cleaning silk
Photography via IMAXTREE

How to Wash Silk: Five Easy Steps for At-Home Cleaning

The fabric we hate to love.

Silk is a fabric we love to wear, but choosing garments made from this irresistible fabric means committing to a very particular set of cleaning rules. We fear handwashing because we might ruin it, but equally we don’t want to cough up for drycleaning each time we wear it. As a result, sometimes we leave a would-be wardrobe hero on the rack. The good news, however, is that not all hope is lost – here’s what YouTuber Melissa Maker had to say about how to wash silk, and how to store it once you’re done.

How to wash/clean it:
1. Soak the garment in a bucket or basin filled with four litres of cold water and a teaspoon of gentle detergent (colour free, scent free).
2. Gently agitate it with your hands. Let it sit for a few moments.
3. Rinse in cool water and squeeze water out. Never wring.
4. Lay it flat on a towel and roll the towel up to absorb extra moisture. Then lay flat to dry.
5. If needed, iron on a very low setting (there might even be a ‘silk’ setting).

How to store it:
Hang it up on a good quality hanger.

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