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Cleaning Your Holiday Best

The holidays mean decking your halls and your body with your seasonal best. For guys and gals that often translates into wearing silk. While the luxurious material makes for elegant evening wear, silk can also be a pain to clean when it gets soiled or stained.

Fortunately, there are ways you can preserve the look of your holiday best by following a few simple tips:

Time: Timing is critical when it comes to cleaning silk. If you notice a spill on your silk tie or shirt, don’t wait until you get home to treat it. Immediately blot at the stain with a soft, dry towel in order to remove as much of the offending substance as possible.

Alcohol: If you can get your hands on some rubbing alcohol, apply it to the stain right away. If you are treating the stain at home, place the silk item onto a flat surface and dab at the soiled area with a washcloth that has been dipped into the alcohol. Gently scrub the stain if needed. Finally, dry the silk with a hairdryer.

Woolite: Woolite is an excellent product to use on soiled silk. However, it’s a good idea to test the product on a portion of your silk tie or shirt before washing the entire thing in Woolite to make sure the colors don’t run.

Borax: Borax is a frugal way to get stains out of silk. Simply coat the stain with a thin layer of Borax or cornstarch and let it sit for a few hours, so the powder can absorb the stain from the silk. Once you see that the stain has lifted, wipe off the Borax with a clean, soft cloth.

Dry Clean: Most manufacturers of silk ties don’t recommend sending the popular accessory to a professional dry cleaner. In many cases, ties do not respond well to the chemicals used in the dry cleaning process. Dry cleaning chemicals can weaken the delicate fabric and rob it of its shine. You are better off trying to get rid of stains at home.

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About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.