Silk cases for pillows are something every housewife is dreaming about! Soft and cool to the touch, they will refresh any interior and make it look more expensive and stylish.
No wonder that those who already have them ask how to wash the silk pillowcase.
Well, we hope that this article will give you a hand in this situation and allow to prevent the silky items of yours from faded colors and dull look.
Taking Care of Silk. Nuances and Specifics
Natural silk is a very demanding fabric as it requires a gentle treatment because of its fragile structure.
There are sorts of silk that are washable and others that must be dry-cleaned only. To figure out what kind of silk your apparel is made of, simply check the label or ask about it in the store where the item was purchased.
Taking care of silk is also quite a tricky thing to do. As you probably know, silk items are very sensitive to sunlight that is why it is strongly recommended to keep them away from the direct and strong sunshine.
Another problematic issue with silk is that some kinds of it lack colorfastness. Respectively, if being washed, these items will color all the other apparel in the load. Because of this, you’d better check your colored silk apparel before loading the wash: wet a small piece of the silk fabric and press it to the white cloth. If the white will get colored, then washing is prohibited.
This is the reason why silk is best to be washed by hand using a mild washing agent and lukewarm water. As for drying, rinse the app
arel thoroughly, then roll in a clean dry towel to delete the surplus liquid and hang to dry.
And pay your attention to the fact that silk can’t be bleached, wrung or boiled by no means!
How to Wash Silk Pillowcases Correctly.
Now that you are aware of the basic rules and terms of taking care of silk fabric, the time has come to take a closer look at the silk pillowcases.
Washing a silk pillowcase is something that often bothers people, especially if they have never had to deal with silk items before.
To save you from panic and teach you how to take care of these demanding items, we have prepared several easy but very useful silk washing instructions that you’d better memorize meticulously.
How often should you wash silk pillowcases?
Silk cases for pillows need to be washed every week as the skincare products we use during the day can leave marks on their smooth surface even if we take shower before going to bed!
- First of all, choose whether you will wash the pillowcases by hand or in the machine.
- If you picked the latter variant, the best detergent for a silk pillowcase is either the special one meant for silk or the one like a wool wash. Harsh agents will most likely ruin the fabric.
- Set the washer to the gentle cold-water cycle and launder the cases in a special bag. For rinsing, use some white vinegar to preserve the fabric’s smoothness.
Remember to pre-treat any blots and dirty marks before you toss the items to the barrel! However, avoid using bleach and stain removers because they are too traumatic for silk.
- If it so happened that you are washing silk pillowcases by hand, use the same washing agent as for the automatic wash, approximately one small spoon per sink basin.
- Don’t rub or twist the items. Silk becomes weak when being wet and the fabric can easily be ruined.
- Wash in cold water.
- While rinsing, add some distilled white vinegar to delete the soap surplus and keep the fabric smooth.
A common rule for both hand wash and machine wash is that silk items must be dried away from the direct heat or sunlight. Simply roll the pillowcases in a dry towel to delete the liquid and hang them to dry.
The tumble dryer can be used only in urgent cases and only at the lowest heat regime.
For ironing, use a silk setting if your iron has it or simply set it to the lowest heat setting and use a pressing cloth (it is OK to replace it with a clean white cotton cloth if you don’t have a special one for ironing) to prevent the fabric from burns.
These easy tips will allow you not only to clean the silk cases correctly but also will let you keep them soft and smooth as if they are recently bought.
How to Wash Satin Pillowcases?
Satin is often used as a replacement for silk items, especially because natural pure silk is rather expensive.
The main difference between these two fabrics is that satin is a woven fabric, whereas silk is a natural one. Also, silk is stronger and it has a more shimmering appearance compared to satin which is more like glossy with a dull backside.
As for the washing requirements, satin and silk must be washed the same way.
Use a mild washing agent meant for delicate fabrics and set the machine to the gentle cold-water cycle.
Using a special laundry bag would be great because it will prevent the fabric from any shape-twisting and ruination.
Never bleach or wring the satin pillowcases (the same as any other items of this fabric) and always hang-dry them away from the direct and strong sunlight or heat.
Taking into account these simple tips about how to clean silk pillowcase will let you keep them fresh-looking and glossy longer so that you could enjoy their soft and gentle touch.
Remember that proper care and treatment will contribute greatly to the extension of the lifespan of the silk items and will give you two significant benefits.
First of all, the properly treated silk pillowcases will serve you longer which means that you will not have to buy the new ones sooner than needed, and the second benefit is that when being washed correctly in accordance with all the advised tips, the silk pillowcases will keep their appearance and qualities longer.
