| Even since the Chinese invented silk in the 27th | | | | them in a towel and lay them flat to dry. |
| century BC people have loved silk. It is warm in | | | | But says silk clothes can only be dried in an automatic |
| winter and cool in summer. Aristotle knew about silk, | | | | dryer ONLY if the fabric was dried this way before |
| according to The Romans sold silk for its weight in | | | | being made into clothing. Sun-drying silk is not |
| gold and no wonder. Silk is an amazing fabric. | | | | recommended. The Silk Road Textile Merchants have |
| It is also a tough fabric. "A steel filament of the same | | | | posted detailed washing instructions on their Web |
| diameter as silk will break before a filament of silk, | | | | site. |
| says This is due to the fact that silk is actually a | | | | 1. Follow the directions on the soap you use. You |
| protein extracted from silk worm cocoons. The | | | | may use Ivory Snow powder, Woolite, or a special |
| strands are woven together in many ways: Noil | | | | silk soap. |
| (short fibers), faille (ribbed fabric), Matelasse (raised | | | | 2. Use lukewarm water. |
| fabric), Poult de siue (cross-ribbed fabric), organza | | | | 3. Rub the silk gently to remove dirt, but do not |
| (transparent fabric, and others. | | | | wring it. |
| Many people have their silk garments dry cleaned, | | | | 4. Rinse in clear, cool water several times. |
| but dry cleaning is expensive. Dry cleaning silk can | | | | 5. Fill the sink, add 1/4 cup white vinegar to the |
| also make your clothes look dingy. The solution: | | | | water, and rinse the garment again. |
| hand-wash your silk clothes. Before you dunk the | | | | 6. Rinse the garment one last time. |
| whole garment in water wash a test patch on an | | | | 7. Roll the garment in a towel to remove excess |
| inside seam to see if the silk shrinks. "Silk garments | | | | water. |
| can shrink if the fabric has not been washed prior to | | | | 8. Lay the garment flat to dry or hang it on a padded |
| garment construction," notes | | | | hanger. |
| If your test patch does not shrink you can probably | | | | 9. Iron on the wrong side, using a cool setting, while |
| wash the garment. The WinterSilks Web site | | | | the garment is still wet. |
| recommends Silk Wash. This product may be used in | | | | Silk is a durable fabric and your clothes will last for |
| a washing machine or for hand-washing. Use | | | | years if you treat them right. Follow these |
| lukewarm water when you wash clothes in Silk Wash. | | | | instructions to the letter. Don't turn your silk clothes |
| Though garments can be dried in an automatic dryer | | | | into a science experiment! |
| on the fluff setting, WinterSilks says it is best to roll | | | | |