How often should you wash silk pillowcase?
When it comes to when to wash silk pillowcase, we recommend once or twice a week.
Can you machine wash the silk pillowcase?
Yes and no. :)
For some premium silk pillowcases, you can actually safely machine wash the silk pillowcase. You can machine wash it by turning it inside out, and placing it inside a mesh laundry bag. Before you machine wash your silk pillowcase, do check the laundry label if it is machine washable.
Because silk fabric has different weave type and different silk grade, charmeuse weave silk pillowcase like BASK silk pillowcase is more tightly weaved and hence less prone to snagging and furring. BASK silk pillowcase is also made of 6A grade silk which has longer silk strand, which means "lesser connections" is required to weave the silk fabric and hence lesser breaking points. It WON'T started ripping in a few month time even though you machine wash it frequently.
If the laundry label said hand wash only. Unfortunately, you should always hand wash your silk pillowcase. Because most likely that pillowcase is more flimsy and weak. When you wash it using washing machine together with other items, the friction of heavy load can degrade the silk fabric and make it less slick and starting to rip.
How to hand wash silk pillowcase?
In fact, hand washing silk pillowcase at home only takes about five minutes!
Watch the 1-min video or follow the text provided below.
How to wash silk pillowcase, using white vinegar and delicate wash
What You Will Need:
- pH neutral liquid detergent or your hair shampoo
- clean bowl/clean sink/clean tub/clean place for washing
- cold water/lukewarm water
- white vinegar (optional) - White vinegar will help to remove any soapy residue in the silk fabric, restore shine and leave it silky smooth.
How do you wash your silk pillowcase by hand:
- Fill your bowl with cold water and add a few drops of liquid detergent/a few tiny drops of hair shampoo.
- Place your silk pillowcase in the water (turn it inside out) and use your hands as an agitator, gently moving the pillowcase around the water for one minute.
- Remove the pillowcase from the water and very gently squeeze to remove excess water.
- Drain the bowl and rinse it out. Repeat about 4-5 times. Then fill it up again with more cold water. This time add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the water. Repeat the swirling for another minute. Remove the pillowcase from the water.
- Drain and rinse the bowl and fill it with cold water. Just swirl the pillowcase around and make sure to remove any detergent that might still be hanging out in them. Remove them from the water and gently squeeze out the excess water.
- Repeat step 5 until it is clean of any detergent/shampoo.
- Discard the water and hang your pillowcase to air dry. (Do NOT put in the dryer. Heat is bad for silk fabric.) And don't dry your silk pillowcase under direct sunlight.
That's it. 🚀
What detergent is safe for your silk?
You can use any silk or wool-safe detergents because of their pH-neutral nature. If you don't have it on hand, just use a few tiny drops of your hair shampoo as detergent for your silk pillowcase.
Silk is a natural fibre and washing in a solution that’s too acidic or alkaline can cause the silk to harden in a single wash.
We have tried Perwoll and The Laundress, and they are great.
Should I wash my silk pillowcase before using?
This is optional and subjected to personal preferences. We do wash ours before using it. Follow the above steps in how to hand wash your silk pillowcase and you will get a silk pillowcase that is clean and smells good too after that 5-minute wash.
How to remove stains from silk pillowcase?
- Use a few drops of pH-neutral liquid detergent and use your finger to move the detergent into a circular motion to prevent spreading the stain.
- Rinse it with water to remove the detergent and stain.
- Never use a brush or bleach on your silk pillowcase.
- Do not rub the pillowcase harshly. The stains will come off itself easily if you don't wait very long to wash it after the stain happened.
How to iron silk pillowcase?
We recommend steamer to removes creases and wrinkles on the silk fabric. If you prefer to iron, consider flat ironing with a thin cloth layering on top of the silk pillowcase.
How to treat your white silk pillowcase if it slowly turned yellowish?
If you find your silk is yellowing or the colours have faded, you can try pre-soaking in water filled with a tablespoon of white vinegar for about 5 minutes.
See, all these extra care is just to maximise the lifespan of your silk pillowcase and it is not as difficult as you think. All it takes is just the extra 5 minute for hand-washing it.
Try silk pillowcase today, if you once steer clear from it because of its care instructions.
