How to Remove Stains from Silk: Sweat, Make-up, Perfume, Oil and Wine

Treat a stain on silk straight away, with cold water and without rubbing. Blot the excess with a white cloth, rinse the stain from the back with cold water and, if needed, dab it clean with a drop of gentle detergent. Bleach, hot water and rubbing do permanent damage to silk; with an old, large or unknown stain, skip the home experiments and go to a dry cleaner.

Four rules for every stain

• Be quick. A fresh stain sits on the surface of the fabric. As it dries, it settles between the fibres and, over time, oxidises and darkens.
• Blot, don't rub. Silk fibres break when rubbed and leave a whitish, dull patch. Even if the stain comes out, that patch stays. Put a folded white towel under the stain and work from above, pressing with a clean cloth.
• Use cold water. Hot water sets protein stains such as sweat and blood into the fabric. The washing temperature is also 30°C (86°F) at most.
• Test the colour first. Press a damp white cloth against an inside seam allowance. If colour transfers to the cloth, don't use any wet treatment; take the piece straight to a dry cleaner. This test matters most with dark colours such as black, burgundy and plum.

What to use at home, and what not to

Most ready-made stain removers are formulated for cotton and synthetics. If the packaging doesn't say it is suitable for silk, don't use it; even if it does, test it on an inside seam first.

A general method for an unknown stain

1. Remove the excess. If it's solid, lift it off with the edge of a spoon; if it's liquid, blot it with a white cloth.
2. Do the colour test.
3. Turn the piece inside out and place a folded white towel under the stain.
4. Wet the stain from the back with cold water. The aim is to push the stain back out the way it came in.
5. Put a drop of gentle detergent on your fingertip and dab lightly from the edge of the stain towards the centre. Keep the treated area wide so it doesn't leave a ring.
6. Wait a few minutes, then rinse with cold water.
7. Once the stain is out, wash the whole piece. Silk that is wet in only one area can dry with a ring mark.
8. Roll it in a towel to take out the water, then dry it in the shade, on a hanger or flat.
9. Until the stain is completely gone, don't use an iron, hot water or a tumble dryer. Heat makes whatever is left permanent.

The full washing method is in how to wash silk.

Method by stain

Sweat and deodorant marks

A fresh sweat mark usually comes out with an ordinary hand wash in cold water with gentle detergent. If yellowing has started at the underarms or collar, soak the piece briefly in cold water with a little white vinegar, then wash with gentle detergent and rinse well. The vinegar smell disappears once it dries. For the white marks deodorant leaves, first try wiping lightly with a dry, soft cloth; often you won't need water at all.

Yellow marks that have been left for a long time and darkened may not come out completely. Here the real work is prevention: let deodorant and perfume dry fully before you dress. In summer, don't leave a sweaty piece sitting in the laundry basket. Wash thin-strapped pieces that sit directly against the skin, such as the Lace Cami + Shorts set, more often after warm nights.

Make-up: foundation, lipstick, mascara

Make-up is a mix of oil and pigment. First lift the excess with a spoon or a paper towel; don't smear it. Sprinkle a thin layer of talc or cornstarch over the stain, leave it for a while to draw out the oil, then brush it off gently with a soft brush. Clean what remains from the back by dabbing with a drop of gentle detergent, then rinse with cold water.

Lipstick is the most stubborn make-up stain and may take several rounds. If you're thinking of using make-up remover or micellar water, test it on an inside seam first; oily removers can spread the stain. On light colours, for example the ecru or ice blue Lace Pyjama Set, the collar is the area most exposed to this kind of stain.

Perfume

Perfume contains alcohol and essential oils. On silk it can leave two kinds of mark: a ring with a sharp edge, or faded colour. For a ring, rinse the area from the back with cold water straight away, then wash the whole piece. If the colour has faded, that isn't a stain but dye loss, and it can't be reversed. The prevention is simple: spray perfume before you dress, let it dry, then put the piece on. Don't spray perfume onto the fabric.

Oil: body oil, cream, food

With an oil stain, water is not the first step. Sprinkle plenty of talc or cornstarch over the stain, leave it for a few hours, then brush it off with a soft brush. The powder draws out part of the oil. Then clean from the back by dabbing with a drop of gentle detergent and rinse in cold water, or water at 30°C at most. Body oil and hand cream are among the most common stains on nightwear. Let cream and oil absorb fully into the skin before you dress.

Wine, coffee, tea

These are dye-based stains, and speed is everything. Blot the excess with a cloth. Turn the piece inside out and rinse the stain from the back with plenty of cold water; hold the water behind the stain, not on top of it, so the stain is pushed out. Then dab it clean with gentle detergent. Don't pour salt on it and rub; salt abrades silk fibres and can leave a dull patch. Milky coffee contains protein and fat, so hot water is ruled out here too.

The piece that sees the most morning coffee is usually the robe. On a Kimono or robe, the cuffs and front edges catch stains first; treat them quickly.

Blood

Cold water only. Hot water sets blood into the fabric. Rinse the stain from the back with cold water and dab it clean with gentle detergent. For dried blood, rather than working on it at home, take it to a dry cleaner and tell them what the stain is.

Water marks

Even water can mark silk: as it dries, it forms a ring with a sharp edge. Don't put more water on the ring; it will only grow. Dampen the whole panel evenly from seam to seam and dry it in the shade. If it doesn't fade, wash the whole piece on a delicate cycle.

When to go to a dry cleaner

• If the label says dry clean only.
• If the stain is old, yellowed or has been ironed over.
• If the stain covers a large area or you don't know what it is.
• If colour transferred to the cloth during the colour test.
• If the stain is on lace or binding. These details are often made from a different fibre and react differently.
• If the stain hasn't changed after two attempts. A third attempt usually damages the fabric.

Tell the dry cleaner that the piece is silk, what the stain is, when it happened and what you tried at home. Choose one that works with silk. The less you try at home, the easier the professional's job.

Preventing stains in the first place

• Let deodorant, perfume, cream and body oil dry completely before you dress.
• Air the piece you wore the next day. Silk left sweaty yellows over time.
• Wash before storing. Invisible sweat and sugary drink residue turn into yellow stains in the wardrobe over the months and attract moths. More in how to store silk.
• Don't iron until the stain is completely out. The right iron setting is in how to iron silk.

These methods apply to the silk pieces in the pyjama sets, nightdress and robe collections. For pieces that aren't silk, follow the care label. A summary of the care rules is on the care page.