How To Care for Silk in Your Wardrobe
Silk is one of the few fabrics that never go out of style. Yet, you may have found yourself hesitant to pack it in your suitcase while going on a vacation because of the expensive dry-cleaning cost.
Taking care of silk does not necessarily have to be expensive. You can wash the silk at home and take certain precautions to ensure that it stays as good as new for years.
Instructions
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1
Instead of spending your money on expensive dry-cleaning, it is strongly recommended to hand wash your silk with detergents that are made specifically for delicate fabric. One thing that you need to make sure of while choosing a detergent is that it does not contain enzymes that are harmful to silk. Silk resists dirt, which is why you do not have to use a large amount of detergent while washing it.
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2
If you are using a washing machine to clean your silk, you will need to take extra caution. Do not wash silk in a machine that is not clean and 100 percent safe for silk. Make sure that the detergent that you use is mild. Set the machine on cold wash and, most importantly, keep the cycles as short as possible. Also try to make sure that the water temperature stays the same through the wash as silk does not react well to abrupt changes in water temperature.
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3
Adding a few tablespoons of white vinegar in the rinse water will help the silk in retaining its sheen and colour. It will also keep the fabric soft instead of getting brittle. Rinsing the silk with white vinegar added to the water will also help to remove recent stains and help white silk to remain white instead of turning slightly yellow.
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4
Remove the excess moisture from the silk by drying it with towel. Be careful not to twist and squeeze the fabric while drying it.
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5
Store your silk in something like a cotton pillowcase instead of plastic, as the latter has the tendency to trap water, which consequently results in white silk turning yellow.
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6
Keep your silk out of the sun and away from heat. Sun and heat causes the silk fibres to become weak. Natural dyes are commonly used on silk, which makes it even more crucial to keep it out of the sun as it causes them to fade.
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7
Iron on the reverse side of your silk while it is still slightly damp. If it becomes dry, dampen it using spray bottle. Do not use steam to dampen it while ironing as this will leave water marks on the fabric.
