Silk guard : How to protect your silk garments

One of the most delicate fabrics available is silk . The comfort of wearing silk is surely unmatched, but the problem arises when it comes to taking care of silk garments.

Preferred Dry Wash

1.The most preferred means of cleaning silk is to dry wash the garment. Handwash often tends to play havoc with the texture of the fabric. However it is safer to handwash certain varieties of silk such as China silk, raw silk, Indian silk, Pongee, crepe de chine, tussar, Shantung, dupion and jacquard silks. Use of chlorine bleach can destroy the colour and sheen of the fabric.

2 To test the fastness of the colour, dip it in water as dyes and sizings tend to discolour .

3. After washing the silk, roll it in a towel to do away with the excess water and then put it on a hanger. Do not keep your silks out in direct sunlight.

4 Scrubbing or pressing a silk fabric could ruin it completely.

Storing Silk Sarees

1. Silk sarees should be covered in a cloth folder and hung in your wardrobe after proper cleaning and ironing .

2. To prevent silverfish from damaging silk sarees, put naphthalene balls in the wardrobe along with the sarees.

3. Heavy silk saris should ideally be wrapped in green cloth

POLISHING OF SAREES:

It is generally advised to get sarees polished by experienced or qualified people having the necessary know how. A polish lends the saree a certain stiffness and gives a glow to the saree and increases its lifespan.