What To Do If Your Silk Scarf Fades Or Snags
Finding that perfect silk scarf? You are certainly going to want to keep your hands on it over and over to feel the unbelievably smooth and cool sensation that it brings to your fingertips. This feeling can be very addicting. Then after a few times of wearing the scarf you will start noticing that the colour does not appear to be as bright, or you may find a fine thread that has become loose for apparently no reason whatsoever. This could cause you some heartbreak wouldn't it?
Don't panic; you're not alone in this. Over the years, I've had countless customers send me photos with distressed messages asking, "Is this a quality issue?" In reality, the problem is usually not poor quality, but improper washing and care methods.
Silk fading actually falls into two categories. The first is "surface dye bleed"-when a dark or brightly colored scarf is washed for the first time, the water may take on a slight tint. This is perfectly normal, as silk naturally has a lower capacity for retaining dyes compared to materials like cotton or linen.
The second category is true fading-when the entire fabric loses its color intensity or becomes patchy. This is almost always caused by the detergent used.
People often use whatever cleaning agent or detergent they can easily get their hands on and pour it into the machine without realizing how the alkaline chemicals in the detergents and their bleaching agents can actually be harmful to the silk fibers being cleaned. Silk is protein-based, just like human hair and skin, so using an alkaline detergent on a silk garment is the same as washing a cashmere sweater with a strong hair shampoo - it can be done but if the detergent is not the right one for the bundle of silk that is being washed, then it has the potential of ruining that silk garment.
What are the signs that a detergent is not good for you? You can safely assume that if you put the detergent in water and the solution is warm to touch or produces too many suds, it is not for silk wash.
In fact, washing your silk is fairly easy; cold water (below 30°C) and a silk-specific detergent are the most effective method. If you don't have silk-specific detergent, pH-neutral dish soap or baby shampoo works too in a pinch. Always press on the fabric gently when washing your hand; don't rub or scrub it, especially if there are printed patterns or gradient dyed areas on them (rubbing the fabric is one of the main reasons that locally fading will occur).
Never ever wring out silk post cleaning! Damp silk is only about 50% as strong as dry; and when you wring out the fabric, it may cause colour difference due to pressure differences applied on silk fibers that are flexed and tend to break. To dry silk you would keep the silk scarf tightly rolled up in a new towel and press down on top of the towel with your hands to draw out as much water as possible. The final step is to hang the scarf out, not using flat (not folded up) in a shaded area to completely dry.
Next: Snags-Most of Which Are Preventable
Snagging is another common issue that causes frustration. Some customers complain, "I wore it normally-why has the edge started to fray?" I typically ask two questions in response: Is the surface of your ring smooth? And do your handbag straps have metal hardware?
It's not the silk garment itself that poses the greatest risk to silk's integrity; instead, it's the accessories that are paired with it that present the most significant challenge. Rough fingernails, rhinestones and other jeweled pieces, as well as the metal tags attached to denim pants pockets, can cause silk threads to become snagged without you ever knowing. I recommend that my clients create a common daily habit; when wearing a silk scarf, do not wear jewelry with sharp edges/corners and select handbags that have leather straps as opposed to chain straps.
If your scarf has been snagged, do not cut the loose thread. Instead, you can pull the snagged thread back through the fabric using a fine needle from the back side. If the thread has broken, use a small dot of nail polish in the same color to stop further unraveling. Note that cutting your thread will just increase the size of the gap over time.
Storage Is More Important Than You Think
Many times, people simply fold their silk scarves, toss them in a drawer and then forget about them for months. When they finally remove the scarf from the drawer, they may be able to tell that the scarf has obviously faded at its creases; this is caused by the dye/inks that were absorbed into the fibers moving due to pressure and humidity in the air from remaining folded for an extended amount of time.
In short, if you want your silk scarves to last a lifetime, nothing beats rolling them around an acid-free cardboard tube as in poster form. Alternatively, if you have to fold them, please change the folds every two or three months. Also you should never expose silk scarves directly to mothballs or scented sachets, for the chemicals in such products will cause irreversible colour change.