The most fascinating thing about Sari is that it is the most preferred and cultural clothing for all generations of women. Even the most modern and fashionable woman all over the world will have at least one sari (or several) in her wardrobe. Sarees are always as precious as diamonds for women in a woman's wardrobe. At the same time, it also requires special care, for it runs the risk of getting ruined through improper storage or cleaning processes.
Here are some important tips that most women will already know and can be used as a refresher for washing and caring for their saree.
Washing Sarees
- Check the Care Label: Always check the care label for specific instructions before washing your saree. Some sarees may have unique cleaning requirements.
- Hand Wash or Dry Clean: Most sarees, especially those made from delicate fabrics like silk or chiffon, should be hand washed or taken to a professional dry cleaner. Avoid using a washing machine, as it can damage the saree's delicate embroidery or embellishments.
- Use Mild Detergent: When hand washing, use a gentle and mild detergent designed for delicate fabrics. Dissolve the detergent in lukewarm water.
- Test for Colorfastness: To ensure the saree's colours won't bleed or fade, test a small, inconspicuous area with a damp white cloth before washing the entire garment.
- Gentle Washing: Gently agitate the saree in soapy water, avoiding excessive wringing or rubbing, which can damage the fabric and embroidery.
- Carefully Rinse the saree thoroughly in cold water until all the detergent is washed out. Add a few drops of white vinegar to the final rinse to remove any soap residue and restore the saree's sheen.
- Avoid Sunlight: Don't leave wet sarees in direct sunlight, which can cause colours to fade. Instead, hang them indoors to air dry or lay them flat on a clean, dry towel.
Storing Sarees
- Fold Correctly: When storing sarees, fold them neatly to avoid creases. Silk sarees should be wrapped in a muslin or cotton cloth to prevent damage.
- Avoid Hangers: Hanging sarees for extended periods can cause them to stretch and lose their shape. If you must hang them, use padded hangers and support the saree's weight evenly.
- Use Saree Bags: To protect sarees from dust and pests, consider storing them in saree bags or breathable cotton covers.
- Rotate Sarees: If you have a collection of sarees, periodically rotate them to prevent prolonged stress on specific folds.
- Keep Them Dry: Ensure your storage area is cool, dry, and well-ventilated. Avoid storing sarees in damp places, as moisture can lead to mildew and fabric damage.
Maintaining Sarees
- Inspect your sarees regularly for any signs of damage, such as loose threads, snags, or stains. Address these issues promptly to prevent them from worsening.
- Avoid Perfume and Deodorant: Apply perfume or deodorant before wearing your saree to prevent staining, as some products can leave marks on delicate fabrics.
- Wear with Care: Be mindful when draping and wearing your saree. Avoid sharp jewellery that can snag the fabric, and be cautious when moving in crowded or tight spaces.
- Professional Cleaning: If you have heavily soiled or stained sarees, it's best to take them to a professional cleaner to ensure proper care and stain removal.
Below more important guidelines
- Most sari users only know the process of washing or dry-cleaning saris frequently if it is very dirty, especially silk or cotton sarees. If they find any unwanted and difficult stains to go, they clean the spot of the dirt carefully. But cleaning your saree a minimum of once after using it two times is very important. At first, you will have to check that the stain remover will not damage the fabric of your sari by doing a test on the inside portion of the sari first, or you can read the care label of the saree; otherwise, you can go to an expert to dry clean your saree according to its fabric. Please stay away from liquids like curry, even spraying perfumes that can stain silk saree, which stain is very difficult to remove.
- Use as much as mild type detergent as possible to wash the saris. Many of us use mild Shampoos or baby shampoos for cleaning saris. If it is possible, wash all saris by hand; Chiffon and Georgette fabric sarees can be machine washed in a delicate cycle, but hand washing is preferred most by expert cleaners. There are many delicate fabrics like voile saris with embroidery work, chanderi saris, etc., which will surely damage the fabric because of the tumble inside a washing machine.
- Do not use a dryer for drying the Chiffon and Georgette saris. Do not use any dryer drying for silk and cotton saris. If line drying is suitable, do not hang it directly under the sunlight. Get somewhere with shade so that direct sunlight does not fade colours.
- After using your saris, if you are not washing it immediately hang it out in the shade to dry any perspiration, moisture, etc., and then only store it inside the wardrobe. But refrain from repeating this after 2nd use of the saree!
- Imperfect folding is always a boon and a problem for sarees. If the folding process is left undisturbed, the sari will start to disintegrate near the folds – slowly but surely. So, if you have many sarees and do not wear many of them for a long time, make sure that you change how they are folded at least twice a year because an unorganised folding can also damage the saree.
- Please avoid storing saris in plastic covers. Especially sarees that are made of natural fibres like cotton and silk. Otherwise, mildew spots and fungus may develop on the saris. Try to use tissue paper to wrap the saris or store them in fabric sari bags. Normally, sari bags are made out of thin cotton cloth.
