No one is exactly sure how silk was invented since its origins are shouted in mystery and legend, but it is believed that it came about around the 3rd millennium BC. Ever since then, silk has become a prized and luxurious fabric. There are even silk comforters that you can buy and enjoy to your heart's content. 

But what should you do once your silk comforter set starts to get dirty? Many people might be tempted to throw the comforter into the washer machine along with the rest of the dirty laundry. However, silk is a much more delicate fabric compared to cotton or linen, and throwing it in the washer is the last thing you want to do. 

If you don't go about cleaning silk properly, you could ruin it. But how should you clean silk without ruining it? Keep reading more below and find out.

What You Need to Know About Washing Silk Comforters

The first thing you should know is that silk comforters and bedding can easily last you 10 years, if not more, but only if you take good care of them. If you put your silk comforter into the washer on a heavy or even standard cycle, the silk will end up snagging on something. The silk might even start to harden in certain places.

As a result, the next time you sleep with your silk bedding, you will find that it won't feel as soft as usual but instead hard and lumpy. This, of course, is not something you want to deal with, especially considering that real silk bedding can be quite expensive. For that reason, you will want to be very careful when washing silk bedding (or anything made of silk, for that matter). 

If you really want to wash your silk bedding using your washing machine, then it is of utmost importance that you put the machine on the right cycle. In particular, you should opt for the rinse cycle. Be careful not to use any settings that involve a spin cycle. 

What You Need to Know

Again, spinning the silk in this rough kind of manner could snag and ruin it. Once the silk is done washing, you can put it into the dryer, again, on the most delicate setting that the machine has. You should also make sure that the heat setting is very low as well. 

If you don't want to take the risk, you can always leave your silk bedding out to hang dry. This will take longer but you won't have to worry about your bedding snagging on anything or getting overheated. If your bedding is very heavy after washing, you might not want to hang it as you would normal clothes or towels. 

The delicate silk fibers might start to stretch out under their own weight. For that reason, before letting it dry, press out as much of the water as you can. Do not wring out the silk, as this will also damage the fabric. 

Once you press out most of the water against a hard surface, the silk will start to feel a bit lighter. Then you can hang it over something like a shower curtain, or you can leave it on a flat surface to dry with a towel underneath to catch any excess moisture. Although it will take longer to dry on a flat surface, you won't have to worry about the fibers stretching out at all.

As long as you do all this, your bedding should remain in great shape. And remember that you don't need to wash your silk bedding all the time. You should only wash your bedding around twice a year. 

Other Tips for Washing a Silk Comforter

If you know that your silk comforter is very delicate or very expensive, you may want to avoid the washing machine entirely. Caring for silk that is very delicate will require similarly delicate cleaning methods. First, consider how dirty your comforter really is. 

If there are only a few spots of dirt or a few stains on it, then you might not need to wash the whole comforter anyway. Instead, you might only need to wash the spots away. If you want to remove a few spots or stains from your bedding, get a sponge and soak it in warm water that has some soap mixed in. 

Then, squeeze the sponge so there is only a little bit of water left in it. This will render the sponge warm and damp but not excessively wet. Then, use a small corner of the sponge to dab at the stain on your comforter. 

Do not scrub the area, as this will only cause the stain to spread and create further damage. As you dab, you will notice that the stain will slowly disappear and get soaked up into the moist sponge. Once you're done dabbing, let the spot dry on its own and see how the stain looks at that point. 

If the stain is still there, keep dabbing until it's finally gone. Then, your silk bedding should be as good as new. 

How to Care for Silk Comforters

Silk comforters are known for being soft and luxurious, but it can be a pain to wash them if you don't know how. The last thing you want to do is throw them into the washer on the bulk cycle. Instead, you will want to be very delicate and only use the rinse cycle. 

You can also spot treat the comforter if you don't think you need to wash the whole thing. To learn more about bedding, don't hesitate to check out our products here.