Caring for silk when you actually wear it

Silk survived being currency on the road that named it. It will survive your washing machine on cold with a mesh bag and a wash liquid that lists no enzymes on the back.

What kills silk is heat and optimism. Skip the dryer entirely, hang it wet on a wide hanger, and it will finish drying with fewer creases than the iron would have left.

Perfume before you dress, not after. The alcohol marks are permanent and they find the front panel every time.

A silk piece worn weekly and washed this way will outlast the cotton bought the same day. The care label says dry clean because lawyers write care labels.