Has your white silk pillowcase yellowed? Here's a little "how to" on getting that bright, white back!
There is nothing better than opening up your brand new, pearl white, la seda silk pillowcase! However, over time you may have noticed that white silk can start to loose its, well...whiteness! That's because your pillowcase is made up of the natural proteins Sericin and Fibroin. While these proteins are insoluble, they do break down over a long period and they are sensitive to oils, acids and certain enzymes.
The first step in keeping your silk pillowcase bright, is to make sure to cleanse your face before you hit the pillow! Makeup, skin cells, hair products, daily oils, the acids in your skin and perspiration, all contribute to the yellowing of your silk.
If you have dark or tanned skin you may notice that surprisingly, your skin cells darken your white silk as well. Hair dyes can also affect the colour of your silk; so using darker silk colours like our onyx black, midnight blue and cheetah print pillowcases might a better option in these cases.
HOW TO WHITEN YOUR PILLOWCASE
As we'd like you to take special care in washing your silk, please avoid the use of stain removers, bleach, borax and oxygen powders when trying to whiten your silk.
VINEGAR SOAK
Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar for every gallon of lukewarm water in a sink or bucket. Thoroughly immerse the fabric and swish for several minutes.
Rinse your fabric well several times with fresh water and gently squeeze out excess water (don't wring).
USE THE TOWEL METHOD to dry your silk pillowcase by laying it flat on a large towel and rolling the pillowcase up into the towel.
After allowing the towel to absorb excess water you can hang your pillowcase to dry!
DENTURE TABS
Add several gallons of lukewarm water to a sink or other large vessel.
Add 4-6 denture tabs for each gallon of water and allow them to dissolve.
Submerge your silk, starting with the most yellow piece and work the water through the fabric for several minutes.
Allow your silk to soak overnight and in the morning rinse thoroughly with fresh water.
Gently squeeze out excess water and use the towel method mentioned above, to dry your pillowcase.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
- Depending on how severely your silk pillowcase is yellowed or worn, these methods may have limited success and it might be time to completely replace your pillowcase.
- Avoid using these methods on your dark coloured, silk pillowcases.
- Always use gentle detergents like Woolite when washing your silk.
- If you like to wash your pillowcase in the washing machine, please use the delicate cycle and a garment bag.
At la seda silk we want you to get the most out of your special silk item and we hope you find this information helpful .
For inquiries please email us at info@lesedasilk.com
