How do you launder and iron a silk Tommy Bahama shirt?
Question:With dry cleaning so expensive, I try to wash these shirts on delicate and then line dry. The problem is getting the wrinkles out!! Everyone says to iron silk on a low setting, but this seems to have no impact on the wrinkles. What do I do?
Answers:
If the label says 'Dry Clean Only' it will need to be dry cleaned. If the label says 'Dry Clean' then you can use this method:
In a CLEAN, well rinsed sink (or preferably a new plastic dish tub; get two), fill the tubs 1/2 way with cool water, add a small amount of a soap like Woolite to one, swish the water gently, put the shirt in, swish gently, lightly press shirt against side of tub, transfer to tub of clean water, swish and gently press until soap is out of shirt. Lay out a bath towel, put shirt in center, about 3 inches down from top of towel, arrange shirt with arms a bit out from body, making sure that it is as wrinkle free as possible. Fold top of towel over shirt, then roll until the towel is completely rolled up. Gently press to dry. Transfer shirt to padded hanger and allow to dry. Press using iron on silk setting.
Putting the shirt into the washer causes wrinkles that are extremely difficult if not impossible to get out.
best is to read the care instructions. Often, silk has to be dry cleaned, otherwise it gets very wrinkled and sometimes out of shape.
Use a steam iron.- Not an iron with a steam setting...a completely steaming iron. They work great on all fabrics.
i use dryel for my dry cleaning, it is less expensive and fast.
Otherwise use a spray bottle with purified water in it when ironing on silk/wool setting. This will help break up the wrinkles, be sure not to use anything other than purified water, it may contain chemicals that will stain your clothes.
also, i would recommend lying flat to dry instead of line, this way you can flatten out most of the wrinkles with your hands. I hope this helps.
Wash it by hand in Woolite. Line dry. Then on a normal iron setting , iron . BUT put a very thin dish towel over the shirt. The heat will go through the towel, but will not touch the silk directly.
STEAM. lay a thin towel on the shirt and set your iron to medium, and steam. Keep the iron moving, don't pause too long or you will scorch it. If you don't have steam setting, dampen the towel before laying it on the shirt, (with very warm water), iron set on medium. Be careful and good luck!!
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