HOW TO MAINTAIN

A
SILK SARI
DR. KUNTAMALLA SUJATHA GUDIMALLA PRASHANTHI
PROF OF SERICULTURE HEAD, DEPT OF ZOOLOGY
DEPT OF SERICULTURE, LB COLLEGE
KAKATIYA UNIVERSITY WARANGAL
WARANGAL, TELANGANA TELANGANA
HOW TO CLEAN SILK GARMENT IN WASHING MACHINE

•The silk garment should be color fast and machine washable.

•On basis of the care label the silk garment can be hand washed / dry-cleaned by
adding a gentle nonbio-detergents.

•Put silk garments of similar colors to prevent damage during the roughen
tremble of the wash cycle.

•Set the washing machine to delicate cycle with cool water temperature.

•After finishing the washing, place the silk in a flat and puffy towel for natural
dryness.
HOW TO DRY A SARI
After hand washing and drying a sari in a thick towel, the sari is ready to be
hung on a cloth line.

The sari should be shaken to remove the wrinkles and pressed while it is wet
so as to straighten the grains of the cloth and the border.

Grab the sari at the borders and gently stretch horizontally starting from the
top to the bottom, then hang the sari for drying.

Crape silk and heavy brocades should be dry cleaned to protect the finish.
HOW TO IRON A SARI

•People are under fear that ironing of silk will scotch it without damaging the
fabric.

•The best method of ironing a sari is while the silk sari is still damp after washing
or use a spray bottle to damp the sari to prevent burning of a sari.

•Test a small corner of the sari before proceeding for iron sitting.

•Fold the sari into half, iron both the borders of the sari on either sides as folding
helps to iron it faster.
•While ironing use a cotton cloth or press cloth or newspaper over the silk
material so that it is not directly ironed.

•The wrinkles on a silk sari can be smoothen on the ironing table with hands
before we start ironing of a sari.

•Set your box to silk or it may change the colour or it might get burn at higher
temperature.
•Press for few minutes instead of continuous pressing, so that the material
does not get hot, give few minutes for the same to cool.

•Move the press cloth / cotton cloth to another part of the sari and repeat the
process.

•Allow the sari to cool completely by hanging at in a dark area from

fluorescent light.
HOW TO STORE A SILK SARI
•A new silk sari should be folded and wrapped in a muslin / cotton cloth and
stored away from light / heat.

•While storing the sari in an almirah stack 4 or 5 saris one above the other in a
muslin cloth on the shelves.

•Once in a year change the position of the sari, top sari to the bottom and vice
versa.
•Do not hang saris on the hanger for a long time as it stains the folded lines.

•Use naphthalene balls / silica gel sachets. (Do not use the balls directly as the
chemical can stain the sari).

•Every 3 months change the folding of the sari and also air the saris, before
spreading it for few minutes and refold it to prevent tearing / fading of the
color along the folds.
The sari should not be folded in the same fold always.

Do not store silk saris in suitcases / almirah without a cover or a cloth around the
saris.

Proper storing of sari helps to preserve the costly saris for longer time so as to
pass on to your next generations.
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