In India for most women silk saris are as precious as gold
and silver ornaments. Once they buy their favourite design and
colour in silk they look after it very carefully, both while
they wear it and when they store it in the wardrobe. Of late,
silk shops undertake the polishing of old silk saris to give
it extra shine. Here are some tips on how to take good care
of your silk clothes.
Silk material should be always dry-cleaned (White Petrol Wash).
Harsh surface abrasion would result in distortion of textural
stability. In case, dry-cleaning is not possible, one can follow
these instructions to avoid colour bleeding and distortion of
fabric.
Use only lukewarm water and any well known brand of soft
toilet soap.
Do not leave the silk sari/silk material in water for
a long time.
Do not rub, scrub or beat silk clothes or silk articles.
Rinse well in lukewarm water making sure that no soap
is left in the fabric.
Do not soak different coloured fabrics together.
Squeeze out water and dry the fabric in the shade.
Do not dry in sunlight.
Do not use an unduly hot iron when pressing the fabrics.
Do not sprinkle water over silk fabric before ironing;
instead use a thin wet cloth over the silk fabric.
Do not treat with bleaching solution and avoid detergents.
Borders, pallu and the body of the sari should be washed
separately (In case of contrast sari).
Do not store zari saris / materials in plastic covers
or cardboard boxes as it could damage the shine of the zari.
Silk saris should always be covered with washed soft cloth
while storing in a wardrobe.
Never put naphthalene balls in silk saris while storing,
as it can react chemically with the silk and zari.
If silk saris are exposed to rain water, it is always
advisable to immediately dry clean it without any further
delay.
It is not advisable to spray perfume directly on the zari
portion of the sari.
