silk blouse
Sure; ‘Dry Clean’ only is on the label, but what happened way back before there was dry cleaning?
Think of it, beyond animal pelts, in ancient days there was cotton, there was linen, there was wool, and there was silk
Clearly, two hundred years ago silk was washed.
Fill a bucket with clean cold water. The colder the better. Never use warm water, always cold. This can be plain tap water.
Take the silk, (imagine a blouse) and holding it by the shoulders, dip it into the water quickly, in and out, in and out, causing the water to become agitated.
After a few dips you will notice the water becoming a bit grey. Toss out that water and take another bucket of cold and do the same thing again.
Now look over the collar and cuffs. These might hold some dirt.
Using the mildest liquid detergent you can find and no more than a finger, rub the liquid detergent onto the soiled spots. Rub the detergent in, using no more than your finger.
Then, using a bucket of clean cold water, do the dipping thing, in out, in out, over and over again. The detergent will make the water a bit soapy.
Check the soiled spots. The soil should be gone.
Now, pour out that water, using another bucket of clean, do the dipping. Keep going until the water is clean. It may take a number of buckets.
You use the ‘waste’ water to wash other clothing, (anything but whites) to wash the floor, anything. Don’t waste the water. Pour it into other buckets and soak other clothing.
When you have your silk clean, put it inside out on a hanger and smooth it. Swirl it around, open the blouse so that air can get to it.
Keep it perfect on the hanger, then hang it up in the shade. This is very important.
No sun.
Hang it up in shade and keep smoothing it. Open it with your hands, swirl it around.
When it is only damp turn it outside out, button it (if it has buttons) and hang it back in the shade.
Watch it to make sure the collar is correct, the cuffs are correct.
It will dry quickly.
You have washed silk!
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I normally send silk garments to the cleaners for dry cleaning. I feel washing silk at home could shrink it.
Not if you do it this way.
Thanks for your tips. I used to soak my silk blouse. No wonder there are furry bits on the blouse and shrunk too.
It sure is waste to throw away the water. Maybe i could use it to soak under wear instead
Never throw away the water. You can soak your jeans, you can use it to wash the floor, you can water the garden, flush the toilet... all you can't do is wash white things.
I knew there had to be a way to wash silk because they wore silk a lot hundreds of years ago.
Precisely! That is what went through my mind when reading Shogun. How did they do it?