Instructions on how to properly wash silk by hand and in a washing machine
Some people have silk clothes in their wardrobe which are beautiful and delicate. The disadvantages of silk items include the fact that they require special care. Therefore, it is recommended to familiarize yourself in advance with how silk can be washed so as not to damage it.
Hardware Features
Women's dresses and blouses made of natural silk are very popular with girls. Such things are very expensive, because they use expensive materials to create them.
The main characteristics of silk threads are as follows:
- Capricious. Such a fabric must be carefully cared for so that it does not begin to deteriorate.
- Fragile when wet. Silk garments should be washed with care, as they tear easily when wet.
- Creases quickly.Washed things should be properly dried and ironed carefully so that they are not wrinkled.
Using the delicate mode in the washing machine
Many people recommend washing these clothes with the delicate wash cycle on. This will prevent damage to silk items.
Some of the key features of a delicate wash include:
- short washing time, which lasts only an hour and a half;
- slow rotation of the drum with clothes;
- warm water up to forty degrees;
- lack of drying of washed clothes.
How to wash your hands at home
Before you start washing, you should familiarize yourself with how to wash stained clothes by hand.
water temperature
Before you start washing your clothes, you need to familiarize yourself with the optimal water temperature. Experts do not advise using too hot a liquid, since silk does not tolerate high temperatures very well. Therefore, the water should be heated to only 30-40 degrees. If you heat it 10-20 degrees higher, the material will begin to tear.
Choice of funds
There are several effective remedies that can help remove stains from silk items.
silk detergent
Previously, only laundry soap was used to wash silk clothes by hand, but now special products are made for working with such materials.
You should use liquid detergents instead of powders, which are only suitable for thick and rough fabrics. Liquid gels dissolve better in water and do not aggressively attack silk. In this case, it is better to use the tools offered by the most well-known manufacturers.
Detergent-gel for baby clothes
If you need to wash your child's clothes, you will need to use a gel for washing children's clothes. The composition of such products contains components that will help clean silk from dirty stains. Effective formulations include:
- "eared nanny". A universal gel used for washing items of any fabric.
- Tortilla. It is used to clean clothes made of colored fabrics.
Borax solution for white fabric
White silk items are the most difficult to wash, as not all detergents can clean them. Experts recommend using sodium tetraborate. Its advantages include the fact that it does not damage the fabric and cleans it from absorbed dirt and greasy stains. To prepare a solution, add a tablespoon of the substance to a liter container of water.
washing process
To prevent silk from shrinking after washing, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of cleaning it from dirt.
To begin with, dirty things are soaked in warm water for 5-7 minutes, after which a detergent composition is added to them. In this case, the water temperature should not exceed 35 degrees. You need to wash things carefully so as not to damage them. It is contraindicated to use force, as this can accidentally tear the fabric.
Rinsing
After the end of washing, they are engaged in rinsing washed silk items. Some people think they should be rinsed with cold water, but that's not the case. Rinsing should be carried out in a liquid heated to 25-30 degrees. Some people add 40-50ml of vinegar or anti-static fabric softener to a container of water while rinsing. This is done in order to better clean the fabric from dirt residues.
Spinning
Silk must be wrung out carefully so as not to accidentally tear it.Do not twist it by hand or wring it out with a juicer. Instead, place the washed item on a flat surface and gently press down on it with the palm of your hand.
This is done so that excess fluid drains faster. Then a dry towel is placed on top, which will absorb moisture.
How to dry and iron
To prevent shrinkage of washed silk garments, they must be properly dried. Experienced housewives who have repeatedly washed silk do not advise hanging it on a string in the sun. The sun's rays negatively affect the quality of the fabric; under their influence, the material quickly fades.
Therefore, it is recommended to dry the products with an ordinary iron. For this, things are laid out on a hard surface and gently ironed for 2-3 minutes.
How to revive overdried material
Sometimes people dry out silk, causing damage to the surface of the fabric. To restore it, you will need to use steam while ironing. To do this, the surface of the silk is evenly moistened with water, after which it is ironed with an iron. The procedure is carried out 2-3 times.
Folk remedies for removing stains
Sometimes folk remedies are used to remove dirt from silk fabric.
cornstarch paste
If there are a lot of greasy stains on the silk surface, use a special cornstarch paste. To prepare it, starch powder is poured into a liter of water until a pasty mixture is formed. Then the prepared gruel is carefully applied on the spot. Once the mixture has set, it can be washed off with a brush.
Aspirin solution
A solution that contains aspirin is often used to remove traces of fruit juice, grease or sweat. It is quite easy to prepare such a composition. To do this, add two aspirin tablets to a container with 150 to 200 milliliters of warm liquid. Then the solution is poured over the stain and left there for 20 minutes. After that, the treated silk is rinsed with water.
Glycerol
Traces of tea or coffee often remain on the surface of silk garments. Glycerin is considered an effective remedy for this type of spots. An ordinary sponge is moistened in a liquid of glycerin, after which the contaminated surface is treated with it.The area treated with glycerin is then rinsed with water.
Features to remove various stains
Removing different stains has certain characteristics that you need to familiarize yourself with.
Sweat
People who regularly wash silk recommend removing traces of sweat with hydrogen peroxide. For this, a weakly concentrated three percent composition is used. It is poured over a contaminated area and left there for half an hour.
Some advise to prepare a detergent composition from hydrogen peroxide. To do this, add a spoonful of the substance to a liter of water. After that, the clothes are soaked in the solution for 40 minutes.
Tea and coffee
Stains left after drinking coffee or tea are difficult to remove. To get rid of it, you will need to follow these steps:
- Fill a container with lukewarm water and mix it with detergent.
- Place the silk garments in the water and soak for one and a half hours.
- After the end of the procedure, the soaked items are rinsed and dried.
Fruits and berries
It is better to immediately remove the traces left on the fabric by berries and fruits.After drying, these stains are absorbed by the silk and will therefore be much more difficult to remove. The most common and effective remedy for fruit stains is lemon juice.
The cut fruit is placed on a contaminated silk area, after which the clothes should be rinsed with warm water.
White wine
After spilling white wine on silk fabric, you should immediately begin to remove the resulting stain. To do this, wipe it with a dry towel to remove the remnants of the drink from the surface. Then 20 milliliters of citric acid are added to a one-liter container with water. The resulting solution is applied to the liquid and washed off with water after 35-40 minutes.
Blood
To remove a fresh blood stain, follow these steps:
- Rinse traces of blood with cold water. Do not wipe it with warm or hot liquid.
- Hydrogen peroxide treatment. The solution is applied to a cotton swab and then gently pressed onto the stain.
- Scrub with laundry soap. After the peroxide, the contamination is treated with soap.
- Rinsing. To get rid of the remaining traces of blood, things are rinsed under running water.
Grass
To get rid of the traces of grass, use the following remedies:
- Saline solution. 45 grams of salt are added to a glass with heated water, after which the traces of herbs are treated with a liquid.
- Soap. Remove any fresh stains with regular hand washing soap. It is moistened with water, after which the stain is wiped with a bar of soap.
Ink
To quickly clean spilled ink from a silk fabric:
- Soda solution. When creating such a product, ammonia with ordinary soda is added to a liter of water.The liquid is poured on a dark spot and washed off after 40-50 minutes.
- Lemon juice. Freshly squeezed lemon juice is an effective remedy for ink stains. To make the solution more effective, salt is added to it.
Decorative cosmetics
Women are often faced with the need to remove traces of cosmetics from silk fabrics. You can do this with shampoo to wash your hair. It is diluted in water in a ratio of one to ten, after which the liquid is poured over the stains. The procedure is repeated if, after the first treatment, traces of cosmetics remain and have not disappeared.
Scent
After using poor quality perfume, white marks remain on the fabric. They are more visible on dark clothes. To remove perfume stains, use citric acid mixed with warm water. The solution is applied to the contaminated area and left for 15-20 minutes so that the mixture is absorbed by the tissue. Then the speck is gently rubbed with a toothbrush and rinsed with cold water.
Old stains of unknown origin
The hardest part is getting rid of stubborn stains that have been heavily absorbed. Hydrogen peroxide will help remove old dirt. It is carefully applied to the surface of the silk. After 40-50 minutes, the hydrogen peroxide should be washed off with water.
How to refresh a color
Garments that require color restoration should be washed in lukewarm water first. Then it is rinsed in a soda solution, which helps to refresh the original color.
To make the color more persistent, apple cider vinegar is added to the soda solution. Some people use ammonia, but it can damage the silk.
Rules of care
So that the silk does not deteriorate, it must be taken good care of.In this case, the following rules are respected;
- during washing, do not use chemical stain removers;
- it is necessary to clean the silk only with warm water;
- when washing silk clothes, you should not strongly rub them with your hands;
- if silk clothes shrink, they should be ironed after washing.
Conclusion
Lovers of high-quality silk items often encounter problems when washing them. To remove stains, you need to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of cleaning silk.