Recently Eddie and I switched to silk pillowcases. (I know, I feel so fancy now.) There was only one problem: I had no idea how to hand wash a silk pillowcase. I knew they were supposed to be much better for your skin and your hair than other fabrics, but immediately after I bought them I realized that laundry was going to be an issue.
But now I do know what to do. And just in case you aren’t sure how to wash your new pillowcase either, I’m here to help. I’m also going to include my Amazon affiliate links to the products I mention for your convenience. Ok, here we go….
How to Hand Wash A Silk Pillowcase
First, I feel obligated to tell you that the safest way to clean silk is to have it professionally dry cleaned. But I’m personally not going to do that every time I want to wash my silk pillowcase. This is the method I use at home, and it only takes about five minutes!
You Will Need:
- A gentle detergent like Woolite (make sure it is clear)
- A clean bowl or bucket (or a clean sink or tub)
- Cold Water
- White vinegar
Directions:
- Fill your bowl with cold water and add a small amount of detergent. (You could use a plastic spoon and do a spoonful if you want to measure, but I just pour in a tiny bit.)
- Place your pillowcase in the water (I like to turn ours inside out) and use your hands as an agitator, gently moving the fabric around the water for a full minute.
- Remove the pillowcases from the water and very gently squeeze to remove excess water.
- Drain the bowl and rinse it out. Then fill it up again with more cold water. This time add a small amount of vinegar to the water. Repeat the swirling for another minute. Remove the pillowcases.
- Drain and rinse the bowl and fill it one last time with cold water. This time don’t add anything. Just swirl the pillowcases around a third time and make sure to get out any detergent that might still be hanging out in them. Remove them from the water and gently squeeze out and excess water.
- Discard the water and hang your pillowcases to dry. (Or you can also try to dry them on a no-heat setting, but don’t leave them in the dryer long.)
I bought the clips my laundry is hanging from at Ikea several years ago. I love it!
I hope this helped! If you like this post, I always appreciate your pins and shares.
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This really worked! Fast, easy and effective
Glad it worked for you, Lesley!
Hello and thanks for these tips. When I’m rinsing out any excess detergent with just the cold water, how do you know that it’s all gone? I feel like there’s always some left in my pillowcase.
Hi Aleks, I find doing the vinegar rinse really helps with this, but also be sure you are only using a very small amount of detergent. A little goes a very long way. Sometimes I use cold running water in the tub to do one final rinse. Hope this helps!
This really helped. Thanks for the tips Stephanie.