Care and Cleaning of Your Silk Clothes

 

Wearing silk sarees and dresses is always a favorite thing to ladies. But when it comes to maintain and clean the silk dresses, they find it a little difficulty. Since it is relatively expensive, needs special care to maintain its elegance and clean. With proper maintenance, its lifetime can be increased for years.

Washing of silk clothes

For first wash, do not use soap or any other detergents. Because it is very delicate. So just rinse with plain water. Cold or lukewarm water either can be used. Use mild detergents or shampoo for subsequent washes. Do not use harsh detergents as it may cause the color fading and also damage the silk threads. Do not soak the silk for long time. Because it cause the silk to lose its strength. While washing, gently handle the thing. Just rinse the silk saree or dress in water without using brush. Avoid stretching or wringing the silk. While washing sarees, wash the pallu, body part and border separately. Above all before washing always check for color fastness. For this damp a small part of the dress, if the color runs it is better to have a dry wash. After washing do not wring and dry it in direct sunlight. Then roll it in a towel to absorb the water. Hang it to dry in a shaded area. Do not keep the wet silk cloth for long time. Dry it immediately.

Removing stains in silk clothes

It is really hard to remove stains from silk clothes. Stains caused by perspiration and deodorants can be removed by washing the silk clothes in water with detergents. Other stains like food stains use stain removers on affected area and then wash off. White vinegar can also be used. Never use chlorine bleach to remove stains as it will damage the fiber. Oil stains and other stains like grease can be removed by applying talcum powder over it.

 Maintaining of silk clothes

Special care should be taken to maintain the glory and shine. Keep the silk saree or dress wrapped in cotton cloth. Always hand washing of silk clothes is better to avoid damaging of fiber and zari in silk sarees. So it is safe to avoid machine wash. To remove the wrinkles, ironing can be done. But it should be with minimum heat. If needed iron on the right side of the fabric with a white cloth between the iron and the silk fabric. Otherwise it is advisable to iron with inside out of the fabric. For silk sarees care should be taken while ironing the zari part.

Once in a month, unfold your silk sarees and fold it again in a different pattern. This will helps to avoid the damage of silk strands. Do not keep the silk sarees or dresses in cupboard always. Since silk fiber is a natural protein it can be affected by insects or moth.So once in a while take it out and hang it in a ventilated area.