The ultimate guide to washing silk pillowcases

Caring for your silk pillowcase 

Here's the ultimate guide to extending the life of your silk pillowcase: 

1) Machine or hand wash? 
We understand life is busy, so we've used the highest quality silk to ensure you can machine wash your Monday Silks pillowcase and baby sheets. Silk is still delicate and we recommend to hand wash when possible to extend the longevity of your pillowcase.

2) Use the correct detergent!
Only use a pH neutral liquid detergent which is recommended for silk. A general detergent will likely have heavy chemicals in it (alkaline or bleach) which will cause the silk to harden.

New Zealand recommendations:

 Lux Soap Flakes - supermarket

 Eco Store's Wool and Delicates. - supermarket

3) Wash it.
Turn the silk pillowcase inside out, place inside a laundry bag, and wash separately in water below 30 degree celsius. Don't oversoak.

4) How to dry your silk pillowcase. 
If you're hand washing, lay the silk pillowcase or sheet on a towel and roll it up to extract the excess water. Avoid twisting to remove excess water as it will cause the silk to crease and may damage the fibres. Do not tumble dry. Dry out of direct sunlight

5) Ironing silk.
Iron inside out to avoid any damage to the sheen side. To protect the silk even further you could place a thin sheet between the silk and iron as a barrier. Set the iron to low or use the silk setting if it has one. Always ensure your iron is clean to avoid staining the silk. Iron gently.

Cleaning a white silk pillowcase which has gone a bit yellow? 

This can happen with most light coloured items which are in constant contact with natural oils from your skin and hair. 
Try adding it to a bucket of 50/50 water and white vinegar and hand washing for a few minutes. Rinse with fresh water and leave to dry in a shaded area.

Wondering how often you should wash your silk pillowcase? 

Wash your silk pillowcase as often as you would with other pillowcases. Just remember to handle with care and follow our guide to washing silk pillowcases.