How to wash hand-painted silk

How to Wash Hand-painted Silk

Table of Contents

A simple step-by-step instruction

Silk can be washed by hand, or in a washing machine on the GENTLE cycle for lingerie.

To wash silk by hand or in a washing machine:

NEVER soak
NEVER wear in the rain
gently wash in warm water with small amount of liquid wash
when ready, squeeze out excess water and hold under running water until water runs clear
squeeze silk but DO NOT WRING, to remove excess moisture
lay silk flat on a towel, then roll up the towel into a long sausage shape
I put one end of the towel under my foot, then twist the towel until it is totally twisted
this removes most of the excess moisture
I hang up the silk out of direct sun (on the balcony, Veranda, or even inside) – never in the sun – to dry 5-10 minutes until the silk feels almost dry, then use a hot iron whilst the silk is a teeny tiny bit damp.

If you look after your silk well, it will last you many years and the colours will be colourfast as long as you don’t hang the silk in bright sunlight.

I have silk clothing and scarves that I painted over 40 years ago, which is still incredibly bright and vibrant and looking brand-new 🙂

Enjoy!

Please Note: I Provide No Guarantee On My Advice

Please note that I have no idea which paints or dyes were used in the creation of the silk you are about to wash, therefore I cannot provide any guarantees on how the silk will react to washing, and I cannot be held responsible for any result you may be unhappy with.

Before washing any hand painted silk, if you are the artist, I highly recommend contacting the manufacturer of the silk ties or find their website and reach out to their support department. Following the manufacturers directions is always the best way to go forward when caring for hand-painted silk.

Word of Caution – What might happen if the silk gets wet

Many years ago a client ordered a silk coat and was very excited about when she could wear it!

In myStudio, we discussed colours for the coat, and how to wash and care for the silk. My client was able to watch me painting a part of the design for about ten to fifteen minutes and was very excited 🙂

Whilst still in my Studio, I stressed again that the “silk dyes are hand painted by brush onto the silk” as part of the creation process.

I stressed that hand-painted silk should never, ever be left wet or to soak in water – for any reason – as the DYES WILL SPREAD on the wet silk and possibly ruin the garment.

I handed my client a laminated printed page with CARE AND WASHING INSTRUCTIONS.

A week later, my client came to collect her new hand-painted silk coat and we talked about how to look after the coat so it would last for many years, and also talked about my washing instructions,

I also mentioned that hand-painted silk should not be worn in the rain, and should be kept away from water at all times.

I gave her another copy of the print-out with these same Wash and Care Instructions, and also sent her a duplicate PDF by email the same day.

My client said she understood the instructions – I believed her 🙁

My lovely client assured me she understood, and said she was eagerly waiting to show off her silk coat at an upcoming event.

What happened at the event? Disaster!

My client called me about 5 days after the event, and this is what happened.

“Hi Teena, I got absolutely drenched in the rain on Saturday and I was wearing my silk coat!!

Someone lent me a plastic bag, so I took the coat off and put it in the bag to protect it from getting any wetter.

Well we’ve been busy since then, and I’ve just remembered the coat is in the bag.

I just removed it and I’m horrified! It’s a mess!

The colours have gone all splotchy and look dreadful!

As I paid you a lot of money for this coat, I’d like you to replace it because I now cannot wear it ever again.”

My response

Understandably my client was upset, and I let her catch her breath for a moment before I replied.

“Oh gosh! I’m so sorry you got caught in the rain!

Remember the conversations we had about getting the silk wet, and the PDF washing instructions?

As much as I’d like to, I’m unable to create a new coat or offer a refund because of the steps you took with the coat — which was totally out of my hands and became your responsibility.

On several occasions in our conversations (in person, in printed instruction, plus text AND a PDF via email ) I provided very clear instructions about never leaving the silk to soak or stay wet, as well as discussing that with you here in person, in my Studio.

By placing the silk coat WET into a plastic bag and leaving it for five days, the silk dyes were allowed to spread into each other, and the colours made quite a mess.

Wet silk should never ever be put in a bag.

It was in the bag for so long that it then dried out which made the “mess” permanent.

I’m sorry I can’t solve this for you, but I did clearly discuss with you why hand-painted silk should never be left wet, and you told me you understood. “

Of course my client was shocked I wouldn’t replace it, but did admit she should never have left the silk in the bag — or even put it in a bag to start with.