Lay a silk pillowcase flat to air dry, preferably on a drying rack away from direct heat sources and sunlight. Laying it flat to dry will help the pillowcase retain its natural shape, and keeping it out of direct heat or sunlight helps prevent discoloration and fading.
DON'T dry a silk pillowcase in direct sunlight or in a heated dryer cycle. If you absolutely must use the dryer, use it on the air/no-heat cycle. DO steam silk bedding if you'd like to eliminate wrinkles.
Your silk should dry in about 45 minutes depending on temperature and conditions. 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.
Instead, silk should be air dried for the best results. Firstly, you want to absorb any excess moisture by laying it out flat on top of a clean towel. Roll the towel up with the silk inside, and gently press down. Repeat the process with another clean towel until the silk is no longer soaking.
Exposing your garment to long bursts of sunlight can cause the colors to fade or even damage your silk fabrics. Do not tumble dry. Silk is very delicate and the high temperatures of the tumble dryer can shrink or damage your silks.
Silk is a very delicate material and you should generally never tumble-dry it in a dryer. Even on low heat, the warmth can make the fabric shrink, pucker or become otherwise damaged. Instead, air-dry your silk pieces. You can lay them flat or hang them to dry.
Activewear, loosely woven garments, silk, and items embellished with beads or embroidery are best dried on the delicate or gentle cycle. The low heat helps keep your clothes safe during the drying process, as these garments are prone to melting or stretching under high heat.
Lay a silk pillowcase flat to air dry, preferably on a drying rack away from direct heat sources and sunlight. Laying it flat to dry will help the pillowcase retain its natural shape, and keeping it out of direct heat or sunlight helps prevent discoloration and fading.
Avoid the dryer
Lay wet silk clothing flat onto a clean, absorbent towel and roll it up in the towel to rid excess moisture. Unroll and repeat using a second dry towel, then lay flat on a drying rack or dry towel.
Never wring out your silk items or toss them in the dryer, says Whitehurst. To remove excess water, place the wet garment on a white cotton towel. Fold the towel over and gently blot. Then, using a padded hanger, hang the blouse or dress over the bathtub to drip dry.
Detergent can stiffen silk
Even if you are hand washing your silks are per the instructions, if you are using a detergent, they can become stiff. Using a castile soap like Dr Bronner's instead can help a lot. Even after air drying, though, your silk may still be a bit stiff.
If you frequently sleep with wet hair, we suggest investing in a silk pillowcase. Silk doesn't retain moisture well, thereby allowing your hair to dry faster. More importantly, it's slick and produces less friction when compared with a cotton or flannel pillowcase.
Yes you can. However, whether your pillowcase is silk or cotton, going to bed with wet hair can attract bacteria. If your silk pillowcase absorbs some of your hair product, you can wash this out as easily as a cotton pillow case in most cases, but keeping in mind that silk is more delicate than cotton.
As with any cover, it's important to wash your silk pillowcases once a week to avoid bacteria buildup.
Some detergents are simply too harsh for silk and will leave it feeling rough and scratchy. Choose a gentle detergent specified for washing delicate fabrics, which will clean well while protecting the fibers.
If you find that the sheen of your silk clothing has lost its luster or shimmer and appears to have a white film or looks dull, the silk fibers may have become damaged due to improper cleaning or exposure to too much light or heat.
Silk will shrink in the dryer if the dryer is set to tumble dry medium or tumble dry high, however, silk should never be put into the dryer and should flat dry or be placed on a drying rack to dry.
Because heat can damage silk fibers, it's best to air dry your pillowcases instead. First, roll each pillowcase up in a clean bath towel to remove any excess water. Then, hang the pillowcase on a clothesline, a non-slip hanger, or a drying rack.
Polyester satin can hang on a clothesline as long as the tag doesn't read lay flat to dry. Lay it flat on a fluffy towel. When in doubt, the safest way to dry a satin pillowcase is to lay it flat to dry. Those fluffy bath towels we warn against using for your hair are actually great in this case.
Use the delicate or gentle cycle. Finally, the answer to the question that is likely on your mind – yes, you can use the dryer! Set your dryer to the lowest temperature and dry your Blissy products for up to 20 minutes. Remove and let them air dry the rest of the way until completely dry.
Drying Silk: The Good News
The good news is that silk can be dried safely, easily, and quickly, simply by hanging on a line indoors or outside, out of the sun. In our experience, our silk sheets air dry in around an hour's time.
No, you cannot put silk in the dryer on low heat or tumble dry low. Even though the low heat setting may help to avoid shrinking your silk, the tumble motion of the dryer will likely damage the silk fibers significantly.
Air dry is not the same as tumble dry. Some tumble dry settings use heat ranging from low to high temperatures, while air drying is a method that uses no heat. However, some dryers offer a No Heat tumble dry setting that can be used for heat-sensitive materials.