How to Wash and Care Silk Saree
Silk and Silk cotton Sarees:
1. Never hand-wash or machine-wash a silk or a silk cotton saree.
2. In case the saree gets stained, immediately wipe the stain off with cold water.
3. It is advisable to only dry-clean silk and silk cotton sarees.
4. Never hang a silk or silk cotton saree to dry in direct sunlight as doing so will cause the colour to fade.
5. Don’t keep the saree bundled up as this will result in the threads of the zari/embroidery work getting entangled.
6. Store the saree in a light cotton muslin cloth. This will give the saree breathing space and will prevent one saree from sticking to another when kept in a pile.
7. Don’t store the saree in a plastic cover as this will cause the gold zari to turn black.
Cotton Sarees
1. Before washing a cotton saree soak the saree in warm water for 20 mins with rock salt. This will prevent the saree from colour bleeding in the subsequent washes.
2. Use shampoo or mild detergent to wash the saree. Do not brush the saree vigorously. Gently dip and dry the saree. Do not wring it vigorously; instead, hang it over a water-tap and allow the excess water to drain off.
3. It is advisable to starch cotton sarees to ensure that they retain their stiffness and stay stain-free.
4. Hang the saree to dry in a shaded area. Store the saree is an airy cupboard.
General Care
1. It is advised to to do dry clean for the first time. There might be excess dye on the dark coloured sarees which might bleed for the first few washes. However the colour will not fade.
2. Dry clean for the first time and gentle hand wash subsequently will reduce the colour bleeding on these sarees significantly
3. From the second wash, soak the saree in shampoo or mild detergent and gently dip and dry the saree in a shaded area.
4. Exposure to direct sunlight will cause the colour to fade.
5. These sarees can be soft ironed after wash.