Another neophyte question, but I just spent quite a bit of money for new silks and find them wrapped in nice cellophane flat wrappers. It seems a shame to pull them out! So, what is the best way to store silks after use, that doesn't entail the patience of a saint to get them back in those wrappers? Thanks! Bob

Try asking here:

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewf......54&11730


dsalley13

Thanks! bob

Here is another reference.

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......um=54&10

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I heard that if you hand wash them with soap and water. And after stick them to your wall they will float to the ground unwrinkled when dry.

Eights, have you ever tried it? I read someplace here that to clean them you soak them in lukewarm salted water. I took a few badly soiled silks tonight to experiment on and I just couldn't help myself...I added mild dish soap and soaked, hand washed, rinsed and set them on a towel to dry, also as per instructions. I'll find out tomorrow at least how the cleaning worked for simple dustbunnies. The oil stains in the silks are the reason I experimented on those in particular! Lemme' know if you try the wall trick......best, bob

There's no need to use soap to wash them unless it's SUPER GENTLE -maybe 20 to 1 woolite/water. The dyes they use on production silks these days are not all that great...

Water is just fine.

Place them, damp, on a mirror or window, and when they dry, they'll be nice and unwrinkled.

Hi Gaddy, thanks for that bit of information. Do you recommend the salt too, or just plain water? And do you soak them or just lightly wring them out in the water and let them dry? Thanks again! Best, Bob

The only reason I can think of for adding salt would be to (maybe) help protect from fading, but I think it would take a LOT of salt.

I know (from working in a Dye House) that salt is used to "force" certain types of dye into the fabric, but we were using half a ton of salt per thousand gallons of water. That equates to maybe a couple boxes of salt for a sinkful of water. Sounds extreme. And then we’d rinse it all out anyway.

Personally, I use plain cold water and some very gentle “agitation” (passing the semi-wadded up silk from hand to hand a few times).

As for the oil stains, I don’t think you have much to lose trying some woolite or even dish soap. Silk (being a protein) doesn’t turn loose of stains easily. My first ever silk shirt, I went to a party and somebody slapped a “Hi, My Name Is” sticker on my chest. The glue never came off.

Thanks DW, that all makes perfectly good sense to me. The oil stains didn't come out after all and so I just took the two red ones with the stains and tied them at each end of a white one to hide the stains and I'll use it somewhere, Im sure. Best, Bob