How to Wash and Care for Silk Clothing

Remove stains and refresh your best silk fabrics without damage

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 10 - 30 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hrs - 1 day
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $0 to $10

Silk is such a luxurious, beautiful fabric that it may surprise you to know that you can remove stains and wash silk clothing relatively easily using everyday supplies. The key is to use very gentle techniques and avoid heat. While hand-washing is always preferable, some silk items can be machine-washed if placed in a protective mesh bag and washed on a gentle cycle. Before getting started, read your garment's label to ensure it is washable silk. Remember to never use an abrasive cleanser, harsh stain remover, chlorine bleach, or oxygen bleach on this delicate fabric, as these items can damage and dissolve the fabric.

Before washing silk, try two quick tests to determine if you can wash the garment at home:

  • First, squeeze the dry silk garment in your hand, and then let it go. If the fabric smooths out quickly, it is high-quality silk and will likely hold up well when hand-washed. If it does not smooth out quickly, take it to a dry cleaner (or risk ruining the garment).
  • Next, test the colorfastness of your silk garment. Dampen the fabric on an inside seam. Wait a few minutes, then wipe the spot with a white cloth or cotton swab. If the color comes off, the dye will run during washing, so take the garment to the dry cleaner instead.

If you can wash silk clothing at home, learn how to and more with this simple guide.

A stain on a silk garment

​The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Sink, large wash bowl, or bucket
  • Water
  • Towels
  • Drying rack or molded plastic hanger

Materials

  • Gentle liquid laundry detergent
  • 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar (optional)

Instructions

Various materials to clean silk clothing
The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
How to Wash Silk Clothing
Detergent Gentle only
Water Temperature Cold only
Cycle Type Hand-washing strongly suggested
Drying Cycle Type Air-dry only
Special Treatments Test before washing
Iron Settings Low or silk setting
How Often to Wash After every few wearings

How to Hand-Wash Silk Clothing

  1. Pretreat Stains With Delicate Detergent

    • If you see specific stain spots, apply just a dab of gentle detergent marked "delicate" (like Studio by Tide or Woolite) directly to the stain.
    • Work the detergent into the stain with your fingers.
    • Allow it to work for at least 15 minutes before you hand-wash the entire silk garment.
    A silk garment with a pottle of stain remover
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska 
  2. Hand-Wash in Cold Water

    When you're ready to hand-wash, mix cold water and a very small amount of gentle liquid laundry detergent in a sink, large wash bowl, or bucket. Use a soft touch when washing, and don't scrub.

    Someone hand-washing a silk item
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska 
  3. Use a Vinegar and Water Rinse

    • Add 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar to the rinse water. It'll help the garment keep (or regain) its luster.
    • Rinse thoroughly and be gentle—do not wring the fabric. Silk fibers are weaker when wet.
    Someone adding vinegar to the rinse
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  4. Dry the Garment

    • Lay the garment flat on a dry towel and roll it to absorb excess water.
    • Hang the item on a molded plastic hanger (not wood) or flat on a clothes-drying rack to air-dry. Depending on the garment or the air humidity, this can take two to 24 hours.
    gently towel-drying the silk item

    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska 

How to Machine-Wash Silk Clothing

Silk is a delicate fabric that can easily be damaged in the washing machine, so it's important to always start with a mesh bag or a pillowcase tied securely on the open end. Turn your piece of clothing inside out and place it inside the bag before washing. When washing, never wring or twist silk fabric because fragile silk fibers can break. Take these steps.

  1. Load the mesh bag that holds your silk into your washing machine. Choose the delicate cycle with cold water. Use mild detergents explicitly formulated for silk or delicate clothing, or choose a baby shampoo for another delicate option. Do not use any type of bleach on silk. Even diluted chlorine bleach solutions will cause permanent yellowing, color loss, and a weakening of the silk.
  2. Remove the garment immediately after the wash cycle and towel dry it before air drying. Do not dry silk clothes in a tumble dryer (even on low heat) or in direct sun. If the garment doesn't fit snugly on a hanger, dry it flat or well-supported on a drying rack to prevent stretching.

How Often to Wash Silk Clothing

Wash silk after every few wearings unless it needs freshening and stain removal. Remember that washing your silk clothes at home may put the garments at risk of color fading if cleaned too often. Dry cleaning usually doesn't fade the color of silk clothing as fast as home washing.

Treating Stains on Silk Clothing

Never use a commercial stain remover on silk. Spot treatment with stain removers can damage the color and finish. Wash the entire garment and allow it more time to soak to remove food stains. For dark or heavy stains, take the piece to a dry cleaner. Be sure to tell the dry cleaner what the stain is to treat it appropriately.

If you have a fresh stain on silk, quickly handle it by gently blotting it up with a clean damp cloth (don't scrub too hard), then air-dry. Remove perspiration stains on silk with equal parts white vinegar and water. Gently rub it over the stain with a clean cloth, rinse with another clean cloth, and air-dry.

Warning

Avoid getting deodorants, perfumes, and other chemical products on silk garments, as these products can damage or badly stain silk.

How to Repair Silk Clothing

Silk clothing may fray or rip at the seams. If you choose to repair the seams, hand-stitch the rip, then finish with an anti-fraying product or a no-sew fabric adhesive product found at fabric stores. Apply it to the stitched repair. Remember that most repairs to silk are not invisible due to the fabric's delicate nature. To fix a snag in silk, use a needle and thread matching the fabric's color. Fix it by pulling the snag back to the other side of the material.

How to Iron Silk Clothing

Avoid extremely high temperatures when ironing—they can scorch silk, wool, and other protein fibers. Scorching or yellowing may occur as the fibers begin to burn. Such fibers cannot be revived.

Most wrinkles in silk can be steamed out, either by a steam iron or by hanging the garment in a steamy bathroom. If you choose to iron the garment, turn your silk garment inside out, then iron it while it's still damp. Use the lowest heat setting on your iron and always use a pressing cloth to prevent water spots or heat from harming the silk. Never wet the silk when ironing or water stains may develop.

How to Refresh Dull Silk Clothing

If you've mishandled washable silk, it can lose its sheen and become dull thanks to a whiteish film that envelopes the entire garment. You can restore some of its original shine in a few steps.

  1. Add 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar for every gallon of lukewarm water in a sink, large wash bowl, or bucket. Mix well. Completely submerge the garment and swish it around to soak the fabric thoroughly. Remove it from the vinegar water, then rinse it several times in clean water. Do not wring.
  2. Spread the garment on a heavy, clean white towel, and roll it up to absorb the water. Keep repeating the steps with clean, dry towels until most of the water is absorbed.
  3. Hang the garment to air-dry using a plastic-shaped or molded hanger, as wood can stain silk clothing. Don't hang silk over direct heat or in the sun.

How to Store Silk Clothing

Silk is known for wrinkling and creasing, so proper storage is essential. Avoid folding silk or leaving it balled up. Store silk items in a breathable fabric (not plastic) bag to keep the garments dry. Hang or store them in a cool, dry, dark closet. Silk fibers attract moths, so use a small amount of natural moth repellent, such as lavender or cedar balls.

Tips for Washing Silk Clothing

  • Brightly colored silk fabrics may bleed the first time they are washed. If machine-washing, wash these items individually, not in a load that includes other garments.
  • A gentle fabric softener can be added to the rinse water to soften silk garments if needed.
  • Don't wring out silk garments after rinsing. Instead, blot them on dry towels and hang them up to dry. Wringing wet silk will cause them to dry with wrinkles.
  • If the garment label says to "dry clean," this is the manufacturer's recommended cleaning method, but even if this label is present, you may be able to wash the silk by hand. However, when the label says "dry clean only," believe it. Garments, like silk ties, may have inner structure materials like interfacings that hand-washing will ruin.
Someone reading a care label

The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

FAQ
  • Can you put silk in the washing machine?

    Some silk may be washed in a machine but with care. However, whenever possible, opt for gentle hand-washing rather than machine-washing for silk fabrics. While machine-washing these garments in a mesh bag on a gentle wash cycle will generally work, a garment treated this way repeatedly will almost certainly show more wear than one gently washed by hand.

  • Can silk go in the dryer?

    Silk is made from natural protein fibers from caterpillars and is delicate; the high temperatures of a machine dryer can shrink or damage silk. 

  • Why is some silk dry clean only?

    Silk garments with multiple bright colors or strong patterns are often better cleaned by a professional dry cleaner who uses special chemicals that prevent the colors from running together. Darker colors sometimes bleed when washed in water and may be better suited to dry cleaning. But with light, single-color silk garments, gentle washing at home is just as good as dry cleaning.