Caring For Your Silk Garment

As you know, EcoQuette sari silk skirts are 100% pure silk, a protein fiber similar to human hair, which requires some tender loving care.

You can dry clean silk, but because we’re a green company, we recommend using a “green” dry cleaner. Our best results have been with hand washing skirts in lukewarm to cool water with a mild detergent such as Woolite or Ivory Snow. We’ve also heard that baby shampoo works well.

After washing, roll the skirt in a towel to remove excess water and hang to dry. Washing machine agitators are rough on silk, so if you do use a washing machine, we recommend placing your skirt in a garment bag or pillow case. In general, wrinkles will hang out, but for stubborn wrinkles, we have had success with hanging the skirts in the bathroom and letting shower steam remove wrinkles. Lastly, if you wish to iron your skirt, use the lowest possible setting.

Stain Removal:

For stubborn stains, natural soaps such as goats milk and lard soaps will work well on pure silk. Lard soap is especially effective on grease stains. To remove, first gently rub the stain with soap, and then, rinse the affected area in lukewarm water. Note: this may require several washes for any deeply embedded stains.

Where can you get local natural soap? Check out Spotted Hill Farm for a variety of handcrafted options.

Dryel home dry cleaning system:

Dryel home dry cleaning product serves as a safe alternative to dry cleaning your skirt. An affordbable and convienient way to freshen and de-wrinkle silk, this personal steam cleaning method can be found in your local grocery store in the laundry detergent aisle.

Starch removal:

Because the recycled silk sari skirts often contain a heavy amount of starch (mostly rice starch), the skirts you buy may be relatively stiff. Although the rigidity of the starch will dissipate after several washes, you may soften your skirt immediately by soaking it in hot water with a gentle detergent (I use a gentle shampoo). After soaking, rinse your skirt in lukewarm water and hang to dry. Finally, steam it using the Dryel home dry cleaning system. Note: hot water might cause colors to bleed.