Should You Wash Your Silk Tie?

Believe it or not, there are some silk garments whose washing instruction include that they can be machine washed, especially on the ‘delicate’ setting. But, when it comes to silk ties, machine washing is not recommended.

This is for two reasons. First, the appearance of any tie depends on it maintaining its crisp, complex shape. Silk, more than most sensitive fabrics, can quickly lose its shape when machine washed. Second, one of the attractions of silk is its colours. They can range from the most delicate pastels to the boldest solids. But, whatever colours attracted you to your silk ties can lose their saturation and even hue in a washing machine.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t wash your silk ties — by hand, of course.

How to Clean a Silk Tie

Make sure you have a bit of time to spare here, especially if this is your first time cleaning your silk tie. Washing any silk garment is riskier than washing other delicate fabrics. Also, it’s important to note that you’ll be spot-treating your tie, versus washing the entire tie.

Before you begin, you’ll need the following:

• Butter knife
• Clean, dry cloth for blotting
• Talcum powder or cornstarch
• Stain remover formulated for silk

1 – If You Can, Spot Treat Silk Ties on the Spot

If you spill wine, coffee, or mustard on your silk tie, your chances of successfully cleaning it are the highest the sooner you get to the stain, preferably before it begins to dry.

• Remove any excess spill with the butter knife
• Use the clean dry cloth to blot the spill – no rubbing
• Repeat the blotting, using clean spots on the cloth

2 – Cleaning Oil & Grease Stains from Silk Ties

Again, the sooner you treat these stains, the better

• Blot the stain with the clean dry cloth – no rubbing
• Place the tie on a hard, flat surface
• Pour talcum powder onto the stain
• Leave for 12 to 24 hours
• Dust off the powder
• If the stain remains, repeat the talcum powder process

3 – Dry Clean Them

If you really love your silk ties, you’ll choose to have them dry cleaned. Not only will you not risk ruining them, but you’ll save yourself the headache and stress! The expert custom-cleaning team at Parkers knows how to clean your silk ties and all silk garments, using innovative, specially-designed equipment and processes to keep them looking like new.

For more tips on cleaning your favourite clothing and other household items, check out our recent article 5 Tips for Scarf Cleaning & Blanket Cleaning.