Luxury items such as leather, silk and cashmere are investment pieces that every woman should own. These items are generally of a higher quality, and requires a special approach to cleaning. We found a few tips on caring for your favourite fabrics:
Leather: if your favourite leather item is dirty, wipe it down with a damp cloth. If the product gets too wet, dry it slowly with gentle air at room temperature. Once your garment is clean and dry, moisturise with waxes and oils to ensure longevity.
Silk: use a mild soap or specially formulated silk shampoos, never use bleach on silk. Soak silk in lukewarm water for 3 - 5 minutes (if dark or printed, do not soak, just quickly wash it in cold water). Gently move the fabric from side to side during soaking - handle the fabric very carefully and do not wring. After a maximum of five minutes, remove the silk item from the water and rinse. Wrap the garment in a dry towel to get rid of the remaining liquid - use several layers with dark of printed items. Roll out the silk and straighten gently at the corners. While still slightly moist, iron the garment at a low temperature (heat will destroy the garment) from the backside.
Cashmere: hand washing a cashmere sweater will actually make it softer over time. Be sure to use baby shampoo or a mild detergent. Press out the excess water, but do not wring the sweater. Instead, lay it flat on a towel and reshape it as it dries and fold to store. To avoid a line running down the middle of the sweater, fold each side of the sweater inward by a third. Smooth the arms down, and fold in half. Never hang a cashmere sweater - it will cause shoulder dimples, and the pull of gravity will distort the overall shape.
Wool: clean your wool items using a mild detergent in lukewarm water – do not use bleach, as it dissolves the fabric. Completely cover the garment in water and soak for 3 to 5 minutes. Gently squeeze to allow water to penetrate the fabric, but do not wring the garment. Rinse thoroughly with cool water to remove all traces of soap, and squeeze gently to remove excess water. To dry, lay the garment on a flat surface, reshaping if necessary and allow to dry away from direct sunlight and heat. Do not hang to dry or put wool items in the dryer.
While these tips may apply to your favourite pieces, always read the wash care labels on your garments to avoid damage, discolouration or shrinkage.
