Silk Saree Care · The Complete Guide

A good Banarasi or Kanjeevaram lasts three generations if you care for it properly. Or three washes, if you don't. This is the short version of what our textile care team wishes every saree owner knew.

The one rule: never wash silk at home

Silk fibres bond in a way that water and detergent break. What you'll get on the first machine wash: colour bleeding, zari (metallic thread) tarnishing, and permanent stiffness. If a saree gets wet in the rain, blot with a soft cotton towel and hang it flat to air-dry in the shade — do not rinse.

How to fold a silk saree

Fold along the pallu length first, then in thirds. Never fold along the same crease twice — the metallic zari cracks. A quick tip: rotate which way you fold every month you take it out.

Storing silk between weddings

Wrap in unbleached cotton muslin (never plastic — plastic traps moisture and dulls the shine). Add a small silica sachet or a few cloves. Store flat, not hung — hangers stretch the pleats.

Removing stains without damage

For food stains, blot immediately with a dry cotton cloth from the outside inwards. For oil, dust talcum powder on the spot and leave for an hour before brushing off. For anything else — including turmeric, alcohol, curry — take it to a proper dry cleaner within 24 hours.

Professional silk dry cleaning

A good silk clean uses a hydrocarbon solvent, not perchloroethylene, and the saree is spot-treated by hand before entering the machine. Ours takes 48 hours; heavier work (kanjeevaram, banarasi, patola) takes 3–4 days.