Featured Getting wrinkles out of silk scarves?

To store or resell? If they were mine... I'd cover them with a cotton cloth and iron them very carefully on low, being sure to avoid any hand-rolled hems. Personal but... I'm not a big fan of washing silk scarves. So much can go wrong. Always prefer to dry clean.

Debora

 

I think the precaution of washing first is to avoid setting any oils/stains with the steam. You might try hanging one on a hanger in the bathroom while you shower - it might be enough to relax the more noticeable wrinkles.

 

Silk is an age old material.
It has been washed for centuries.

I see no reason not to hand wash, line dry and iron. Cover with a damp flour sack towel as you iron.
The only reason I would not do this, is if the silk has been well worn and shows areas of damage.

My other suggestion is one I often use for clothes that have wrinkles.
Spritz wrinkled clothes with water, then use a hair dryer on the wrinkles. It will ease the wrinkle out. Not as crisp looking as ironing.
Ironing is still the best.

 

I’ve experienced bleed with hand washing on more than one scarf. I wash all solid colored silks separately by hand in cold water but never anything multicolored. Bleed may just be my own unfortunate experience but it’s an experience I’ve had more than once.

My opinion is to only dry clean patterned silk scarves and remind the cleaner to stay away from the edges if hand done.

 

Excellent caveat: Only a very reliable dry cleaner.

Debora

 

That’s probably where the ripples came from! I’ve heard but can’t verify that water brings out a smell in silk.

 

I have had GREAT luck with Dryel. It comes with a spotting pen. I pre spot silk on a paper towel( so no ring is left) blot hard and put in the bag with sheet and do delicate setting. Make sure if you try this the dryer is set to cool or do on cool down in cycle. Not long. Redo if necessary, but overdoing on 1st try and heating up is worse. You have to monitor this closely if the scarves are good. I’ve risked Hermès wool to old Pucci silk(not together). I’m afraid to leave them a review in similar terms because it’s not cheap now. Amazon $ not bad.

 

If it is a new item, I can see this happening. I'm assuming we were talking about previously owned and therefore probably washed items.

Long long ago in the age of when we used to make our own clothes. . .
Didn't you all use to soak your cottons and other materials in salt water to set the color before washing, and then cutting?
I would soak the silk in salt water if I thought it hadn't been washed. Not saying something isn't going to run because of this. Just that it might help.

 

I don’t have a lot of experience but can tell you that I had bleed on vintage scarves which I hand washed cold with vinegar. I don’t know if they had every been washed prior to my ownership.

 

Can I ask why you would use vinegar?
Vinegar is acidic. I've used it as a whitener.
It's not something I would have chosen to wash silk in.

 

My mother always told me it set colors and helped stop bleed.

I’ve always added a bit of vinegar to anything I wash.

 

Interesting.
I was told salt.

I used vinegar to get perspiration stains out of blouses and to whiten diapers.

As long as it worked for us.

 

Some use vinegar and salt.

 

Vinegar dissolves dyestuffs, salt water sets them. I did that as experiments in Chemistry aeons ago. I'd not use either. My local Indian dry cleaner is a fan of using a few drops of Fairy Liquid to wash silk, even in a machine. If you swoosh briefly, then stretch on a hard surface, it works well. I've also used commercial silk washes.

 

Hi,
I used to use a large window glass to dry silk and linen on. Make sure the glass is clean and press the material to the shape it should be and slightly tilt the glass. When the material dries I peel the cloth off the window and it it does not need ironing.
greg

 

And I’m sticking with the dry cleaner!

 

Moi aussi. Life's too short to hand wash.

Debora