Handwashing vs. Dry Cleaning:
Most silks can be handwashed, especially if you wash the fabric before sewing. Dry cleaning silk is expensive and tends to take on the smell of the process. Silk may begin to look dingy and dull after just a few trips to the dry cleaners. Many silks look better and last longer when hand washed.
However, many inexpensive and poorly woven silks may fade, become stiff, change texture or lose their sheen when hand washed. Try a test piece in a series of launderings before spending a lot of time and effort in any project.
Exceptions:
Silk Noil may shrink noticeably in handwashing, depending on the weave. Silk Noil should absolutely be pre-shrunk before being sewn up to minimize shrinkage in the final garment. Silk Noil may be machine dried, but this will increase shrinkage and should definitely be done before being cut and sewn.
Silk Dupioni can be handwashed, and launders beautifully; however, it changes the texture and sheen of the fabric. Hand washing a small scrap or swatch of silk dupioni is an easy way to find out if the look is disireable or not. After washing dupioni that is custom dyed, it has a much softer texture, as compared to the crisp finish it has off the bolt.
When hand washing a ready-to-wear silk garment, make a wash test on an inconspicuous part of the garment to make sure it looks desireable.
Pre-shrinking:
Silk Crepe, Noil, 2 ply silk and dupioni shrink the most and should be pre-shrunk before sewing up.
Place the silk in a sink or tub full of lukewarm water and mild soap.
For mild soaps, Ivory Snow works well, as well as Woolite and Orvus Quilt Soap.
Follow the package directions. Rub the silk fabric for a few minutes in the soapy solution and drain. Rinse in clear, cool water until all the soap is gone.
Don't wring the silk, it becomes weaker when wet.
Fold the garment flat and roll up in a towel to remove excess water overnight. Remove from the towel and iron dry on a medium-low setting.
Routine hand washing:
Soak the garment in lukewarm water and a mild soap solution, as described in the preshrinking steps.
Rinse in clear, cool water until all the soap is gone.
Fill the sink again and add a quarter cup of white vinegar to the final rinse. Vinegar neutralizes any remaining soap, and allows it to rinse out completely restoring the fabric's natural sheen, it can make a dramatic difference.
Give the fabric a final rinse in clear, cool water to remove the vinegar smell.
Roll up in a towel to remove moisture, then dry flat on a towel or on a padded hanger.
Iron with a low-medium temp iron while still slightly damp.
Why Silk Shrinks:
Silk fiber is a protein, like your hair, and it does not itself shrink. The way the individual fibers are twisted together when weaving is what causes silk to shrink. Highly twisted yarns and loose weaves cause shrinking when water releases twisting energy in the fibers. It's a bit like twisting a rubber band then reducing the length, seeing it bunch up. Silk bunches up the same way. |
