How to Restore Shine and Softness to Silk
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TL;DR Summary
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Can I make my silk soft and shiny again?
- Over time, and after washing, silk can become dull and lose its brilliance
- If you have washed silk following the appropriate care instructions, the silk isn’t ruined and can be revived
- Bring back the softness and lustre of silk with a white vinegar bath, which removes residual soap from the fibres
Steps for restoring shine to silk with a vinegar bath
- Mix 4 litres cool water with 1/4 cup white vinegar
- Submerge and swirl your silk around
- Pour out vinegar mixture and rinse silk in cool water multiple times, gently squeezing between rinses – do not twist or wring
- Gently squeeze out any excess water – do not twist or wring
- To speed up drying, lay silk onto a soft thick towel, then roll the towel, gently pressing down as you do so
- Dry silk out of direct sunlight, either by hanging it up or laying it flat
If machine-washing your silk, simply pour 1/2 cup of white vinegar into the fabric softener dispenser of your machine.
An alternative to a vinegar bath is to have your silk dry cleaned. It delivers the best results, and can be done periodically between hand or machine washing at home.
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Silk is luxuriously soft and smooth, but over time and after washing, you may find that your silk pieces become dull and lose their brilliance. One of the questions we get asked most often, is “how do I restore my silk pillowcase’s shine?” – but fear not, if you’ve followed all our instructions for How to Wash a Silk Pillowcase, then your pillowcase isn’t ruined and can still be revived!
To restore some of the shine and softness that's been lost, you can give your silk pieces a mild white vinegar bath. White vinegar helps to remove any residual soap in the fibres, and also restores lustre and softness to silk. The instructions below are written for silk pillowcases, but they also apply to silk crib sleeves, silk sheets etc… as well.
- In a clean basin, mix 1/4 cup (2 fl oz) of white vinegar with around 4 litres (1 gallon) of water. Silk doesn’t like heat, so only use cold to lukewarm water (< 30°C / 86°F) when washing and rinsing your silk pieces.
- Submerge your silk pillowcase into the water and gently swirl it around for a couple of minutes, agitating the vinegar mixture to make sure it penetrates into the fabric thoroughly.
- Pour out the vinegar mixture and rinse your silk pillowcase in cool water multiple times until all the vinegar smell is gone. Gently squeeze out the water between rinses, remembering never to twist or wring silk.
- Gently squeeze out any excess water (again, don’t twist or wring!)
- To dry your silk pillowcase even faster, lay down a soft, thick towel on a flat surface, and place the pillowcase on top. Then, begin to roll the towel, gently pressing down as you do so. After the excess water has been pressed out into the towel, it will now be much faster to air dry your pillowcase.
- Dry your silk pillowcase out of direct sunlight, either by hanging it up or laying it flat. Never place it on a wooden hanger or wooden surface that can possibly transfer color to the silk.
If you’re machine-washing your silk, you can incorporate a vinegar bath simply by pouring 1/2 cup white vinegar into your machine’s fabric softener dispenser. This will get released as the machine is doing its final rinse.
An alternative to a vinegar bath, is to give your silk pillowcase some extra love by getting it dry cleaned. This method delivers the best results of all, and restores the silk’s lustre so it’s as soft and shiny as it was on day 1! As it can be time consuming and expensive to have your silk pillowcase dry cleaned frequently, consider taking it to the dry cleaners just once or twice a year to revive the silk fibres. You can hand wash or machine wash your silk pillowcase at home and use vinegar baths to restore some shine between dry cleans. For full instructions on how best to hand wash or machine wash your silk pillowcase, see How to Wash a Silk Pillowcase.
Sleep Well with Sleepy Silk
Now that you know how to keep a silk pillowcase soft and shiny, get ready for your most luxurious sleep ever! Designed specifically with amazing sleep in mind, Sleepy Silk pillowcases and sheets are all made from superior grade 6A and 25 momme 100% Mulberry silk and have been tested and certified under OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 under Product Class 1. Shop our entire range of sumptuous silk bedding now, and say hello to better skin, hair and sleep!