LOOKING AFTER YOUR SILK PIECES
Most people feel little bit daunted when it comes to buying something made of silk as there is the common fear of how to care for it or wash it….but trust me looking after your silk pieces is simple and sustainable with no trips to the dry cleaners.
Silk can be quite a delicate fabric and does need to be treated with love and care but at the same time there is no need to wrap it up and never wear it!
I recommend you wash each piece separately by hand in cold water using a delicates detergent, (not on the hand washing setting in the washing machine) I currently use Woolite…not an ad, I just think its pretty good and its also great for hand washing wool sweaters too; but any other delicates detergent will be great.
Here’s a step by step guide of how I wash my silk pieces:
fill up a sink with cold/cool water and add some of the detergent.
Add just one of your silk pieces and move it around in the water until you can see it’s fully immersed and then leave it for around 5mins. (If any dye starts to come out and the water changes colour do not leave your shirt to soak. Move it around in the water and detergent and then start the rinsing process.)
Give it another move around in the water, then lift it up and give it a gentle squeeze but nothing too aggressive and do not wring.
Fill the sink up with clean cool/cold water and rinse the shirt to remove the detergent. I usually do about 2 rinses after the detergent wash but the general rule usually is, if the water stays clear and there is no soap then you’re good to go!
Then to remove excess water, press the silk against the sides of the sink or press between a towel (I personally never do the towel option but my mum does so I’ll stick it in there) - again do not wring.
Leave your piece to drip dry either handing or lay it flat on a drying rack away from direct sunlight and ideally outside.
If needed, iron on a low steam setting. I always test the iron on the edge just to make sure it’s not to hot.
Instead of washing after every wear you can always opt for leaving your silk piece to hang outside to air it through if you feel like it doesn’t need that full wash. I do this quite a lot, even if I have worn something all day.
Additional tips:
A handy little tricky which I can’t really take credit for, mama Dickinson figured this one out on a white t-shirt after a beach holiday. Anything that contains oil or grease usually is a nightmare to get off any fabric and when it comes to things like sunscreen and makeup, they usually stain or leave some sort of yellow-ish residue. So here is the big secret…..clear washing up liquid!!! (NOT the coloured stuff - IT HAS to be clear)
If you notice a stain or where make-up has rubbed off on any areas or edges, before fully washing or submerging your silk piece in a sink of water……
wet the area of the garment where the stain is. I usually stick that section under a running cold water tap for a moment.
Add a small amount of clear washing up liquid to the stain
As silk fibres can be delicate, gently work the clear washing up liquid over and into the fabric where the stain is to lift it. Do not scrub too hard as this could damage the fibres. Usually for things like cotton t-shirts you can rub fabric against fabric to lift the stain but don’t do this with silk.
Give the section another quick rinse under a cold tap to get rid of excess washing up liquid and then fully wash using the guide above.
This degreaser, clear washing up liquid trick, works on basically everything I own….it’s particularly good for white t-shirts post holiday! But make sure you do it before you properly wash your garment.
I hope this helps when it comes to washing your scarves and hand painted shirts, or any other silk items you have in your wardrobe. Washing silk really is simple and nothing to be scared of and washing by hand is easier, more sustainable and cheaper than taking it to the dry cleaners.
The more you look after your clothes, the longer they will last and that’s a really great and easy way to be a bit more sustainable with your wardrobe. The best bit is, you get to treasure the pieces you really love for a long time…..or maybe pass them down to other family members or in my mums case, have your daughter steal things she bought in the 70’s! And they’re still looking good as new!! Cheers mum!
