Iron Silk

Silk is a delicate and luxurious natural fabric. It is easy to tear and stain. Although many garments recommend dry cleaning, you can wash, dry and press silk at home using gentle methods.

Steps

Wetting Silk

1. Hand wash silk in lukewarm water. Add a few drops of mild detergent to a bucket or sink of water. Rub it very gently to release stains.
2. Allow the silk to soak for three to five minutes. Then, rinse the garment in fresh lukewarm water until the bubbles disappear.
3. Squeeze the silk very gently to release excess water. Wrap it in a thick towel to absorb the rest of the water. Now you are ready to iron the silk.
   • Never wring silk fabric out or it can stretch or tear.
   • If you don’t want to wash it before you iron it. Spray the whole surface of the silk with a spray bottle to dampen it.

Preparing Your Iron

1. Check your hand iron to see if the plate is dirty or stained with red. Clean it with a paste of one tbsp. (14.8 ml) of water and two tbsp. (13.8 g) of baking soda. Spread it on the iron, scrub lightly and wipe it off with a damp cloth.
2. Plug in your iron. Heat it up on the silk setting or the lowest setting if your iron doesn’t have a delicate/silk setting. Wait at least five minutes while it heats up.
3. Lay a large, clean cotton sheet across your ironing board. Creating a cotton barrier will prevent colors from other fabrics from leaching onto your silk. Both the cotton barrier and your cotton press cloth should be pure cotton and white or natural color.

Ironing Silk

1. Turn the silk inside out. You will always want to iron on the backside of the fabric. This is the side that has the matte finish.
2. Smooth out the silk fabric so there are no wrinkles. Lay a small cotton press cloth on top of the area you are going to start ironing. Some moisture from the damp silk may leak through the press cloth.
3. Press the iron plate to the surface of the cloth. Move the iron around the fabric. Never leave it in one place too long, or you risk burning the fabric.
4. Lift the press cloth up and replace it on the next section that needs to be iron. When you have completed ironing the whole surface, hang the silk on a hanger and allow it to dry for a few minutes before wearing it or storing it.

Things You'll Need

• Iron
• Ironing board
• Cotton press cloth
• White cotton sheet
• Spray bottle
• Baking soda
• Water
• Damp cloth
• Hanger

Sources and Citations

See also

• Steam Press a Sweater or Other Knit Garment
• Make a Portable Ironing Board
• Clean the Bottom of an Iron
• Iron a Shirt
• Heat Press a T‐Shirt
• Use an Iron
• Starch a Shirt
• Iron a Suit Jacket
• Use a Clothes Steamer
• Choose the Right Ironing Board Cover

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What links here

• Get Wrinkles Out of Silk