Care of your silks.

The most practical laundering solution for silk is to hand wash each item separately in cold water using a good quality shampoo or washing soap for fine washables. Avoid wringing or squeezing the silk as this will break down the fibres. Rinse well and roll in a towel to soak up excess water. Drip dry away from sunlight and direct heat. Do not machine dry. Iron when slightly damp with iron set on a cooler temperature.

Often a silk product will be enhanced from washing as the silk will soften. This is especially the case with raw silk. However, if you like the firmness or stiffness in your silk product then dry cleaning is a better option for retaining the fibre quality.

During laundering the dye may run during the first few washings. Often the fibres are over saturated with dyes to allow for maximum absorption. The dye that is washing out is excess. Your colours will stay true as long as you do not use hot or warm water. If your silk has many colours in it, it is advisable to dry clean to prevent the bleeding of one colour into another.

For silk purses and bags, before using, spray with Scotch GardTM according to the directions on the can. This will help prevent spotting, marking and general dirt buildup. Take special care to read instructions to ensure that the protection product that you are using is suitable for silk. Dry cleaning is recommended for silk purses and bags.

The things that damage silk are high heats, exposure to bright light, perspiration and wringing during washing. Prolonged exposure to light will fade your silks. Store silks in a drawer or hung up in a dark garment bag and they will last beautifully.

Many of Floating Stone’s silk products, have the characteristic, uneven edges, slubs and "imperfections" of raw silk and the hand-woven process. These are not flaws, rather they provide the sought-after texture in the silk. This is also one of the ways you can tell the difference between mechanically-processed silk and hand work.