How to Care for Pure Silk (So It Lasts Decades)

Silk is a protein fibre — biologically similar to your own hair. That's the easiest way to remember how to treat it: it doesn't like harsh soap, hot water, or aggressive scrubbing. Beyond that, it's surprisingly forgiving.

Washing

Always dry-clean Banarasi, Kanjivaram, and silks with heavy zari work. The metal threads can tarnish if exposed to detergent.

For plainer silks (Tussar, Chanderi, mulberry), hand-wash in cool water with a mild silk-safe wash. No twisting, no wringing — just gentle pressing.

Drying

Never dry silk in direct sunlight. UV breaks down the fibres and fades colours. Always dry in shade, flat on a clean cotton sheet if possible.

Storage

Wrap silks in muslin or pure cotton cloth — never plastic. Plastic traps moisture and silk needs to breathe. Add a few cloves or a small muslin pouch of dried neem leaves to keep moths away.

Refold silk sarees along different lines every six months. Permanent creases at the same fold weaken the threads over years.

Ironing

Iron silk inside-out on the silk setting. If your iron has no silk setting, use the lowest steam setting. A pressing cloth (a thin cotton handkerchief between iron and silk) is the safest approach.

Treated this way, a pure silk piece from Dhvani will look as rich in twenty years as the day you bought it.