MAINTENANCE TIPS
Silk
Silk is a noble and fragile fiber.
Prefer machine washing on a delicate program at 30 degrees using a special silk detergent. Be careful not to add fabric softener, as this will grease and weigh down the material. Do not use stain remover.
Like washing cashmere, place your silk garment in a pillowcase or net to protect it during the wash.
Once the cycle is complete, immediately take your garment out of the machine and hang it out to dry.
If you wish to wash your silk garment by hand, immerse the garment in cold or lukewarm water with a mild soap. Gently stir the water with your hands, so the soapy water can penetrate through the fibers. Avoid rubbing to remove a stain or wringing the garment. Do not soak silk for more than 5 minutes in water, then rinse it thoroughly in cold water.
After washing, your garment may come out wrinkled and may need to be ironed.
To iron the silk, do not wait for your garment to be dry, you can iron it while it is still damp. Turn it upside down and set your iron to medium heat.
Place a cloth or damp cloth between the garment and the ironing board so as not to damage or burn the fabric and pass your iron, still in motion, over the garment.
Linen
If some pieces require dry or hand washing, the linen can be machine washed at very high temperatures.
Thus, clothes as well as linens can be put in a detergent at 60°, with a detergent formulated for delicate laundry.
As for the colors, it will be necessary to choose a program of 40°C.
Also, all clothes must be turned inside out before being loaded into the drum.
Linen softens as it is washed and care must be taken that it is not wrung out strongly, as this could deform it. Once Ironing linen items should be done on the wrong side of the fabric while they are still slightly damp. Wrinkles will be quickly smoothed out and this will also preserve the colors.
Denim
To keep the denim of the best possible quality, wash it at a cold temperature, 30 degrees ideally.
To minimize color loss and fading, be sure to turn your denim inside out for washing.
Denim pigments can rub off, so be sure to wash only with similar colors to prevent this from happening.
Gauze
Cotton gauze is a delicate material, its weaving makes the product very flexible and light, but the fineness of the thread makes it a relatively fragile material.
Regarding washing, it is better to wash your gauze linen in a delicate cycle with a maximum temperature of 40°.
It should also be noted that the gauze stretches during washing, so it is recommended to dry the products in the dryer or flat to prevent them from stretching.
Just like linen, which is naturally wrinkled , cotton gauze is a naturally embossed fabric that brings cachet and a casual chic look, so it is unnecessary, even risky, to iron it.
Jersey
Its elasticity makes it susceptible to shrinkage in the wash.
Nevertheless it is easy to maintain, it can easily be machine washed at 30-40°C.
The dryer is rather not recommended on this type of stretch fabric and you will have to be very careful with the colors, especially the darker ones such as navy blue, black, red or even fuschia, which may rub off.
These are fabrics that tend to roll up, so they can be ironed.
Satin
As you can imagine, a satin garment will wash more easily than a silk piece.
To clean the satin, you don't need to go through the dry cleaners, you can settle for a cold bath and by hand, with a special detergent for delicate fibers.
Fill your basin with lukewarm water, pour the detergent and mix well to obtain a homogeneous liquid.
Next, lay down your satin garment.
Let it soak for a few minutes then stir it and rub gently by hand.
Avoid twists that are too tight to wring out the garment.
At best, press it lightly and then choose a place where you can let it drain naturally, rinse well with clear water to avoid residues of detergent which can leave traces while drying.
For satin pieces, you can find instructions for washing cold or 30ºC. If you choose this type of washing, make sure you have a specific program for delicate laundry and that you deactivate the drying cycles.
The first step, to avoid wrinkles, is to spread them well for drying. Do not hesitate to lay them flat on a tancarville, rather than hanging from a clothesline with a fold and clips that risk marking them.
If, despite this type of drying, your satin garment is wrinkled, you can allow yourself a short passage of the iron, provided you place a solid fabric between the soleplate of the iron and your delicate piece. Choose the lowest temperature on your iron and iron without steam.
Lace
Put your lace clothes in a pillowcase and put the pillowcase in the washing machine.
Use a detergent for wool and activate the delicate cycle of your machine. You can add an active oxygen stain remover and fabric softener to prevent your lace from yellowing.
You can also wash by hand and soak your fabrics in a mixture of warm water and detergent suitable for delicate fabrics for about fifteen minutes.
You don't need to scrub your laundry at the risk of damaging it.
Shake it gently before rinsing.
Tulle
Tulle is a delicate fabric that requires special care. It is recommended to wash it by hand to avoid tearing and the appearance of holes.
For those who are short on time, you can place your tulle clothes in a washing net and wash them at low temperature with a low spin speed.
However, it is preferable to opt for the "hand wash" program for washing machines that offer it.
Lyocell and Viscose
Light, robust and flexible (even if easily creased), viscose and lyocell textiles are also easy to care for. They can be machine washed.
In general, viscose garments can be washed in water that does not exceed 40°C. It's best to turn clothes inside out before putting them in the washing machine.
Ordinary detergent can be used, but bleach is not recommended as it can cause the colors to fade. Finally, the spinning of the viscose pieces should not be too intense.
Drying in a clothes dryer is not recommended unless the temperature is low.
For ironing, choose the silk program of the iron. To facilitate this task, iron the fabric while it is still damp or use a damp cloth.
Cotton and cotton poplin
All cotton parts can be washed in cold, lukewarm or very hot water.
However, it is ideal to program washes at 60°C or at 40° for colored laundry.
Whites and colors should be washed separately. The use of bleach on white fabrics is permitted.
In addition, a universal detergent can be used on all parts.
Once the washing cycle is finished, the cotton pieces can be dried in the dryer.
The use of a steam iron may then prove necessary, but the ironing must not be too hot at the risk of seeing the fabric scorch.
Cotton terry _
First of all, know that fabric softener is not at all recommended for the sponge because it reduces the absorbency of the material.
When washing your terry cloth laundry, do not use fabric softener, it will make your fabric less absorbent.
A classic machine wash at 30-40°C will be perfect.
Never use bleach which alters the fiber and makes the sponge rougher.
As a general rule, the fabric shrinks about 10% in the first wash
The sponge must be washed several times to acquire all its properties.
It is possible that the sponge will fluff and bleed during several washes, but this effect will dissipate as you go through the machine.
The ideal for soft, fluffy and more absorbent sponges is tumble drying.
The sequin
Sequin requires careful cleaning due to its fragility. It makes it possible to sublimate and bring shine and relief to clothing.
Hand washing with warm water is recommended, you can also machine wash at 30°C, taking precautions: place the garment in a cloth bag and use the wool programme.
Spin-drying is to be avoided, adetergent for delicate laundry is recommended.
For drying, rinse well without wringing, then let drain, hang on a hanger.
Dry cleaning may be recommended provided that the beads and sequins do not melt with the solvents used.
Velvet
You have two options: machine wash or hand wash.
Velvet is a delicate material.
Therefore, there are certain rules to remember before switching on your washing machine.
First, make sure you always wash your velor garment inside out, be careful, velor garments are fragile, machine wash no more than 30°C.
Ideally, do not mix it with other materials in any case, especially banish clothes that fluff, they could ruin the softness of short-haired velvet.
Avoid overloading the drum of your washing machine.
The velvet is completely hand washable.
Clean cotton velor with soapy water.
Immerse your garment in a basin of water and Marseille soap, for example.
Be sure to gently rub the velvet before rinsing it thoroughly.
Never twist your velvet piece to wring it out, you risk damaging it! Do pressure only.
When the washing cycle is finished, do not wait before taking out your cotton velvet garment, let your garment dry flat or on a hanger.
No heat source so obviously, no machine drying.
Leather and Suede
Leather is not machine washable like your other clothes.
In addition, each leather has its own material: we do not take care of a lambskin leather jacket, supple and soft, in the same way as we take care of a cowhide biker leather.
So I recommend you refer a leather and suede professional or apply some grandma's tricks .
Faux Leather
Faux leather is rather easy to maintain, it has the advantage of being made of synthetic materials, for example you can wash it at low temperature.
In the event of a localized stain, a little bit of soapy water on a sponge or baby cleansing milk will do the trick.
Above all, do not rub and never dry clean!
We can also add that where the leather will crack in the event of lack of maintenance, the faux leather will not move.
On the other hand, it will bear less friction, the coated layer is likely to leave more quickly than a real skin.
It is possible to iron imitation leather, but be careful, under certain conditions.
Indeed, it should be kept in mind that imitation leather is a plastic-based synthetic material: it may therefore melt, at least in part, under the effect of the heat of the iron and you will damage the iron soleplate.
To prevent this from happening, you must iron the imitation leather on the reverse side, that is to say the non-laminated part, and protect it with a cloth, tea towel or dry cotton cloth.
Also, be sure to set your iron to “synthetic” mode and no steam.
Fake fur
Dry cleaning with professionals is always the best solution for cleaning fur. Admittedly, more expensive than a cleaning at home, it is the guarantee of a cleaning which respects the synthetic fibers and avoids you any damage caused to the fur.
If you cannot or do not wish to use a dry cleaner, remember in a few words that synthetic fur is treated like wool. Washing is ideally done by hand, with slightly warm soapy water. Never use fabric softener with fake fur, contrary to what one might think, it risks leaving stains, and its chemical composition causes irreversible damage to the hair.
Let the soap or detergent act for 10 minutes. The rinsing is then done with barely lukewarm clear water, simply by showering the fur abundantly, until the water is clear.
We absolutely do not recommend machine washing faux fur, because in the event of incorrect settings, incorrect choice of detergent, temperature or spin speed, you risk seriously damaging your fur. If you have no other alternative, here is how to proceed to avoid any risk.
Only use special wool detergent or natural soap, with a cold program and the lowest spin speed possible. Generally, the “wool” program meets all these requirements. As we told you above, do not use fabric softener, it contains products which, despite what you might think, deteriorate synthetic fur.
Also avoid overloading your washing machine. Leave enough space for your garment or fur accessory.
Drying should be done away from any direct heat source. Don't wring your fur like a mop, just a very light spin.
To dry faux fur, lay it out on a hanger if it's a garment, or completely unfolded on a washing line if it's a plaid. Provide a hanger as solid as possible (ideally wooden) because the fur, even synthetic, is very heavy once wet. Since your fur has not been wrung out, plan a basin to collect the water that will flow out. For any other fashion or decorative accessory, you can put it on a drying rack, taking care to turn it over from time to time. Anyway, don't put it on a radiator.
During and after drying, you will see that the bristles give the impression of being glued together. Don't worry, wet or freshly dried fur almost always looks like this. To remedy this, wait until the fur is completely dry, then brush lightly in the direction of the hair, then in the opposite direction. A household or hairdressing brush will do just fine.
Wool, Boiled wool and Tweed
Wool textiles are delicate.
While some woolen clothing requires dry or hand washing, most can be machine washed.
However, care should be taken against the risk of shrinkage after washing when the water temperature is too high.
Before starting the washing of woolen fabrics, the washing machine must be programmed on "Wool" this is the assurance that the washing water will not exceed 30°C and that the spin will not be too vigorous.
In any case, once the laundry is finished, you should never load anything made of wool into a dryer. Drying flat is recommended, as the fabric may deform when hung.
Drying should also be done in the open air and away from a heat source.
When ironing, use the wool program of the iron, or choose a temperature between 175 and 190°C.
Cashmere
Cashmere is a material that loves water. This is why a cashmere sweater should be washed regularly, after being worn two or three times. Cashmere needs water to keep its softness and suppleness, but also to prevent the appearance of pilling – washing makes it even more beautiful.
Be careful though, some cashmere pieces cannot be washed in water ( cashmere veils, classic scarves and double-faced fabrics used for making coats) .
The ideal is to wash them in the washing machine. Use a cold wool program with a dose of special wool detergent or a special cashmere shampoo .
Slip your cashmere sweater into a cover (a pillowcase closed with an elastic band, without buttons or zip will do, or better, a washing pouch ), to prevent it from getting damaged or deformed during washing.
Run your program, but don't let it soak.
Program a gentle spin cycle (500 rpm maximum) to avoid felting your cashmere sweater. Dry flat on a towel, away from light and heat.
You can also wash your cashmere by hand, cold, with a special wool detergent or a special cashmere shampoo. Quickly soak your cashmere garment (do not leave it in water), pat it dry and then rinse it with clean water. Wring your sweater in a towel without deforming it, then dry it flat on a towel, away from light and heat.
In any case, never use fabric softener.
Good news: you can even iron your cashmeres.
Iron them lightly and delicately upside down, with a low iron with a jet of steam, and above all without pulling on the stitch.
Polar
Avoid dry cleaning.
By hand or machine wash the fleece
Wash the fleece at 30°-40° maximum. Prefer a liquid detergent without bleaching agent
Wash fleece garments without ever using fabric softener.
Do not activate a too powerful spin cycle.
Avoid using fleece in the tumble dryer.
Dry clothes flat.
