Caring for silk pillowcases

[barnet_fair]

I've been washing my silk satin pillowcases in the machine at 30ºC, 800rpm with the rest of my clothes. The sheen seems to have dulled a little, and I think the pillowcases have suffered a permanent penalty to surface slipperiness. Could this have been prevented by hand washing with less agitation?
On the other hand, it may be that the mulberry silk fabric commonly found on the market has an initial finish that goes away after the first wash. Or perhaps I should iron them? Or steam?

How do you wash and otherwise care for your silk satin pillowcases?

[foreveryours]

I don't know much about silk (I use a satin pc) but you might be just wearing it out. Like thrashing around in your sleep. If you washed your hair at 800 rpm it might loose its sheen and come out rather um "frizzy" too. I'd wash something like that by hand and hang it up to dry. I do that for my pc (and wool stuff) anyways. And hair.

[Happymaman]

I have several new silk pillowcases in my home (we have just made the complete transition for all 5 household members) and I have 2 others that I have had for 2 years for my 4c/f/i child. The ones that we have had for two years and used daily for 1.5 years (one for naps, one for night) look brand new comparing them against the actual new ones, minus a couple minor pulls.

I generally wash mine cold with other delicates we have in the house. I would rather leave a pillowcase on a little extra longer (granted my kid is not a sweaty teenager) in order to wait for an adequate load size and wash it all on delicates (I believe our delicate spin cycle is around 400rpm). Every once in a while it gets particularly grimy (like... snot during an illness...) and I wash it at 30C.

If you're putting it into a regular cycle, you could protect it from friction damage by investing in one of those mesh garment bags for the wash. Handwashing is an excellent option if you can invest the time and/or don't have many other delicate items for a gentler cycle.

Natural fibers are honestly quite like our hair in that harsh detergents and hot water strip the fibers over time and friction and constant handling degrade the bonds of the thread.

I'm sure there are differences between companies as the dyes used could make a difference as well as whatever the difference between 19 momme and 22 momme is... there must be quality differences but you can only control what hou can control and try to take care of the item in front of you.

I don't think it's bad to wash them in a mesh bag with your regular wash if that's what works for your lifestyle. But it is possible to take better care of it if you have the capacity.

[lapushka]

Definitely yes on the mesh bags for the laundry. Other than that, I'd just handwash if it's just your own pillowcase.

[Obsidian]

I have a mulberry silk bonnet that I handwash and the initial shine and slickness did seem to diminish after washing and I've only washed it 4 or 5 times.

[baanoo]

Silk has a natural coating on the individual strands that can be worn down with high heat and agitation, particularly when the silk already has had the majority of it removed to maximize softness. This coating contributes to the sheen you see and provides body to the fabric, when it’s stripped off you get the more drape and smooth texture.

I was mine on the cold delicate /30 minute cycle and hang them to dry. They’re not as heavy of a silk as I would like, and they’re in a plain-weave rather than a satin-weave, but they’ve held up well for a good 40-50 washes at this point! A lot depends on the quality of the fabric but hot water is not your friend in this case.

[TatsuOni]

Do you use regular laundry detergent? It will break down the silk. You need to use a detergent for wool and silk or some hard soap like aleppo soap.

You also should never wash silk in more than 30 C. And preferebly not allow it to rub against ruff materials or zippers.

I have silk scarves and a silk sleeping cap. I wash them at the silk cycle in my washing machine, with special detergent and then hang them to dry. I wash them togehter with my satin hair scarves and pillowcases and with my cotton scarves. Both my thinner silk scarves and my heavier silk cap are in the same condition as when I bought them. And I've had the scarves for maybe 5+ years now.

I learned about the detergent the hard way. I ruined a silk skirt and some wool clothes and started googling. And I found out that the enzyms in regukar detergent was the cause.

[baanoo]

Do you use regular laundry detergent? It will break down the silk. You need to use a detergent for wool and silk or some hard soap like aleppo soap.

You also should never wash silk in more than 30 C. And preferebly not allow it to rub against ruff materials or zippers.

I have silk scarves and a silk sleeping cap. I wash them at the silk cycle in my washing machine, with special detergent and then hang them to dry. I wash them togehter with my satin hair scarves and pillowcases and with my cotton scarves. Both my thinner silk scarves and my heavier silk cap are in the same condition as when I bought them. And I've had the scarves for maybe 5+ years now.

I learned about the detergent the hard way. I ruined a silk skirt and some wool clothes and started googling. And I found out that the enzyms in regukar detergent was the cause.
This is a good point, I’d forgotten about the laundry detergent aspect - I, too, always use a special one for silks/woolens

[lapushka]

This is a good point, I’d forgotten about the laundry detergent aspect - I, too, always use a special one for silks/woolens

We do too. Every grocery store does some version of it, so it is quite easy to find!

[curlysunbeam]

I hand wash and hang dry my silk pillow cases. I dont think the dullness can be completely prevented, but I do think machine washing (especially drying) makes the process much quicker, ive seen it with other silk items I have. I think hand washing helps to pro long the life, but wear and tear probably cant be prevented entirely

[lapushka]

I just (I had them, well have them just no longer use them)... this is the reason I switched to microfiber bedding + pillow cases. You can wash them on a hot cycle (over 60°C) and you just don't have to babysit it.