Washing-Silk Page all the insider knowledge on washing silk items at home.

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Washing-Silk Garments and all the issues you need to check

Understanding all the issues when washing silk items in the washing machine.

Silk fibre is one of the strongest natural fibres in use in the textile industry, for proof of this just take a look at the fibre content of most parachutes in use throughout the world. Including the ones I used during my Army days.

Silk is a tough fibre which is resistant to ripping and tearing during use, it is hard wearing and can be made into a large range of garments, soft furnishings and bed linen many of which when worn next to the skin give warmth and comfort in winter and keep the wearer cool in summer.

Garments made of silk are normally of high value and as such the owner would like to get the maximum life from the garment. They frequently become old favourites, with many years of constant wear, still looking good and comfortable.

They are capable of holding a large percentage of their weight in water without any visible change, which can cause problems with dry cleaning as water in a dry cleaning machine can cause difficulties.

Not so of course in a normal a high quality front loading washing machine.

Silk garments should never be washed in a top loading machine with a revolving paddle arrangement, such as the Maytag or Speed Queen, or the large batch washer or tunnel machine, which has very abrasive lifting paddles, as there could be a problem with abrasion to the surface of the fabric, which could severely damage the fabric permanently.

Points to look out for when washing Silk items.

Water based dyes and adhesives in the construction of the garment.

Any solid jewels should be removed from the garment before washing as these could cause damage to the fabric during the wash process.

A test of the type of dye used should be made in a hidden area such as the hem or hidden area of the garment.

Dab with a piece of wet cotton wool to see if the dye is transferred to the cotton wool pad.

If so it might be too risky for washing if there is more than one colour in use in the garment.

A single coloured garment could be washed on its own even with water based dyes, keep the temperature low to reduce the amount of leeching out of the dye as you do not want to fade the garment.

To get more information how your laundry machine deals with the wash process click the link to How to do laundry, the four factors which produce the desired result The page will describe how your machine works and how to get the best for any fabric.

Glues and items used as interliners and stiffeners, plus embroidered adornments, sequins etc.,

If the garment has embroidered items, which would normally be in silk thread check with a small piece of water and detergent soaked cotton wool, carefully to see if the dye will run, if it does, do not wash in water!!

If items are glued onto the surface of the garment such as sequins, Applique or jewelry, these may fall off during the wash if the glue is water based.

As long as the dyes are fast and the garment has no glued attachments or abrasive items, they should be washed OK, and look really good after finishing off with the iron on a cool setting.

A little known fact is that when the best ball gown or wedding dress is delivered to the dry cleaners for cleaning with the proviso "please look after this it is my best dress" etc., it will be taken to the back of the shop where a simple modern domestic front loading washing machine stands. After a quick check of the garment of the above it will be washed on the same program for delicates that you have on your machine at home.

A bit of skill with the press and iron will finish it off beautifully, all this could be done at home with a little care and attention, Washing-Silk is no problem if you proceed with caution for the first wash of any silk garment.

Always check the wash care label, it will guide you to the best way to care for the garment; follow the link for a re-cap on Washing-Silk and on the wash care label page for a guide on al the care labels used throughout the world. Working at Home Mothers build a web site on the dinging room table.

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Washing-Silk, is just one of the subjects covered here I will be producing more specialist pages with links from here soon, watch this space or go to my frequently asked questions page; where you will find actual letters from visitors to this site and the answers to their queries let me know if you have any problems by going to my contacts page from Washing-Silk Frequently asked question page

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