Want more expert advice from a stylist? Contact Meg or check out her styling services here.
How to Clean Wool
Wash wool less frequently – It’s a natural, self-regulating fiber! Clean stains with a gentle detergent by carefully blotting instead of rubbing. When using a washing machine, turn your piece inside out and soak in cold water beforehand to minimize shrinkage. Once in the machine, use a cold water & gentle setting. Proceed to let it air dry.
How to Clean Silk
Check the label! “DRY CLEAN ONLY” indicates that the safest method of cleaning your silk is to dry clean it. However, when a tag merely labels “DRY CLEAN” without the “ONLY”, this indicates dry cleaning as a recommended method rather than a must-obey. Soak your garment in cold water with a detergent for delicates. (For a spot treatment, treat the stain with cold water and a diluted solution of detergent, then soak.) Air dry silk while keeping it out of direct sunlight. To iron silk, wait until the garment is dry. Put a cloth between the iron and garment, and only iron on low heat or a silk setting. Then hang silk in a cool, dry place.
How to Clean Rayon
Viscose Rayon isn’t generally washable, unless otherwise labeled. Treat rayon as a delicate fabric. Pretreat and spot clean any stains with a stain solution. Add a squirt of delicate wash to a sink filled with cold water. Place the garment in the sink and waft the water with your hands to evenly distribute soap, then soak for up to 30 minutes. Rinse well by running cool water through the item. Do not wring! Instead, press the water out of the item, then lay it flat in it’s natural shape on a drying rack to air dry. After the piece has dried, remove any pills with a sweater comb.
How to Clean Cotton
Cotton is a durable fabric that is okay to machine wash. To prevent shrinkage, set the machine to a cold or warm wash setting. Tumble on a low setting until dry, then immediately remove the garment to prevent wrinkles. To remove existing wrinkles, add a spray starch and let rest for a minute. Proceed to use a steam iron on a cotton or high setting to gently press the garment into shape.