How to Wash Silk Bedding

Online, you will find recommendations for washing silk by hand. The reality is that bedding is not a scarf, and washing a silk duvet cover in a basin might not be realistic. Here you can find tips and tricks from years of experimentation on how to wash silk bedding.

Small items like your St Genève Eye Mask and the Purity pillowcases can be washed by hand, and we still recommend that as option number one. However, if you are lucky enough to own an Avorio duvet cover and sheets, and you want to wash everything together, you can! Place small items inside out, inside a mesh bag and complete the following instructions:

Before anything else, if there is a stain, spot-clean first. Dilute the soap with water and submerge the spot. Let it sit, then gently smooth the fibers to release the stain. No rubbing, no scrubbing. Just gentle contact with lukewarm water and a dot of soap. Rinse with cold water until no soap residue is found. Air dry away from direct sunlight.

What soap should I use?

Silk is sensitive to harsh cleansers. The thumbnail rule is, “if you wouldn’t use it on your skin, don’t use it on your silk”. Therefore, silk is best washed with a pure, gentle soap; in fact, infant hair shampoo (fragrance-free, without chemicals and oils) makes an ideal detergent for silk.

Washing in the machine, what are the best settings?

Wash silk by itself. Use a small quantity of soap. Set your washing machine on a gentle cycle. Make sure that the temperature setting for washing is lukewarm and for rinsing is cold. For sheets and duvet covers, use the maximum water level. Use a delicate spin cycle, avoid any wringing. Do not overload the machine.

How to dry silk bedding?

When drying, use a permanent press or delicate cycle and select the gentle cycle on your dryer. You don’t want to completely dry the bedding inside the dryer; you are aiming to remove excess moisture. Take it out before it is completely dry and air-dry away from direct sunlight.

Small items like eye masks and pillowcases are best dried using a towel. Roll the item in a towel to remove excess moisture, and air-dry away from direct sunlight for long-lasting life.

What to avoid when washing silk bedding?

Do not, no matter what:

• Use any detergent that contains bleach

• Use inexpensive laundry detergents (they often contain bleach)

• Use alkaline detergents

• Use pre-soak products

• Use fabric softeners (silk is soft already)

• Use enzyme detergents (these products will break down your bedding)

• Use specialty soaps not formulated for silk. Only use specialty detergents if they are formulated for silk

How to care for a silk duvet (insert)?

St Genève’s silk duvets are 100% tussah silk filled. Caring for them is different than other duvets, and it's worth it. Rule number one: do not wash. If you are shocked and wonder how to care for it instead, keep reading. Most of the recommendations that apply to silk bedding still apply. Here is the list of how-tos:

• Air outdoors away from direct sunlight for a few hours. Repeat two or three times a year.

• It is important to avoid getting a silk duvet wet. For that reason, aim to spot-clean with lukewarm water and gentle soap.

• If it gets wet, roll it in a towel to extract the water and do not wring.

• St Genève’s silk duvet has been labelled as “do not dry clean”. Recent testing has shown that gentle dry cleaning may be used sparingly.

• Dry cleaning is only recommended if your duvet has become soiled, as it can make the silk feel less supple.

Tips for general care

To give all your silk bedding a long-lasting life, don’t forget to:

• Keep silk out of direct sunlight

• If pressing is desired, press inside out on low temperature while the fabric is still slightly damp from the dryer

• Avoid perfumes, hairspray and products containing benzoyl peroxide, such as acne cream

• Avoid nightwear with synthetic content; it can pill sheets made of natural fibers

We hope that all these recommendations make caring for silk bedding super easy.