“To increase the longevity of your silk garments, we recommend handwashing them in cold water with a quarter teaspoon of gentle organic detergent and fabric softener for no more than five minutes,” offers Kes. There is also a number of cleaning products specially made for washing silk at home (see below).
You'll discover that silk is actually quite simple to care for, and requires only a bit of extra attention. Wash your new silk sheets before using, preferably by hand in cold water; a machine wash on a cold delicate cycle is also acceptable. Silk should always be laundered separately in a SILK-ONLY LOAD.
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.
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.
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.
“To increase the longevity of your silk garments, we recommend handwashing them in cold water with a quarter teaspoon of gentle organic detergent and fabric softener for no more than five minutes,” offers Kes. There is also a number of cleaning products specially made for washing silk at home (see below).
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.
Once heat is applied to the garment after soaking it for a long time, the silk will shrink. To avoid this, either hand wash your silk in cold water or use the delicate cycle on your washing machine then hang to dry.
Silk Satin and Silk Broadcloth will have little or no shrinkage, while Silk Chiffon or Crepe de Chine may shrink to a greater degree because it is made from a looser weave. Always wash silk in lukewarm or cold water to avoid shrinking your garment.
Too much or the wrong detergent can make silk rough. Be sure to use a non-alkaline detergent. Adding ¼ cup of vinegar to the first rinse helps to work as a natural fabric softener.
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.
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.
Shrinking Silk
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.
Never wash with chlorine bleach. It can damage your clothing's natural fibers. Do not dry in direct sunlight. Exposing your garment to long bursts of sunlight can cause the colors to fade or even damage your silk fabrics.
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 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.
This method sounds counterintuitive, but water stains usually appear on silk when one part of the fabric gets wet while the surrounding areas stay dry. Wetting the whole garment or surrounding section of silk followed by even drying should lift out the stain.
While it is entirely possible to machine wash silk, it isn't recommended. Being such a delicate fabric, silk doesn't tend to get along well with the constant turning motion of the machine drum. Silk should be handled with care, and throwing it in a washing machine can often be a little too rough.
Loosely woven silk can shrink as much as 15 percent if washed vigorously in hot water and then subjected to dryer heat.
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.
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.
White vinegar removes soap, restores shine and softens silk. Add 1/4 cup (50 ml) white vinegar to the basin of cold water. Gently move the garment around in the water to thoroughly rinse it. Empty the basin, then fill it one more time with cold water, and give the silk one last rinse.
The smell is caused by one of the chemicals that helps keep the silk cocoon together, and it's very pronounced when the silk is wet. It could be that the heat of the dryer is particularly effective at removing the odour.