Caring for silk in 6 easy steps

Silk ties, silk blouses, silk party dresses... it's hard not to feel put together when you're donning silk! To ensure the longevity of your silk items, wash them gently by hand. Here are six easy steps you can follow to hand wash silk:

⚪ Step 1: Check for stains

Prior to washing, inspect your garment for stains. Use a gentle stain remover to pre-treat any stains (something formulated for delicate fabrics).

⚪ Step 2: Add delicate detergent to water and submerge silk

Fill a sink or wash tub with lukewarm to cool water and add a delicate detergent, like this yuzu detergent from Tangent GC or this unscented detergent for sensitive skin from Sonett. Follow the dosing instructions on your bottle (a little goes a long way).

If you don't have a delicate detergent on hand, you can also use a pH neutral shampoo to wash silk. Submerge the garment in the sudsy water.

⚪ Step 3: Soak and gently massage your silk

Soak for a few minutes, then stir or massage your garment gently.

⚪ Step 4: Rinse and squeeze your silk

Rinse with clear, cool water. Squeeze the water out carefully and do not wring. Silk is the strongest natural fiber when dry but weaker when fully saturated with water.

⚪ Step 5: Roll in a clean towel and lay flat to dry or drip dry

Roll your wet silk in a clean white towel while gently squeezing out the excess moisture, then lay it flat to dry. You can also hang the garment on a padded hanger and let it drip dry (avoid direct sunlight). Silk will dry fairly quickly given the nature of the material.

⚪ Step 6: Steam out wrinkles

You can use a steamer to eliminate wrinkles. Steam with gentle downward strokes and exercise care with your silk. Hang your freshly washed and steamed silk on a padded hanger until you're ready to wear it again.

Words and gifs by Team Clean
Silk blouse by Vince