How to wash and iron silk scarves

Step by step: How to wash a silk scarf

Have you bought one of our printed silk scarves and would like to know how to wash and iron it? Although silk is a delicate fabric, the truth is that with care and affection, it is not necessary to take it to a dry cleaner to wash it.

However, if the garment is a silk scarf or a scarf with a long history that has been passed down from generation to generation, it may be a good idea to leave it in professional hands.

How to wash silk scarves

If the garment has a lot of wear and tear and you want to wash it so that it looks and smells like new, we advise you to clean your silk scarf by hand.

To do this, follow these steps:

• Fill a basin with cold water and dilute some detergent for delicate garments in it. Be sure to stir the detergent well, so that it is perfectly diluted with the water and does not leave any stains on the silk scarf.
• Soak the scarf until it is completely soaked. Stir the scarf until it foams and the detergent is well absorbed by the scarf. Do not rub the scarf during this step, as this could deform the silk fibres.
• When rinsing silk scarves, the ideal is to empty the dirty water and rinse it with cold water until no foam comes out of the garment. But always be very careful not to deform the silk scarf. To do this, the scarf should be picked up evenly.

Tips for drying a scarf or silk scarf

Squeezing or wringing a silk scarf can mean the end of this unique and special garment. So from our online scarf shop we recommend that once washed, hang it evenly, so that it is well even. Try to keep it level, and whenever possible, hang it horizontally. You can hang it on the clothesline, or you can use the shower curtain rod to hang it.

Another important tip after learning how to wash silk is not to use clothes pegs to hang silk garments on the clothesline, nor to leave them in the sun. Clothes pegs can damage the delicate fabric, while direct sunlight can dull the colours of the silk scarf.

How to iron silk scarves?

Once the silk scarf is dry, or a little damp, it is time to iron it. Of course, with a lot of care and attention, as we have been doing so far.

Ironing the scarf when it is still damp is a good idea, as you won’t need to dampen it any more and you will see how quick and easy it is to iron.

Before ironing, make sure that both the iron and the ironing board are perfectly clean. To prevent the scarf from staining or burning, you can use a cotton garment, such as a sheet, and place it between the iron and the silk scarf, although if they are clean you can iron it without using a cloth in between.

Remember to iron the back side of the scarf, as this will make the colourful silk scarf last longer. If the silk scarf is damp, it will not be necessary to dampen the protective cloth, and if it is dry, we can dampen it. For this step, we will put the iron on the Silk or delicate programme.

Now that you have your silk scarf well cleaned and ironed, it is time to store it out of direct sunlight.

Can a silk scarf be washed in the washing machine?

This may be the big question for all of us who have a silk scarf that needs to be washed.

Well, the answer is yes, but better not.

Following the advice we are going to give you, you can wash it in the washing machine, but it is true that if it is sewn by hand the part of the curl may be a bit damaged and it will not look as good as hand washed, but if it is for an emergency and in a timely manner, follow these steps to make it look as good as possible:

Use a mesh washing machine bag to protect delicate garments. 
Add a silk or delicate fabric detergent and set the cycle for delicates. You can use fabric softener that is gentle and not too smelly.
Use as little spin as possible. Although most washing machines do this by selecting the delicate programme, if you have the option to lower the spin speed and spin time, so much the better. Even if your scarf seems very damp when you finish washing it, don’t worry, it dries very quickly.
What about hanging it out to dry? Never hang it out in the sun or use tongs. The best is on a flat surface such as a clothesline or something similar.

Conclusion

If you follow all these steps, you will be able to wash your silk scarf for men or women for many, many years in perfect conditions and keep using it as if it was the first day.

Here we leave you a small sample of our scarves, but keep in mind that all of them are hand sewn, so you will have to follow the tips explained above.