How to wash silk clothes at home (2024 edition)

We care that your silk clothes would keep their quality such as luster and texture. That is why we provide this guide on how to wash silk in home conditions. In this guide you fill find tips and tricks to keep in mind when washing from dirt and stains, drying and protecting your silk fabric, based on our 2024 research.

Knowing how to take care of silk clothes can make all the difference for long-lasting silk garments whether it is silk dress, silk blouse, silk pants or any other silk item. Nevertheless, we are always updating and searching for better ways to care for silk fabrics so that you can enjoy clean and silky clothes.

Content

1. Why Washing Silk is Different from Regular Fabrics?
2. How to Read the Labels on Clothes?
3. General Rules for Washing Silk Clothes
4. How to Wash Silk Clothes by Hands?
5. Can You and how to Wash Silk in the Washing Machine?
6. How to Dry Silk Clothes?
7. How to Remove Stains from Silk Fabric at Home?
8. How to Remove Wrinkles from Silk Clothes?
9. How to Restore Shine to Silk?
10. Extra: Tips and Tricks for Caring for Silk Fabrics

Why Washing Silk is Different from Regular Fabrics?

In general:

• Silk is a natural protein fiber.
• Silk is one of the strongest natural fabrics however it loses its strength when wet.
• Silk fabrics have moderate to poor elasticity.
• Silk clothes have lower momme weight than silk sheets so you should be more careful.

Due to losing the strength when wet, silk rigidity, as well as distinct molecule structure, washing and caring silk fabrics as if they were regular ones, will harm the material, causing silk garments to decrease shine and change texture properties or even damage the silk fabric completely by ripping it. 

Proper care of silk materials will elongate its lifetime along with preventing it from losing silks qualities. 

How to Read the Labels on Clothes?

No matter what fabric you are taking care of, the first and one of the most important  steps is to read the garment labels. When making the clothes manufacturers choose as well as process the materials as needed before making the final product. So following the instructions on the garments labels will get you the best results when keeping the quality.

Each clothing label should tell you what the fabric is made from and include up to five symbols that let you know how to care for it. Here’s our essential guide to what each symbol means. A general rule: if you bought a silk dress, and it include not the silk alone, you should follow the instructions that apply to the most delicate part.

You can always trust the laundry symbols. They are protected and their use is required to comply with the license conditions and incorrect labelling is prohibited. 

General rules for washing Silk Clothes

How to hand wash Silk Clothes?

Hand washing fragile silk items at home is the safest option other than dry cleaning. It's preferable to hand wash if the fabric care label says "Dry Clean" or "Do Not Machine Wash." Follow the instructions below to learn how to hand wash silk.

Easy 7-step by step instructions for handwashing silk clothes:

1. Read the label. With any garment first thing you do when taking care of it you should check the label for directions. (Read about labels above in the article)
2. Separate the clothing. You should always separate silks to dark, colour and white so the colours won't transmit.
3. Prepare the water. Fill a bowl or a sink halfway with lukewarm to cold water. Into the water add few drops of silk wash of your choice and mix well into the water. Silk detergent is very gentle and made specifically for your silk garments.
4. Add silk clothes. Submerge the silk clothing in the water and leave them to soak for 3 to 7 minutes depending on how dirty the garments are and how strong the detergent is.
5. Mix. Move the silk garment in the water by stirring, agitating and moving up and down the water with hands. You do so that the dirt and any residue would be washed out.
6. Rinse. Drain the sink or bowl to get rid of dirty water. Refill it with cold water. Mix until most of the detergent is washed then drain again. Rinse under the cold water the garment as many times as you need till the water runs clear and all the detergent is fully removed.
7. Dry with a towel. Put wet silk on a towel and fold the towel over it, gently press to remove exes water. You can also, without rubbing, dry it with a dry towel by lightly taping the garment. Pro tip: Use a white cotton towel so it won't transmit the colour. You don't want to miss this step because it will leave the garment drier so it will need less time to dry and be exposed to the environment.
8. Final dry. Hang the silk garment on the hanger or drying rack in a well-ventilated room away from sunlight. It should be dry in an hour. 

Can You and how to Wash Silk with the Washing Machine?

Silk is a very delicate fabric so we usually face the general misconception that you can't wash silk garments in the washing machine. And even it was true with the first washing machines, now washing machines have more washing modes so you can wash different fabrics and won't ruin them. However, you should invest in a mesh bag and good detergent for silk. 

8-step by step instructions to follow for washing silk with the washing machine:

1. Read the label. With any garment first thing you do when taking care of it you should check the label for directions. (Read about labels above in the article)
2. Separate the clothing. You should always wash delicates with delicates because adding firm and hard clothes like jeans will damage the fragile fibers of delicate clothes. Furthermore, you should always separate silks to dark, colour and white so the colours won't transmit.
3. Use a mesh bag. Put the silk in a mesh bag so it will be protected from any unwanted damage.
4. Load the washing machine. Don't overload the machine by leaving enough empty space.
5. Add silk wash. Use only silk wash and silk detergent for washing silk as it best takes care of silk garments. Follow instructions on the package for dosage.
6. Choose the right washing mode. Silk should only be washed in delicate mode with the shortest spin cycle and the temperature should be chosen as it is written on the garment label. It is recommended to remove the silk from the washing machine before the spin cycle then tap gently to dry with a towel. 
7. Dry with a towel. Put wet silk on a towel and fold the towel over it, gently press to remove exes water. You can also, without rubbing, dry it with a dry towel by lightly taping the garment. Pro tip: Use a white cotton towel so it won't transmit the colour. You don't want to miss this step because it will leave the garment drier so it will need less time to dry and be exposed to the environment.
8. Final dry. Hang the silk garment on the hanger or drying rack in a well-ventilated room away from sunlight. It should be dry in an hour. 

How to Dry Silk Clothes?

Drying silk clothes is one of the most important steps in taking care of the silk garments routine. Silk has fragile fibers so there are things you should avoid doing when drying silk. The general rule is to be really gentle and avoid any strong environmental factors.

4 things to avoid when drying silk:

• Never wring silk. Wringing will damage the silk fibers and it will lose its qualities.
• Avoid spin mode in the washing machine. By doing that you will avoid damaging the silk fibers and loosing its qualities.
• Never toss silk garments in a dryer. Dryer can overheat the garment and overheated silk shrinks. 
• Don't dry in the sunlight. Drying in the sunlight will accelerate fading.

Every drying method mentioned in the list should be avoided at any cost if you want to have long-lasting silk garment. 

Drying silk isn't hard when you follow these simple steps:

1. Dry with a towel. Put wet silk on a towel and fold the towel over it, gently press to remove exes water. You can also, without rubbing, dry it with a dry towel by lightly taping the garment. Pro tip: Use a white cotton towel so it won't transmit the colour. You don't want to miss this step because it will leave the garment drier so it will need less time to dry and be exposed to the environment.
2. Final dry. Hang the silk garment on the hanger or drying rack in a well-ventilated room away from sunlight. It should be dry in an hour. 

How to Remove Stains from Silk Fabric at Home?

Let's you have a stain on you lovely silk robe. Getting stains out of it can be tricky because silk is a delicate fabric and using harsh methods can damage it. Try bringing the stained silk to dry cleaners. Dry cleaners is the best option for cleaning matured stain. 

Here are the 7 general rules for taking off stains from silk garments:

1. Check the label. If the label says only "Dry Clean" you shouldn't use any home made remedies to treat the stain. It is better to act according to the garment label and take it to the dry cleaners.
2. Treat quickly. Old stains is much more difficult to clean than the fresh ones. So acting quickly can make all the difference for saving the silk clothes.
3. Don't use commercial stain cleaner. These stain removers are to harsh for silk fabrics and can damage the clothes permanently.
4. Stain treatment should be chosen by the stain origin. You should consider what kind of stain it is so you can make following steps accordingly.
5. Remove the excess. Try remove as much as you can from fresh stain. Use paper towel, cotton balls or other materials to absorb and drain out as much of the stain as possible. 
6. Always test your solutions. When using a new method or cleaning solution always test it by applying on a small and hidden area before applying to the visible part of the silk. This is how you will be sure that you are not damaging the garment while trying to clean the silk before dabbing the stain with it using a clean, white cloth. 
7. Don't be harsh. Although stains can be stubborn, silk is still a very delegate fabric and it should be treated as one. That is why you should never rub the stain, wring the silk clothes or be in any way harsh to it.

How to clean different kind of stains from silk garments.

Removing light stains off the silk garment like deodorant or perspiration stains:

1. Make a gentle silk stain remover. Combine equal parts of cool water and white vinegar or lemon juice. This gentle stain remover should be able to clean light stains like deodorant or perspiration stains.
2. Always patch test. Test the solution on a small and hidden area before applying to the visible part of the silk before dabbing the stain with it using a clean, white cloth. 
3. Use the solution. If the solution passed the patch test use the white towel to soak the cleaning solution and then tap the solution on the stain.
4. Wash the silk as usual. Wash the silk as the label of the garment instructs. You can also use our recommendations above. 

For more stubborn smudges removal like cosmetics and chocolate:

1. Make a gentle silk stain remover. Dilute cleaning product containing ammonia hydroxide with cool water. Remember, the stronger the cleaner the more water you should add to your solution.
2. Always patch test. Test the solution on a small and hidden area before applying to the visible part of the silk before dabbing the stain with it using a clean, white cloth. 
3. Use the solution. If the solution passed the patch test use the white towel to soak the cleaning solution and then tap the solution on the stain.
4. Wash the silk as usual. Wash the silk as the label of the garment instructs. You can also use our recommendations above. 

Taking off oil stains from silk garment:

1. For oil stains best cleaner is talcum powder. A greasy stain can be cleaned with talcum powder. Baking soda, cornmeal, or cornstarch may be substituted for the talcum powder.
2. Always patch test. Test the solution on a small and hidden area before applying to the visible part of the silk. You should test it by leaving the powder on for 12 hours.
3. Use the solution. If the solution passed the patch test use the powder on the oil stain and leave it for at least 2 hours. After two hours brush of the solution. If you see oil stain becoming smaller leave it for up to 6 hours.
4. Wash the silk as usual. Wash the silk as the label of the garment instructs. You can also use our recommendations above. 

Following these will help you to be prepared in a case of different stains and will help you to best take care of silk garment stains.

How to Remove Wrinkles from Silk Clothes?

Silk is a delicate fabric which can't stand the heat so do not iron silk on a high setting, use a hair dryer on high heat or use dryer to remove wrinkles. Being careful and keeping the heat very low will help you to keep your silk garment undamaged. However, the best way is to avoid the heat at all and protect the silk clothes from wrinkles in advance. You can do so, by placing just washed silk clothes on a hanger without folding so the folds wont become unwanted wrinkles and letting it dry avoiding the direct sunlight. However if there still is some stubborn wrinkles you should read further.

You can follow these ironing recommendations that will get you the best results  removing wrinkles from silk garments without harming it:

1. Damp the silk. Spritz a silk garment with spray bottle filled with lukewarm water till damp but not dripping wet. You can also put silk in cool water to wet it or use just washed silk. If you use the second method you should remove the excess water with white cotton towel by putting wet silk on a towel than folding the towel over it and gently pressing it or lightly tap the garment with the dry towel.
2. Set iron on lowest setting. Check if your iron has "Delicate" or "Silk" setting as those will be best for ironing. If your iron doesn't have them than check what is the minimum temperature that your iron produces and double check if it matches the label on the silk. 
3. Prepare the silk garment for ironing. Put the silk inside out and unzip, unfold and unbutton all the parts. You do so so the silk would be protected from the heat and you could reach every part of the garment with the iron. Then put 1 layer silk on ironing board and try to smooth out as best as you can. Carefully place thin white towel, cloth or t-shit over the damp smoothened silk to protect it from shrinking. 
4. Iron the silk. To remove the wrinkles on the silk move the iron slowly over the protecting fabric. Iron all the prepared area. Be careful to not stand still more than 5 seconds on a single area. 
5. Iron next area of silk. Lift the protecting layer and move the silk so that the next damp and wrinkled silk area would be on the ironing board. Repeat the steps for ironing on all wrinkles. 
6. Let it dry. After the silk garment is free from wrinkles and rumples it can still be wet and hot. Turning the silk right-side up and hanging it up to dry away from sunlight is the final step to eliminating wrinkles from silk clothes. 
7. Wear it. When its all cool down and dry you can wear your wrinkle free silk garment.

How to Restore Shine to Silk?

 This is a very controversial topic. If you Google it, there are plenty of suggestions to wash it with white vinegar. As silk is similar to the composition of human hair, I’m not sure vinegar could help. So please be very cautious about trying to restore the shine to your luxury silk garments with vinegar.

The manager of our sewing room has put it simply—you could try stem to refresh your silk clothes, but if maintained properly, our silk clothes will stay bright after regular washing.

In other words – choose high-quality silk clothes, maintain them using all recommendations provided in this article, and enjoy shiny silk for years.

Extra: Tips and Tricks for Caring for Silk Fabrics

Taking care of silk items can be tricky. Whether you are taking care of silk blouse, silk pants, silk dress or any other piece made of silk there are some common advices you can follow to ease this job

1. Silk is delicate so be gentle. Be gentle when washing, cleaning, drying, removing wrinkles, even storing. Being gentle is the best way  to keep the quality of the silk.
2. Avoid harsh treatments. Silk should stay away from the heat, sun, harsh materials like jeans or wood especially when wet. This includes washing silk with jeans or drying it on wooden hangers.
3. Always spot test. Before trying something new spot test the hidden area of the silk to see how it will react. 
4. If needed always use white towels because silk is water absorbent and can stain easily.
5. Instead of silk wash you can use really gentle detergent for washing.

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