How to Care for Your Satin and Silk Bridesmaid Robes

Satin and silk fabrics are usually the leading option for most bridal wardrobe designers, makers, and consumers, and the most sought-after fabric for dresses on special events. Even you can’t resist these fabrics’ instantaneous elegance and lustrous shine. If you have received bridesmaid robes made of satin or silk as a wedding gift or bought a bridal gown made from any of these fabrics, you might want to make them last as long as possible.

Bridesmaid robes are something you can wear not just during the wedding day but on other occasions as well—at the beach, spa, hotel, or even at home as they remain comfortable even during hot weather. You will want to handle them with utmost care for this reason but even more so when it is a wedding gift that holds a sentimental value.

Care Tips for Satin Bridesmaid Robes

Satin is a very flexible fabric, which is why it comes in a wide range of types and characteristics from stretchable to silk-like shine. It was originally made from silk but today’s satin fabrics are usually woven through polyester and rayon fiber and are run through hot cylinders during the manufacturing process, resulting in their glossy and shimmering appearance.

Read the Label or Tag

With all the appealing characteristics of satin, it has a little downside—it is a delicate fabric that needs special washing and care. Mostly, satin robes come with care instructions found on their label or tag, which you should check before you start washing the item.

Generally, you can simply wash a satin robe with your hands gently or through a washing machine if the instructions say you can wash it with water but make sure to use only liquid detergent intended for delicate fabrics. Silk satin can be washed with mild soap and water. If your satin fabric is made of polyesters, nylon, and satin acetates, which are materials stronger than silk satin, you can opt for mild soap and warm water.

But if it says you can only dry clean it, as it cannot withstand the standard wet cleaning and drying, make sure to bring it to dry cleaning experts as DIY dry cleaning can always go wrong. Dry cleaning specialists have the appropriate chemical solvents to use for the specific type of satin you have.

Know How to Get Rid of Specific Stains

One thing about satin fabric is that you cannot use bleach for removing stains as the fabric is easily discolored and damaged. Different types of stains require different kinds of treatment.

For oil stains, the first step is removing the oil. You can use a clean rag and then pour polenta or flour all over the stain and leave it for around an hour. Any of these ingredients will absorb the oil. After scraping off the flour, spray a pre-treater on the same area for around three to four minutes. Finally, you can wash your robe with warm water.

If they are blood stains, soak the stained part in cold water for around an hour, which will make them easy to get rid of. Then, put a mild detergent on the stain before you wash it in cold water. On the other hand, for dirt stains, make sure they don’t spread onto the other parts of your robe. You can remove the extra debris with a cloth or soft-bristle brush.

If You Do Handwashing

Mix mild detergent and water from lukewarm to cold and soak the robe inside out for around 3 to 5 minutes. Longer than that can damage your robe. Just wash it with your hand gently to allow the soap to seep through the cloth’s fibers. Do not wring or twist it; simply let the water run through it while you are rinsing.

If You Do Machine Washing

Some satin fabrics are stronger, especially those that are made of cotton, nylon, or polyester, so, you can just use a washing machine. But remember to keep in mind to use cold water and select the “delicate cycle” option at all times.

Remove Excess Water Through Dry Towel

Since you cannot twist or wring your satin robes, to remove the excess water, you can simply lay the cloth on a dry, flat, and clean towel and put a little pressure.

Dry Your Robe Through Air Dry

Placing your washed robe in a dryer or under direct sunlight can cause it to pill, shrink, or fade. The best way to dry satin robes for women is to air dry them flat above another dry towel.

Take Special Care with Ironing

Satin fabric is really sensitive to heat, so it’s much better that you put a barrier between your robe and the iron, such as through a handkerchief or a towel, all the while maintaining the lowest heat setting in your iron.

Care Tips for Silk Bridesmaid Robes

Compared to satin, silk is of more premium quality and is more expensive, mainly due to its intensive manufacturing requirements and processes. It’s the same process that makes the fibers easy to develop rings when they get into contact with moisture or water. Silk robes are dyed in a way to make them extra bright and glossy too, so when it is wet-washed, they can easily turn lifeless–gray and dull.

A silk robe is cared for in the same way as the satin fabric but in the most gentle and delicate way. First off, remove anything inside your silk robes’ pockets. If you should wash it through a washing machine, make sure to put it in a delicate cycle option and with cold water.

Avoid overloading your washing machine too with other clothes as anything like buttons or zippers can easily damage a silk robe. Plus, it gets twisted tightly that streaks will be highly likely to form. You can even put it inside a special bag if you should wash it with other clothes to prevent it from being tightly pulled.

For handwashing, you can even use a baby shampoo instead of a mild detergent and lukewarm water and mix it. Gently swish the silk robe in the mixture, with no twisting, scrunching, or squeezing. Simply allow the soap suds to penetrate into the robe, swishing it around for at least two minutes.

Air dry the silk robe after using the same technique as with satin. Using the same dry towel drying, place the silk robe in between two dry towels, pat, and let the extra water be absorbed for thirty minutes. It’s better you dry it laying flat on the surface of a towel, but you can always just hang it to dry for as long as you don’t place it under direct sunlight.

Satin and silk robes are worth keeping, especially when they’re given as a sentimental gift from one of your most valued people. Treat yours with delicate care just as you would with any of your favorite items.