Timeless and luxurious, silk is also delicate and easily wrinkled. Running to your dry cleaner every time a crease mars your beloved silk blouse can be time consuming and costly, especially when most silk garments can be safely and successfully pressed at home. Stay style-savvy and keep your blouse looking morning-fresh with a few silk-specific wrinkle-releasing tools and techniques.
Step 1
Turn the blouse inside out. Iron your blouse while it is still damp after hand washing, or use a spray bottle with water to lightly mist and evenly dampen the silk. Avoid using the hot steam from the iron to dampen the silk, which could create spots or marks on the garment.
Step 2
Use an iron with a steam option, which is key for getting wrinkles out of silk. Select the silk setting for heat, and the highest setting for steam. If a silk setting is not specified, use the lowest temperature setting on the iron.
Step 3
Position the blouse face down on the ironing board and a place a press cloth between the silk and iron to prevent spotting, soiling or scorching the fabric. A thin cotton dish towel, handkerchief or pillowcase can also be used in place of a press cloth, just be sure they are completely clean.
Step 4
Press the iron down onto the wrinkled area and remove, allowing the area to cool before moving to the next area. Don't allow the iron to remain in one spot for too long to prevent burning. Avoid moving the iron in a back and forth motion, which can cause the silk to stretch and lose its shape.
Step 5
Allow the garment to cool completely after ironing before removing from the ironing board. Clothing that is removed before completely cool can easily incur more wrinkles. Gently shake out the garment after pressing and cooling to help release any remaining wrinkles.
Step 6
Hang your blouse on a padded hanger in your closet when not in use to help maintain its shape and keep it wrinkle-free.