{"id":625,"date":"2022-08-06T14:35:54","date_gmt":"2022-08-06T14:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cleancil.com\/?p=625"},"modified":"2022-08-06T14:54:32","modified_gmt":"2022-08-06T14:54:32","slug":"what-happens-if-you-wash-silk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cleancil.com\/what-happens-if-you-wash-silk\/","title":{"rendered":"What Happens If You Wash Silk?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
There are many things that can happen to silk when you wash it at home, from nothing to something! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you put silk in water, it loses its overall strength by as much as 20%, which means little agitation from scrubbing or tossing (like in the washer) can easily cause problems like distortion and wrinkling. Hot water intensifies the degree at which silk loses its strength, and thus the effects are much more pronounced. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way to wash silk is using care and deliberateness. Below, we\u2019ll discuss all that happens to silk when you wash it at home, and then the proper ways to clean silk so you don’t cause damage to it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Water is the number one enemy of silk. When you submerge silk in water and let it sit for some time, its strength reduces by about 20%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And here is exactly why that is so. Normally, the construction of silk is such that it renders the overall material very durable (because it has a linear, better-configuration polymers and a crystalline system that permits the formation of hydrogen bonds in a regular pattern). When you submerge a filament of this kind of chemical composition in water, the hydrogen bonds formed, are hydrolysed, which now causes weakening of the polymer system, and thus, the material in it\u2019s entirety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now because the polymer system of silk weakens the moment you submerge the material in wash water, you now have a situation whereby they\u2019re very sensitive to little pressure or agitation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And this is where the agitation of the washer, brushes, or hand washing comes in to capitalize. Remember the linear, beta-configuration polymers, the agitation now causes them to disorganize from their original positions and set to a new one permanently. On a broader scale, this is perceived as distortion, or wrinkles and creases that are very difficult to get rid of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember we talked about how water causes silk to weaken, now everything becomes even more serious when the temperature of water goes up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When the temperature of wash water goes above 30\u00b0C, more problems now surface like fading and discoloration caused by breakage of bonds and linkages in the polymer system, release of dyes from due to the fast-paced molecules of water knocking off dye pigments from the surface of filaments, and a pronounced weakening of fibers because hot water has molecules that are in rapid motion and therefore penetrate deeper into fabric and create havoc than cold water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The negative side effects of washing silk aren’t all caused by water, laundry products too can affect silk in many different ways you can imagine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Take for instance, bleach. When you use chlorine bleach on silk, it weakens the fibers and also extracts colors from the filaments (although you can use oxygen bleach on silk materials however to help remove stains and heavy soiling). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another laundry product that is bad for silk is fabric softener. When you use fabric softener on your silk pajamas, trousers or pillowcases, it reduces the breathability of the fabric as it coats it with a layer that isn\u2019t always washed out completely. Such a layer can cause pathogenic growth on pillowcases and pajamas. Fabric softeners can also discolor sensitive fabrics like silk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Other laundry products that don’t fare well with silk include heavy duty or harsh detergents, and stain removal solution. They may be too harsh on your clothes and contain chemicals that can end up damaging the fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And last but not least is the dryer. How can we ever talk about the problems of washing silk at home without a mention of the dryer machine? <\/p>\n\n\n\n The dryer is where most of the damage will happen to silk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember, silk it\u2019s sensitive to heat and moisture in the manner that we have mentioned above, putting it in the dryer where these things are very pronounced will definitely escalate things even more! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some silk fabrics however, like blends of silk and cotton, other blends or even silke made up of 100% silk might be able to get away with machine drying, but only at lower temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to the best way to wash silk, it\u2019s hand washing, no cap. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPutting silk in water weakens the fabric<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Agitation capitalizes on the weakened fibers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Hot water adds to the damage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Then there\u2019s harsh detergents and laundry products<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Mr dryer too<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What is the best way to wash silk?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n