Despite what you've heard, you can wash silk in a washing machine. However, it's worth investing in a mesh bag to protect your delicate items from tangling or getting caught on other items during the wash. Follow the instructions for washing silk items in a washing machine.
Pop your item in the washing machine – we recommend placing any silk items inside a mesh laundry bag or pillowcase to avoid snags or damage caused by the drum. Select a cool, delicate cycle (do not set the wash temperature to any higher than 30°C).
Hand wash silk clothes in cold water
Fill a clean sink or small tub with lukewarm water and a small amount of delicate-friendly liquid detergent. Lightly agitate for three to five minutes and rinse well. If the care label advises machine washing, choose a gentle, cold-water cycle.
Silk is a delicate fabric, and you'll want to make sure it stays beautiful even after you've cleaned it. Washing it at too high a heat can cause it to shrink and damage it. It may be worth getting your silk garment professionally dry cleaned to avoid damage if it's particularly precious to you.
Don't put silk items in the dryer. Heat can damage delicate silk fibers. If the dryer is absolutely necessary to use only 'air' setting for 15 minutes or less with NO fabric sheets or dryer balls. Remove sheets before completely dry.
Do not tumble dry. Silk is very delicate and the high temperatures of the tumble dryer can shrink or damage your silks. Use a detergent for delicates.
Silk reacts to alkaline detergents. These can cause the silk to become rough and even cause the fabric to break down.
Don't forget that silk loses much of its strength when it's wet and wringing it out will damage it. Lay out each wet piece on a clean, dry towel and roll it up. The excess water will soak into the towel. To finish drying, lay the garment flat.
Silk clothing can be damaged in a number of ways, but one of the most common causes of damage to this expensive fabric is mishandling it while cleaning. This is particularly true when attempting to remove difficult stains. Because of its vulnerability to strong chemicals, bleach should never be used on silk fabric.
Most silk garments will say “dry clean only” on their care label. McCorkill says although sometimes you can handwash silk, dry cleaning “is the best way to retain the natural lustre and drape of the fabric.”
Rule Number One: use shampoo to wash your silks, not dish liquid, woolite, or laundry detergent. Silks (and wool) are protein fibers, just like your hair, so use shampoo. You don't ever want to use Biz on silks. The enzymes are very bad for these protein fibers.
Silk. While silk is a very luxurious material, it is also very delicate and can easily shrink or become damaged in the wash without proper care. Because silk is a natural material made from protein fibers, heat will cause it to shrink.
Wash silk after every few wearings unless it needs freshening and stain removal. Remember that washing your silk clothes at home may put the garments at risk of color fading if cleaned too often. Dry cleaning usually doesn't fade the color of silk clothing as fast as home washing.
Silk can shrink if it is pre-washed for more than approximately five minutes. Letting a silk garment sit in water for a long time before washing causes its fibers to tighten and twist, thus producing a shrinking effect. Silk that is washed in hot water will also shrink.
To restore some of the shine and softness that's been lost, you can give your silk pieces a mild white vinegar bath. White vinegar helps to remove any residual soap in the fibres, and also restores lustre and softness to silk.
Test for Colorfastness
Sadly, dyed silk fades, so test your garment for colorfastness before washing. Dab an inconspicuous area, like the inside seam, with a damp clean cloth or Q-tips. If the color bleeds, take your garment to the cleaners.
Silk is one of the strongest natural fibers, but it loses up to 20% of its strength when wet. It has a good moisture regain of 11%. Its elasticity is moderate to poor: if elongated even a small amount, it remains stretched. It can be weakened if exposed to too much sunlight.
Similarly, silk can be handwashed, but doing so may change the lustre and drape of the fabric. If you have a silk garment made from particularly delicate silk, like chiffon or georgette, it's best to take it to a dry-cleaner as these fabrics are more likely to be affected by water.
Too much rubbing or agitation of the fibres in the wash will cause damage. Do take silk that is not colour-fast to a dry cleaning professional. Do wash silk in cool water. Hot water will damage and shrink the natural fibres.
Use an iron with a dedicated silk setting and a clean surface, preferably an ironing board. Iron your silk while it's still a bit damp. After the wash, hang your silk sheets until they are almost dry then iron. Don't wring out excess water, which can damage the silk.
Silk wrinkles when you really smash it in your hands and you will find that some wrinkles have been left, whilst polyester generally reverts back to the same shape as before. All-natural materials wrinkle, but they look absolutely beautiful even if they are wrinkled and they are so much better to wear.
Can silk be steamed? Always steam silk garments if you can. The steam will gently remove any visible creases and wrinkles and add luster to the fabric. The hot steam from a steamer also removes odors and kills bacteria, while nourishing the textile fibers and allowing them to regain their natural shape.
Fill a basin with cold water.
Most silk garments can be hand washed, even if the tag advises dry cleaning only. To begin washing the garment, fill a large basin or bowl with enough lukewarm or cold water to submerge the garment inside.