Clean and maintain sarees at home

I don’t live in India with easy access to dry cleaners who are experienced at dealing with handcrafted textiles so I wash, spot-clean and maintain my sarees at home …

Photos: Vincent Boyer (Say hi on instagram @vincetravelbook)

The saree I am wearing in these photos is a soft cotton handloom from West Bengal that I’ve worn with a pink barely there crop-top in a drape that I concocted for a quick chill session at the beach during a difficult time.

I admired this saree on a lady online and she promptly send it with love my way. Now, I wear it on days when I need reminding that there are good people in this world.

I won’t give very many details about her here because I really want to do a separate blog post on her saree journey.

I get asked very very often what I do to launder the sarees that I wear and instead of responding to every query, I thought I’d just make a post that I can then share with those that ask.

Since I can’t pop over the the neighbourhood dhobi I have devised ways to get creative in the laundry department. I would like you to bear in mind that I am not an expert at fabric maintenance and the things that I am sharing here are just based on my personal experience.

Here are some of my tried and tested methods to take care of my delicate hand crafted clothing without causing any damage:

1. I clean my fabrics gently and avoid rubbing, wringing or harsh scrubbing.
2. I have learnt that temperature matters. I don’t use hot or cold water only lukewarm to room temperature water.
3. I completely skip harsh chemicals, no diluted bleach and only use natural solutions like lemon juice, white vinegar or baking soda.
4. I let my fabrics soak rather than washing briskly. Sometimes I also soak delicate textiles in very expensive hair conditioners to avoid detergents of any kind but that’s just me.
5. I do not leave delicate textiles in direct sunlight and never put them in the tumble drier, I pat dry my handwoven textiles flat on a towel indoors in a breezy corner.
6. I clean out the space I am going to use before I start on the fabric, whether I am using a sink or tub or bucket. If I have used a harsh cleaning agent on the surface I will use, I rinse it out multiple times.
7. I test water against thread work or embroidery by dabbing a piece of wet cloth against any details to ensure no colour wipes away.
8. For odours, I use a mix of cheap vodka and water in a spray bottle and spritz away.
9. I never starch my cottons and spend my life washing them out to rid my fabrics of any semblance of stiffness.
10. I use baby shampoo, herbal soap flakes, gentle wool washing detergent or non-abrasive, phosphate free soap.
11. I add dried lavender sachets liberally to my cupboards because it is a natural insect repellent and keeps my textiles smelling great. Naphthalene balls are something I never use because I like having fur babies around and I think they aren’t the best for silks anyway.
12. I never let a stain sit. Quick action can make the difference between a short, effective hand-wash later and a permanent stain.

    I wet stains with plain water immediately. Organic stains made from animal proteins (blood, fat, etc.) can ‘cook’ to permanence if one uses hot water, so I keep it lukewarm or cold for those. Inorganic stains like dirt and synthetic oils can be treated with warm or hot water.

    I dab the water onto the stained cloth from behind the stain, and set it face down on a paper towel or other neutral, absorbent cloth — that way the staining substance is leeching naturally off the surface

13. If I have absolutely have to dry clean expensive textiles with zari then I get in touch with dry-cleaners who work with vintage textiles and are recommended by antique textile dealers.
14. I never store anything in places where high hu-
    midity and poor air circulation are found. Humidity over 55 per-
    cent promotes the growth of mildew. Stains formed from mildew may become
    permanent; the mildew itself causes fiber damage.
15. When dealing with already existing mildew on vintage fabric, shaded outdoor airing for two to three hours on a warm day can kill mildew fungi. Then I remove it by careful hand vacuuming followed by wet-cleaning.

I am sure there are many more tips, tricks and methods out there that are kind to the environment while helping us preserve textiles, please feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments.