Contrary to popular belief, silk is a strong fabric and is reasonably easy to care for - but silk scarves are much more delicate than silk pillowcases so need to be cared for in a very different way. Fundamentally silk scarves are made from very light sheer silk (often as low as 6momme) which will stretch easily and lose it's shape. Hampshire Silk 100% Mulberry silk pillowcases are made from 19momme or 22momme silk which is more robust.
However all silk loses strength when wet and can be easily stretched out of shape. No silk likes heat so be careful with irons and tumble driers!
Tip #1 - Caring for silk scarves - handle with care!
Silk scarves are almost works of art and should be treated as such. Professional dry clean only.
Tip #2 - Silk doesn't like heat
For pillowcases use a cool iron only, and it's better to keep things away from the tumble drier. Silk dries quite easily so can be hung carefully or dried flat to avoid creasing.
Silk pillowcases can be washed on the delicate cycle in your washing machine (30 degrees maximum) and a slow spin. Some people wash their silk pillowcases in a laundry bag to avoid snagging on things like zips on other items.
Tip #3 - What about detergent when washing silk pillowcases?
Silk is a natural fibre with high protein content - so biological washing detergents should be avoided when caring for your silk pillowcases (the enzymes degrade natural fibres such as silk and wool). Use a gentle detergent or better still something that is specifically made for silk.
Various silk detergents are available on Amazon UK and in fact Persil suggest their standard non-bio liquid detergent is suitable for silk.
Tip #4 - Stains on your silk pillowcase
If something on your pillowcase won't wash out easily, inthewash.co.uk suggest using diluted white vinegar or lemon juice carefully applied to the stain before washing in the normal way. As usual, be careful not to apply force or rub the fabric too much to avoid stretching and damaging the fabric. Never use bleach or aggressive cleaning agents.
Tip #5 - Drying your silk pillowcases
As we said before, avoid heat. Sunlight can also make silk become yellowish so it is best to dry indoors if at all possible, but not in a tumble drier!
Do not wring silk because this may stretch the fabric and cause the material to lose shape.
Caring for your Silk Pillowcase is Easy
Keep it cool, be careful with the detergent, avoid sunlight and don't wring them and your pillowcases should give you years of service!
If you have silk scarves, stick to professional dry cleaning and they should stay beautiful for a long time.
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