6 Top Tips for Caring for Your Silk Sheets

Silk sheets, like our Luxury Mulberry, have had a resurgence in recent years because they are more affordable than they used to be, and silk is now recognised as having other properties beyond simply being luxurious. Silk is also cooling, naturally hypoallergenic, anti-bacterial and reportedly better for your skin and hair. So now many of us are choosing silk sheets to get a great night’s sleep.

Silk is beautiful to sleep upon but it can be more difficult to look after than other fabrics like cotton or linen. Silk is an animal fibre, made by silkworms and Mulberry silk is the highest quality silk available. The silkworms that make Mulberry silk are only fed Mulberry leaves and the resulting thread is pure white in colour, extra-long and very fine. Pure Mulberry silk sheets are elegant and have a lustrous sheen. Silk is particularly susceptible to stains and damage from heat and light. Also, because it contains protein it can be damaged by washing powders, that attack it in the same way they attack the red wine stain on your shirt.

So, what is the best way to look after your silk sheets, to ensure they stay luxurious for as long as possible? Here are our six top tips: 

A first simple step is to pull back your duvet every day to air your bed whilst you are getting ready for the day. This helps excess moisture evaporate so your bed stays fresher and cleaner for longer.

You can either hand wash or machine wash your silk bed linen. If using a washing machine, use a gentle cycle at a maximum temperature of 30. It is recommended that you wash your silk sheets regularly, at least once a week. Silk can easily stain so if you wash regularly any marks on your silk sheets are less likely to stick to the fibres and will remain in tip-top condition. Hand washing is perfectly effective for silk sheets - just make sure you wash them in cool water and do not leave them to soak for too long as that can cause the fabric to shrink.

When washing your silk sheets, always use a non-biological detergent. It is best to use a detergent that is specially formulated for silk as this will preserve the life of your sheets. Avoid bleach or any type of bleaching agent, stain removers or optical brighteners which are too harsh for this delicate fabric. If you have stains on your silk sheets, rub the silk detergent directly onto the stain and leave them to soak in cool water. Rinse thoroughly and repeat. Do not leave them to soak in the water for too long or they can shrink. Dry cleaners can help to remove particularly stubborn stains.

Hang out your silk sheets to dry naturally in the air. They will dry best on an outside washing line out of direct sunlight. Not only is this better for the sheets themselves, but you are also doing your bit for the environment. Never tumble dry your silk sheets as this will damage the precious fabric.

Take care when ironing your silk sheets, using the coolest silk setting on your iron. Never iron this bed linen while damp as you will damage the fibres. You may find that after a couple of washes, the wrinkles relax naturally and you do not need to iron your sheets anymore. You can also use a steamer on silk sheets. If you don’t own a steamer, a great hack is to simply hang your sheets in the bathroom while you have a shower.

It’s not just detergents that can affect your bed linen. Some creams and facewashes contain chemicals that will bleach your bed linen, such as benzoyl peroxide. Suncream and bronzers can also stain your bedsheets. If you are sleeping on silk bedsheets, have a quick shower before you go to bed to remove skin products and this will help your bed linen stay looking good for longer.

So there are our top tips for looking after your silk sheets if you sleep with Egyptian Cotton, head here to learn more about the best ways to keep your bedding in tip-top condition.

You can also use these tips for caring for silk pillowcases or silk eye masks.