Treated kindly,
silk lives a long life.
A quiet care guide for your pillowcase and contour mask. Nothing fussy — just a few small things, done gently.
Silk is a natural protein fibre, much like your hair. It prefers cool water, soft soaps, and shade to dry. Treated this way, a 22-momme pillowcase will easily live for years — growing softer, never thinner. The contour mask is a little different and asks for less, not more. The steps below work for both, with notes where they part ways.
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01
Wash on cold, in a mesh bag
For pillowcases. Cool water (under thirty degrees / eighty-six fahrenheit) on a gentle or silk cycle, tucked inside a mesh laundry bag so it doesn’t snag against zips or buttons elsewhere in the load. Or hand-wash in a basin — ten quiet minutes is plenty.
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02
Use a pH-neutral wash
A gentle, pH-neutral detergent made for silk, wool, or delicates. A small amount of mild shampoo works in a pinch — silk and hair are very similar fibres. Skip anything labelled “biological” or “for whites” — those use enzymes that break down protein.
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03
Hang to dry, away from sun
Don’t wring. Press the water out with a towel, then hang the pillowcase flat or over a padded hanger somewhere shaded. Direct sun fades silk’s natural lustre over time. A bathroom rail or the back of a chair works perfectly well.
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04
Iron low, on the reverse
Only if you’d like to. Use the silk setting (the lowest one), iron the inside of the pillowcase while it’s still slightly damp, and don’t linger. Most silks come out of the line dry looking ready for bed without any iron at all.
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05
For the contour mask — spot-clean only
The mask has a contoured interior that shouldn’t be submerged. Dab the silk shell with a damp cloth and a tiny amount of pH-neutral wash, then a clean damp cloth to lift the soap, then air-dry flat. Avoid the strap and inner foam.
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06
Store somewhere breathable
Between uses, fold loosely and keep in the muslin pouch we ship with each piece, or any breathable cotton bag. Avoid plastic — silk likes a little air. Direct sunlight and central radiators are the two things to keep it away from.
What silk doesn’t like.
- Bleach — chlorine and oxygen bleaches both break down the protein in silk. Even a small splash will leave a permanent yellowing.
- Fabric softener — silk is already soft. Softener coats the fibre and dulls its natural lustre, and many contain enzymes that shorten its life.
- Hot water and high-heat dryers — both shrink and weaken the weave. If you forget and dry once on warm, the case may be fine, but make it the exception, not the rule.
- Harsh stain removers — pre-treatment sprays, oxy powders, and most “tough on stains” detergents are too aggressive. Reach for the gentle option, or skip it.
- Direct sun for hours — brief sun is fine, but a full afternoon on a south-facing line will fade colour. Shade is best.
Snags, stains, the ordinary mishaps.
- A small snag — don’t pull it. Gently work the snagged thread back through to the inside with a blunt needle or your fingertip. Silk is forgiving here.
- A makeup or oil stain — rinse cool water through the back of the fabric to push the stain out the way it came in. Then a soft hand-wash with pH-neutral soap. Do this same-day if you can.
- A water mark — not a stain, just dried unevenly. A full gentle wash will resettle the fibres. Water marks always disappear.
- The colour seems duller — usually sun, sometimes softener residue. A clean cool wash with no detergent will lift residue. For sun-fade, alas, there’s no fix — only future shade.
- Anything else — write to us at [email protected]. We will help where we can, and replace where it makes sense to.
Something softer to come back to.