may be some laundry detergent that’s also specialized for gentle care for fabrics like silk.
If such special laundry detergent isn’t available, you can always use a baby laundry detergent. They’re mild enough, so you have that assurance it won’t damage your silk.
Final Thoughts
Silk clothing is an investment piece. If you haven’t worn one yet before, you’re missing out on how elegant and classic it looks and feels. There’s nothing quite like the luxurious and understated sophistication a woman has when she dons silk clothing. When you’ve converted into a silk lover, it then follows that you’ll have to learn how to take good care of what you have. Silk clothing is meant to last through so many years of use, being the timeless piece that it is. To be able to maintain that, take this guide above into account in caring for your silk clothing, and you’ll be able to spend a lifetime with your precious investment.
