Special Note - Your silk suit should have care and cleaning instructions provided with your purchase which you should follow in place of the more general information presented here. Dry cleaning is usually the recommended care method for silk garments, and your dry cleaner may be able to provide more advice about this as well.

Silk fabric has excellent longevity and resilience. With the right care, it can last for a century in time! In general, look after your silk suit by dry cleaning it when necessary. Do not machine wash. If you wish, it's also possible to wash silk in lukewarm water with very mild non-alkaline soap. Rinse in cool water until the soap has cleared. It's also advisable to clean your suit as soon as possible after any staining occurs, before it has time to settle too much.

You can also add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the second last rinse, followed by a final rinse in pure water. To help maintain the intensity of the dye, don't soak for very long. If in doubt about washing, experiment with a small fabric sample first. This is also a good test for color fastness - place an unobtrusive sample in lukewarm water for a short time, then iron it through a clean white cotton cloth with a cool to warm iron. If any color transfers, the color is probably not permanent enough for washing.

Silk can be dried in the shade after washing, especially if there is a light wind blowing. (Prolonged sunlight can discolor silk.) You can roll it in a dry towel first to remove any excess moisture. You can dry it flat on a towel to help absorb some of the moisture, or hang it up in the breeze. Silk is fine and delicate, so do not wring your suit after washing.

If ironing is desirable, use a very low setting and only a light pressing will be necessary. Silk clothing can be ironed from the inside just before it is completely dry, this is an ideal method. Or if your clothing is already completely dry, iron through a damp press cloth to protect the integrity of the silk. Minor wrinkling will often "disappear" overnight if hung up.

Tip - Hanging silk apparel in your bathroom during a hot shower can help reduce wrinkles by letting the steam and humidity do the hard work.

Tip - Silk is a strong natural fiber, but it is also susceptible and sensitive to chemicals and staining. Prevention is the best course of action, so do not apply hair spray, deodorants and the like in proximity to your silk apparel.