How to care for your lovely silk scarf: DO's and DON'Ts
'When I wear a silk scarf I never feel so definitely like a woman, a beautiful woman' - Audrey Hepburn
Who doesn't agree with such a statement? A scarf is one of the most beautiful things ever invented to wear. There is no doubt that scarves are an accessory that almost everyone has in their wardrobes. I love adding a silk scarf to whatever I am wearing because it adds some pattern to the outfit and makes me look stylish.
In one of my previous blogs I mentioned the reasons why we are able to wear natural silk scarves all year round no matter of the season and with a variety of different outfits: casual, professional, classic... And because sharing is caring, in today's blog I would like to share with you some tips on how to care and preserve your silk scarves.
Silk scarves are special and when we buy them we think of them as intemporal, endless accessories; you see in my view it's like having a long term relationship with them. And in the way you behave with them, in the way you take care of them, store them, wear them, clean them will also help the life span of your silk scarves.
Lets go through some DO's:
- Always check the label for care instructions. RaluFineArt scarves recommends 'Dry Clean only' to preserve the quality of the scarves. If you decide to hand wash them please be aware that we won't be held responsible for any damage caused on your lovely silk scarves
- Store your silk scarves in cool dry places far away from the sunlight; sunlight affects the textile, the colors will fade and the textile will weaken
- Store close to them natural lavender cloth bags to preserve them better from the moths; silk is a protein and this means it can attract moths.
- Most wrinkles in silk can simply be steamed out with your iron steamer. If you don't have one, drop your scarf to a dry cleaning service that you trust. Do not forget to tell them that your scarf is made of pure silk and ask them to use proper solvents. If you have an iron with steaming, set up your iron to low heating special for silk AND make sure you put a cloth in between the iron and the scarf. Attention: iron your scarf on the reverse side and let the silk to cool completely before you fold it
- Drawer or hanger? Silk is a breathable fabric so, it's better to store it in their original package but open the box to allow the silk to breath; or have a drawer special for scarves, fold them carefully and place them there. Avoid to keep them in plastic bags because plastic bags lock in moisture. If you keep them on hangers, the silk will have wrinkles.
Now let's go through some DON'Ts:
- Don't spray perfume on your scarf or on your neck if you know you will be wearing a scarf. Perfumes contain chemicals that may damage the silk and create stains.
- Never store your scarf in a humid place and expose it to the sunlight directly
- Never put your scarf in a washing machine and in a dryer; if you decide to hand wash them do not rub the textile while you wash, wash it gently with special solvents. Pour the water out of the textile and flatten it with your hands to eliminate more water; make sure you rinse well. Place your silk scarf on a big towel and press it with your hands for the towel to absorb more water and then roll the towel and leave if for a few moments to allow the towel to absorb the water and the silk to dry
- Don't hang your scarves to dry them as the silk fibers will stretch and lose the original scarf shape; lay them flat and let them dry
- Never iron your scarf when it's dry; see instruction in the DO's
Well my friends, these are few tips to help you to preserve your RaluFineArt silk scarves for years and years to come. When you wear RaluFineArt scarves you literally wear a piece of art. They are Limited Edition and all have been made with love and care. I'd be more than happy to see these unique scarves become nice gifts to dear ones, bring nice feelings and memories in your lives and moreover to last over the time being passed from grandmother to niece or mother to daughter and tell the story of each one of them.