Savvy Tips: How to clean a Hermès (or any) silk scarf safely at home

August 31, 2011
I unknowingly developed my mother’s love for scarves in the last few years.  She is one of the most elegant people I know and she often has a colorful silk scarf tied around her neck.  When I really started coming into my own and wanted to think of ways to give back to her, I started to look for Hermès scarves for her and developed my own passion for them.  As I mentioned here, I love the design and workmanship of these scarves and have a few vintage and more recent release scarves.


I wore my almost vintage “Quai Aux Fleures” scarf my first week of work at a new job and instantly got strange dark stains on it.  NOT cool.  It was either coffee or soy sauce (there was a lot of messy food that day) and I knew it would be hard to wash.  I was hesitant to take it to my local dry cleaners after having had other bad experiences there and was stuck.

But I remembered coming across this thread on TPF and this guide on eBay.  If other people had washed their beloved Hermès scarves at home, so could I!  I thought it would be worth a shot and was really pleased with the results.  I could not see any stains after I was done and the colors remained intact atop the white background.  I would highly recommend this method of washing scarves and yes, you can save your scarves!

Here are my simple instructions and a list of necessary equipment.
Items needed:
– plastic bucket
– lukewarm water
– delicate detergent (though I’ve heard dishwashing detergent works too!)
– large white towel

1. Combine less than a capful of Woolite or other delicate detergent with about one gallon of lukewarm water in a large plastic tub or bucket.  Completely dissolve detergent.
Note: You may also need to add in a color catcher cloth if you have many bold colors on your scarf


2. Put your scarf in the water and keep on swirling the scarf in the water emulating a washing machine spin cycle.  Do this for about 5 minutes (you can put on a song or two in the background to pass the time!)

3. Repeatedly rinse the scarf of all detergent and residue.  You may also need to do this for 5 minutes to ensure that the scarf is free of any detergent.

4. Lay the scarf on the white towel.  Roll up the towel so that it captures excess moisture from the scarf.


5. Iron scarf on silk setting.  It doesn’t need to be 100% dry, but if it isn’t dry, lay it out flat to fully dry.


You don’t need to iron the scarf to bring back the scarf folds (if you like it that way).  Simply fold the scarf to fit inside the shape of the box and the folds will return!


Scarf with the stains

Scarf after cleaning

There you go!  You too can clean your scarves at home!
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  • honey my heart August 31, 2011 at 08:04

    wow. looks simple enough. i have a silk shirt that needs cleaning so this will come in handy.

    your scarf is just amazing!

  • Plami August 31, 2011 at 10:19

    Thank you so much!

    XoXo
    Plami

    http://fashion-thrill.blogspot.com/

  • KizzyDoll August 31, 2011 at 10:44

    Thanks for this!! xx

  • Diana Mieczan August 31, 2011 at 11:02

    That is a brilliant post. Thank you so much for that, sweetie. Happy Wednesday. Muah

  • Tanvi August 31, 2011 at 12:30

    That’s great! Thanks for sharing. Love the new look too!!!

    ♡ from © tanvii.com

  • MosaMuse August 31, 2011 at 13:04

    great tips!
    xo
    MosaMuse

    MosaMuse.blogspot.com

  • Krysten @ Why Girls Are Weird August 31, 2011 at 13:45

    Great tips!

  • Elle Sees August 31, 2011 at 13:46

    Thanks for this tip! Keeping in my files!

  • Mary ♥ Mur August 31, 2011 at 14:03


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    Nice post.))

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    thanx.

  • Kim August 31, 2011 at 14:20

    Beautiful scarf! Thanks for the tips – Ill definitely be using this post in the future 🙂

  • Heather August 31, 2011 at 15:16

    Love that scarf, and thanks for the tips!

  • Shia August 31, 2011 at 15:43

    Thanks for the tip!

  • Fashion Tales.... August 31, 2011 at 15:56

    Beautiful scarf, I clean my scarves at home ever since a dry cleaners lost my favourite one! 🙂

  • Miriam Stella August 31, 2011 at 17:03

    Hello! nice post and nice blog ! i like it so much!
    I want invite you to visit my blog and my new post, and tell me what you think, please!
    And if you like it, we could follow each other!
    i wait for you!
    kisses
    Miriamstella
    http://isfashionmypassion.blogspot.com

  • Rhiannon {Hey Gorg} August 31, 2011 at 17:18

    Such a pretty scarf and what a wonderful little tutorial 🙂 Thanks love and hope you are doing fabulous! xoxo

  • FRANKIE HEARTS FASHION August 31, 2011 at 18:23

    thank you…this is a great tip! xo

  • Krystal August 31, 2011 at 20:26

    i bought two this summer so this knowledge will come in handy!

  • {The Perfect Palette} August 31, 2011 at 20:50

    Thanks for the tips 🙂

    The Perfect Palette

  • ELEGANT MUSE August 31, 2011 at 21:13

    great tip 😉

  • The Blonde Duck August 31, 2011 at 22:38

    Does this work for pashimas and wraps?

  • Dirt On The Rocks August 31, 2011 at 23:05

    This is a great tutorial and tip for cleaning a scarf! I love how bright it looks in your pictures too! This is awesome

  • Jennifer Fabulous August 31, 2011 at 23:54

    I wish I had an Hermes scarf…sigh.

  • Lisa September 1, 2011 at 01:16

    ohh thanks for this tutorial.. i’ve always wanted to invest in some hermes scarves.. but i have a tendancy to eat like a child and was worried about the upkeep hahaha!!!

  • LyddieGal September 1, 2011 at 02:31

    I never take anything to the dry cleaners, woolite, dishsoap, and elbow grease are the best cleaners I know.

  • Ann September 1, 2011 at 03:58

    Thanks for the tip…

    I love scarves too,
    they are so glam and stylish.
    Especially the Hermes ones ♥

  • FashionJazz September 1, 2011 at 06:59

    What a awesome post!! Happy Thursday xx

  • bridechic September 1, 2011 at 07:05

    Thanks for sharing. I’m always looking for ways to keep the trips to the cleaners down.

  • the nyanzi report September 1, 2011 at 07:40

    that is such great advice! thanks.

  • Wander.Lust September 4, 2011 at 03:04

    thank you for the tutorial, very helpful!

  • Mary Lane September 7, 2011 at 22:44

    Great tips! I’ve always been so nervous about cleaning silk, so I’m going to bookmark this page for sure!

    http://www.stylish3.com/marylane

  • joan January 5, 2014 at 19:44

    I tried it on three of my Hermes scarves…. it worked perfectly! Thank you!!!!!!

    • Chic 'n Cheap Living January 6, 2014 at 05:20

      Joan, thank you for your kind comment. I am glad that you were also able to safely wash your Hermes scarves. I use the same method to wash my GM cashmere/silk scarves as well! Have a lovely week!

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