Blissey pillowcases are a stylish trend! They’re a quick way to transition your sleeping space into a sensually appeasing one!
To maintain the shine and plush of your blissey pillow cases however, because they’re not going to remain the way they are if you treat them like any other pillowcase, you need to make sure you’re washing them the right way!
And what’s the right way?
Blissey pillowcases are made using mulberry silk which is a variety of silk regarded as the best currently produced. Because of this, blissey pillowcases should only be washed using the silk or gentle cycle of the washer and using cold water.
By hand, blissey pillowcases should be soaked and never scrubbed. Scrubbing distorts silk and causes wrinkles and creases too.
Below, we’ll look at the comprehensive instructions on how to properly clean blissey pillowcase at home.
What’s your blissey pillowcase made of
Blissey pillowcases are made from Mulberry silk. Mulberry silk is a type of silk produced from the cocoon from an insect from the moth family called Bombyx mori.
Mulberry silk is fine and lustrous, and the silk ranges in length between a thousand feet to three thousand feet and around 0.0004 inches in diameter.
When used in fabric production, the resulting fabric has a characteristic sheen (from reflecting light at many angles), is smooth, soft and strong although it loses a chuck percentage of this strength when immersed in water for sometime.
What’s with washing silk at home?
Because blissey pillowcases are made using silk, mulberry silk to be specific, it means that they lose their strength when submerged in water.
The reason why this happens is because of the chemical composition of silk. Silk has linear beta-configuration polymers and a strong crystalline structure.
This composition allows for hydrogen bonds to be created in a more regular fashion and thus results in the strength of the material.
On the other hand, because the bonds are hydrogen bonds, they hydrolyze upon contact with the molecules of water which weakens the polymer structure of the silk, and as a result, the overall material becomes weakened too!
Now because silk is vulnerable in water, you can have different laundry factors that affect it in negative ways, for instance, agitation which causes the linear, beta-configuration polymers to slide past one which causes distortion, and also wrinkles and creases that are difficult to get rid of.
Hot water also, can also pronounce the negetive effects of agitation in the washer because it has molecules that are in rapid constant motion, which means they penetrate deeper into silk and cause it to become even more weaker than cold water can ever make it.
With hot water also, you have breakage of linkage and bonds which results in fading of the material.
Another thing that can destory silk fabric is detergent. When you use a detergent that is not specifically formulated for silk (or wool), then there’s the likelihood of discoloration or fading.
In the dryer also, there’s heat (more of it) and motion. So, the effects of agitation as well as heat as mentioned above will also play out.
These are the things that can go wrong with washing silk at home when you have zero idea how to properly do so.
So let’s learn how to properly wash blissey pillowcases using the washing machine and also by hand.
How To Properly Wash Blissey Pillowcase
By Hand
Washing a blissey pillowcase by hand is a pretty straightforward task. The most important instruction to bear at the back of your mind is to never scrub it! That’s it!
Rely on soaking to do the soil and stain removal job for you. This means that you should soak the blissy pillowcases in the wash water for some time and then take it out without actually scrubbing to remove soil or visible stain.
Here’s the detailed process on how to do it.
Create a solution of gentle detergent and water in a sink, a bucket or a bathtub and submerge the pillowcases in the wash water.
Let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes and then begin to swish and swirl the pillowcases in the wash water to help release soiling.
Another great technique to use is to pull part of the pillowcases and plunge them back into the wash water to help mimmick the effects of agitation.
By the time you’re satisfied with the results you have, proceed to rinse using fresh water and place the pillowcases on a thick clean towel. Roll up the towel all the way to the end and then press on it to remove as much water from the pillowcases as possible.
Now you’re ready for drying.
By Machine
To wash blissey pillowcases by machine, the first thing that should ever be on your mind is turning on the wash setting dial to the silk cycle (most modern washing machines come with that option).
If your machine dosen’t have the silk cycle, opt for the delicate or gentle cycle. The two cycles work in pretty much the same fashion.
When you select the wash cycle, opt for cold water and use a gentle liquid detergent. Powdered detergents may not dissolve properly in the wash water and they also have the potential of leaving residue on clothes that can cause streaking.
The best type of detergent to use on silk items are those specially formulated for silk itself, or for wool. It’s only in cases when you run out of these detergents that you should opt for a mild detergent.
Do not ever use detergents that contain heavy or too many chemicals as they can end up causing the fabric to fading. So run away from detergents tagged as “heavy duty”, anf not just detergents, but laundry products as well. By the way, dont use chlorine bleach, ever!
Another thing you can do as a measure of protection is to put your blissey blankets in a mesh laundry bag. This is especially important if you’re going to wash it with other items like bras or even bedding items like small blankets and other pillowcases.
Using a mesh bag will eliminate the chances of snagging! Additionally, you might also find it useful to reduce the total duration of washing by about half the original time or to slightly more than half.
Reducing the time helps miminizes the contact time between water and silk which prevents further weakening of the fabric.
How to dry blissey pillowcases
For both blissey pillowcases washed by hand or machine, always take them outside to dry.
Air drying is much safer on silk than machine drying because the latter employs heat and motion which are two things detrimental to silk, as explained above.
Air drying (in a shade) on the other hand, relies only on cool breeze to do the drying job, which is much safer on the general appearance!
How to remove wrinkles from blissey pillowcase
Typically, if you hand wash silk pillowcases, you shouldn’t run into wrinkles or creases after drying.
In the washer however, because the fabric is tossed about continously, it can develop wrinkles and even crease.
The best way to get them out is to use a steamer, or a pressing iron. You can use the steaming function of your pressing iron also.
When employing a pressing iron, use a pressing cloth between the surface of the iron and the surface of the silk. You don’t want the iron in direct contact with the surface of the silk as it can cause scorching, burning, and fading.
When ironing silk pillowcases also, do so when they’re slightly damp. Take them from the clothes line or rack at this stage and use the low/moderate setting on your pressing iron (with a cloth in between). If you have a silk setting, use that too. It will reduce the possibilities of scorching and improve the ironing efficiency.
Final thoughts
Blissey pillowcases are made from mulberry silk. And because it’s mulberry silk, you have to be very careful of the way you treat when it gets submerged in water.
Mulberry silk loses about 20 to 30% of it’s overall strength when wet. So if you should agitate it in this state, it will cause distortion, and if you should use hot water on it, it will cause fading.
We’ve outlined the best techniques and instructions to follow in order to safely and efficiently clean your blissey pillowcases at home. The techniques and instructions will help your blissey pillowcases preserve their plush for a long time