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Washing Delicates, the Secrets behind them!
From light-as-a-feather silk to beautiful lace, delicate fabrics can be amazing to wear, and fall beautifully on. Whether it’s a silk men’s shirt or a lace chiffon dress, your delicates are an investment to take care of. The key to ensuring your delicate fabrics last as long as possible is washing them correctly. With as little extra effort as possible, you can keep your fabulous delicates in good condition for as long as possible.
Delicate fabrics include silk, wool, linen, chiffon, lace, and other fabrics with embroidery or embellishments. While cotton isn’t usually considered a delicate fabric, very thin cotton clothing can warrant delicate treatment.
Delicates tend to be sensitive to heat and excessive spinning, along with harsh detergents. They can be prone to shrinking or fraying if proper care isn’t taken during the washing and drying stages.
So the first place to start is to
1. Read the Label On Your Delicates
The best place to start for learning how to clean your delicates is the item’s label. Some delicate fabrics like silk, synthetics, and fine knits will have tags that say “hand wash” or “dry clean.” While these terms don’t rule out using your washing machine, it does mean you’ll have to take extra care when machine washing your delicates. When in doubt, hand washing is the safest way to go.
2. Treat Stains Immediately, don't Hesitate
The longer you leave stains the harder it is to remove them. Take care of stains on delicate clothing as soon as you discover them. Before you begin tackling those stains, there are some extra steps you can take to make stains more manageable. Avoid using a commercial stain remover, especially on silk items. The same goes for bleach. Instead, use a natural stain remover like white vinegar, baking soda or lemon juice. Even with natural cleaners, it’s best to take it slow and use only as much cleaner as necessary to get the job done.
3. Learn How to Hand Wash Delicates (clean the sink before you hand wash)
It’s best to use clean containers for washing and rinsing delicates by hand, but you can easily use the sink. Sort your delicates into lights and darks. Sorting delicate items lets you wash multiple items and avoid having them fade or bleed onto other fabrics.
Use cold or warm water only because hot water may shrink your garments or fade colors. Use a detergent formulated for washing delicate items by hand. Mix your mousse or detergent in the water, move your clothes like the washing machine does. Rinse them gently.
4. Wash Delicates in the Washing Machine the Right Way
Just like with hand washing, you’ll start by sorting your delicates. But besides sorting by color, you’ll need to sort by fabric, too. Don’t mix cashmere with lace, knitwear with polyester, etc. or you run the risk of your delicates losing their shape. Make sure you use fabric bags and put delicates with zippers and metal closure together to avoid snagging and tearing.
5. Soak Delicates, Helps Get Them Cleaner
A soak in clean fresh water will undoubtedly help further clean delicates and help break down any stains, gently soak in fresh cold water for 1-5 minutes will help break down the stains. This is where a small addition of Laundry Mousse or Detergent can further assist with delicates in cleaning then while they soak.
Air dry delicates for a nice even finish, we prefer using coat hangers or clothing racks, however some fabrics may be too fine to be hung and will need to be flat layed while drying.
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