How to Wash a Silk Dress Without Ruining It

You can wash most silk at home by hand: cool water, a small amount of silk or pH-neutral detergent, a gentle swish for a few minutes, then a rinse and a roll in a towel to press out water, never wringing. Always check the care label first, because lined, structured or brightly dyed silk dresses are often safer with a dry cleaner.

Silk has a reputation for being impossible to care for, and it isn't. It's a protein fiber, a bit like your own hair, so it wants cool water, a mild wash and no rough handling. Get that right and a silk dress, like a silk slip dress you bought for a rehearsal dinner, can last for years of wear.

Washing silk at home

Yes, you can wash silk in many cases. Plenty of silk dresses, blouses and slips can be hand washed, and some labels even allow a cool machine cycle. The care label is the first thing to read, and it's worth knowing how to read it:

• "Hand wash" or a hand-in-tub symbol: wash it at home using the steps below.
• "Dry clean": the maker recommends a cleaner, and that's the safe route. On a dress you love, follow the label.
• "Dry clean only": take it to a cleaner. The maker is telling you water may change the fabric, the dye or the structure.

Some silks are better left to a professional whatever the label says: silk velvet, heavily structured or boned dresses, anything lined in a different fiber, and pieces with beading or sequins. If you have a velvet dress, our guide on how to wash velvet covers it, including why silk velvet goes to a cleaner. For a velvet dress to wear to a wedding, see our velvet wedding guest dresses.

How to hand wash a silk dress

Here's how to wash a silk dress by hand, start to finish:

1. Check the color. Dampen a white cloth and press it on a hidden spot, like an inside seam. If dye comes off on the cloth, don't wash it at home. Take it to a cleaner.
2. Fill a clean basin with cool water. Keep it cool, no warmer than 30°C (86°F). Heat is what damages silk.
3. Add a small amount of gentle detergent. Use a pH-neutral, non-enzymatic detergent or one made for silk and wool. Enzyme or "biological" detergents are made to break down protein stains, and silk is a protein fiber. Never use chlorine bleach.
4. Soak briefly. Put the dress in and let it sit for a few minutes, no more than about five.
5. Swish gently. Move it through the water with your hands. Don't scrub, twist or rub sections together.
6. Rinse in cool water until the water runs clear and the dress no longer feels soapy.
7. Press out the water. Lay the dress on a clean, dry towel, roll it up and press. Never wring silk.
8. Dry it flat or on a padded hanger, out of direct sun. More on that below.

Machine washing silk, if the label allows

Some silk is labeled machine washable. If yours is, you can save time, but treat the machine like a gentle pair of hands:

• Turn the dress inside out and zip it into a mesh laundry bag, or a pillowcase, so it can't snag.
• Choose the delicate or silk cycle with cold water, no higher than 30°C.
• Pick the shortest, lowest spin.
• Use a small dose of mild, non-enzymatic detergent.
• Wash it alone or with a few other delicates, never with towels or jeans.
• Take it out as soon as the cycle ends so it doesn't sit creased.

If the label says hand wash, don't use the machine, even on its gentlest setting. The agitation is still rougher than your hands.

Drying, steaming and ironing silk

Never tumble dry silk. The heat and tumbling can shrink it and damage the fibers. Instead:

• Dry flat on a clean towel or a flat drying rack for knits and heavy silks, or hang lighter dresses on a padded hanger.
• Keep it out of direct sunlight, which can fade the color and weaken silk over time.
• Don't hang it near a radiator to speed things up.

When it's almost dry, take care of the creases. A handheld steamer on a low setting, held a short distance from the fabric, works well and doesn't touch the surface. If you iron, use the silk or lowest setting, iron the dress inside out and put a pressing cloth between the iron and the fabric. High heat can scorch or yellow silk.

Silk can hold a bit of static in dry winter air, especially under a coat. A light mist of water from a distance, or a slip underneath, can help.

How to wash satin

How to wash satin depends on the fiber, because satin is a weave, not a material. Our guide to satin vs silk explains the difference. Check the fiber content on the label, then:

• Silk satin or silk charmeuse: follow every step above. It's silk, just woven to shine.
• Polyester satin: usually the easiest. Many can go in a cool, gentle machine cycle inside a mesh bag, then dry on a hanger. Keep the iron low.
• Acetate satin: more delicate than either. It's often dry clean only, it's sensitive to heat, and acetone in nail polish remover dissolves it. Our guide to acetate satin has its own care routine.

You can wash satin, then, but the answer changes with the fiber: usually yes for polyester, sometimes for silk, and carefully, if at all, for acetate. The label decides.

Silk dress care between washes

Silk dress care is mostly about washing less, and the habits between washes do most of the work:

• Air it out after wearing. Hang the dress somewhere with air around it overnight before it goes back in the closet. Often that's all it needs.
• Deal with marks fast. Blot a spill with a clean cloth and cool water. Don't rub, and don't use a stain remover unless it says it's safe for silk.
• Let deodorant and perfume dry first. Put both on before you dress and give them a few minutes. They can mark silk at the underarms and neckline.
• Store it on a padded hanger. Wire hangers leave bumps at the shoulders. Give it space so it doesn't crush.
• Keep it out of the sun in your closet too, since light fades silk.

The same gentle habits work for silk slips and lingerie. If you're choosing silk underwear partly for comfort, it'll last longer washed by hand in a mesh bag.