Scarves Cleaning and Caring for Hermès Scarves

I would try this but in a smaller enclosure for a scarf, like a large plastic tub I typically use for dog food bag. I was thinking a wire free standing shelf above whatever odor reducer: vinegar/cinnamon, febreeze-sprayed paper towels, etc.
I don’t put my Hs in sealed plastic enclosures , I always cut triangles out of the corners of ziplocs - ventilation !
 
I wonder if investing in a couple of sports shoe refreshers to absorb odours , and using them in a shoebox or something might help? Or buy a few bags of activated charcoal? Both of those things absorb odours...worth a shot...
 
I wonder if investing in a couple of sports shoe refreshers to absorb odours , and using them in a shoebox or something might help? Or buy a few bags of activated charcoal? Both of those things absorb odours...worth a shot...

I actually looked for “odor eaters” in the foot-care aisle before finding the odor eliminator sachets in the laundry aisle. :P
 
For some reason but I just can’t find the answer for this. Can you wash csgm with water? I have been washing silk 90s with great success but wondering about csgm.
 
Hi HKsai,
Check this out - its an older thread in 2010
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/washing-cashmere-scarves.290770/page-3#post-15335805
Personally, I do not use the machine. I hand washed my cashmeres be it shawl or cardigans (the same way like my silk scarves) BUT with laundress wool&cashmere shampoo + color catcher (from target). Just like silk, DO NOT squeeze but roll it between two big white towels; then leave it on a huge rack to air dry before pressing with an iron when it is almost dry.
Hope this helps.

For some reason but I just can’t find the answer for this. Can you wash csgm with water? I have been washing silk 90s with great success but wondering about csgm.
 
Something worth noting.... You should hand-wash your scarves in distilled water. Not bottled water, but distilled. Tap water, depending upon where it comes from, often contains high levels of minerals like iron and magnesium which can stain your scarf over time. And chemicals from various environmental sources. Rinsing with the same water doesn't help. A water softener doesn't get all the minerals out. Antique textiles are often stained by minerals that have sat on the fabric invisibly for a long time.

The best solution is washing in distilled water. A bottle is pretty cheap.
 
Something worth noting.... You should hand-wash your scarves in distilled water. Not bottled water, but distilled. Tap water, depending upon where it comes from, often contains high levels of minerals like iron and magnesium which can stain your scarf over time. And chemicals from various environmental sources. Rinsing with the same water doesn't help. A water softener doesn't get all the minerals out. Antique textiles are often stained by minerals that have sat on the fabric invisibly for a long time.

The best solution is washing in distilled water. A bottle is pretty cheap.

Thank you so much for this tip! I've washed a lot of my scarves in tap water recently but only once. I will make sure to get distilled water from now on!
 
Something worth noting.... You should hand-wash your scarves in distilled water. Not bottled water, but distilled. Tap water, depending upon where it comes from, often contains high levels of minerals like iron and magnesium which can stain your scarf over time. And chemicals from various environmental sources. Rinsing with the same water doesn't help. A water softener doesn't get all the minerals out. Antique textiles are often stained by minerals that have sat on the fabric invisibly for a long time.

The best solution is washing in distilled water. A bottle is pretty cheap.
That’s great info! Will try it next time!:flowers:
 
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Here's an update on my experiments to try to rid a silk twill scarf of a heavy perfume smell.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had hand-washed the scarf and aired it out for several weeks but the smell didn't fade. I had washed it in Era detergent, which is not recommended for silk as detergents can weaken silk fibers. Orvus paste is what you want to use. But Era contains anti-surfuctants which in my experience pull out stains and smells so I thought I'd give it a shot. Alas, it didn't pull out the perfume despite pre-soaking the area in Era.

So next I made a special scarf de-odorizer with baking soda, activated charcoal and a takeout dish. I've posted photos below. Basically what I did was take a plastic takeout dish devoid of food residue of course (restaurants will sometimes give you extra dishes for free) and widened the steam holes in the lid. I also cut a large square in the center of the lid to hold the perfume-smelly section of the scarf. I used a poultry sheers to cut. In the bottom of the dish I spread an inch of baking soda with a bunch of emptied capsules of activated charcoal. Then I draped the scarf into the lid so the perfume-drenched portion sat about an inch or two above the baking soda/charcoal but was in no danger of touching it. Activated charcoal powder leaves a black stain on anything it touches.

I wrapped the whole thing loosely in a plastic bag and set it on a high file cabinet far from calamity and the possibility of spilling. I let it sit for a week.

Alas, at the end of the week the perfume smell was still strong on the corner of the scarf that had been sitting above the baking soda/charcoal. It hadn't dissipated at all. Worse, some of the charcoal appeared to have levitated onto the scarf (!!!! :confused1: ) and there were now black smudges on the scarf! :amazed:

So back to the detergent and hand-washing. This time I rinsed the scarf in a basin of water with 1/4 cup vinegar as others have suggested. After the vinegar rinse I did two just-water rinses. Voila! The perfume stench is now gone! :happydance:

So the lesson is....skip the baking soda and activated charcoal and go straight to the vinegar rinse to get rid of a perfume smell.

IMG_0552.JPG IMG_0553.JPG
 
Here's an update on my experiments to try to rid a silk twill scarf of a heavy perfume smell.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had hand-washed the scarf and aired it out for several weeks but the smell didn't fade. I had washed it in Era detergent, which is not recommended for silk as detergents can weaken silk fibers. Orvus paste is what you want to use. But Era contains anti-surfuctants which in my experience pull out stains and smells so I thought I'd give it a shot. Alas, it didn't pull out the perfume despite pre-soaking the area in Era.

So next I made a special scarf de-odorizer with baking soda, activated charcoal and a takeout dish. I've posted photos below. Basically what I did was take a plastic takeout dish devoid of food residue of course (restaurants will sometimes give you extra dishes for free) and widened the steam holes in the lid. I also cut a large square in the center of the lid to hold the perfume-smelly section of the scarf. I used a poultry sheers to cut. In the bottom of the dish I spread an inch of baking soda with a bunch of emptied capsules of activated charcoal. Then I draped the scarf into the lid so the perfume-drenched portion sat about an inch or two above the baking soda/charcoal but was in no danger of touching it. Activated charcoal powder leaves a black stain on anything it touches.

I wrapped the whole thing loosely in a plastic bag and set it on a high file cabinet far from calamity and the possibility of spilling. I let it sit for a week.

Alas, at the end of the week the perfume smell was still strong on the corner of the scarf that had been sitting above the baking soda/charcoal. It hadn't dissipated at all. Worse, some of the charcoal appeared to have levitated onto the scarf (!!!! :confused1: ) and there were now black smudges on the scarf! :amazed:

So back to the detergent and hand-washing. This time I rinsed the scarf in a basin of water with 1/4 cup vinegar as others have suggested. After the vinegar rinse I did two just-water rinses. Voila! The perfume stench is now gone! :happydance:

So the lesson is....skip the baking soda and activated charcoal and go straight to the vinegar rinse to get rid of a perfume smell.

View attachment 4540244 View attachment 4540245
Thank you, brave soul!
 
Here's an update on my experiments to try to rid a silk twill scarf of a heavy perfume smell.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had hand-washed the scarf and aired it out for several weeks but the smell didn't fade. I had washed it in Era detergent, which is not recommended for silk as detergents can weaken silk fibers. Orvus paste is what you want to use. But Era contains anti-surfuctants which in my experience pull out stains and smells so I thought I'd give it a shot. Alas, it didn't pull out the perfume despite pre-soaking the area in Era.

So next I made a special scarf de-odorizer with baking soda, activated charcoal and a takeout dish. I've posted photos below. Basically what I did was take a plastic takeout dish devoid of food residue of course (restaurants will sometimes give you extra dishes for free) and widened the steam holes in the lid. I also cut a large square in the center of the lid to hold the perfume-smelly section of the scarf. I used a poultry sheers to cut. In the bottom of the dish I spread an inch of baking soda with a bunch of emptied capsules of activated charcoal. Then I draped the scarf into the lid so the perfume-drenched portion sat about an inch or two above the baking soda/charcoal but was in no danger of touching it. Activated charcoal powder leaves a black stain on anything it touches.

I wrapped the whole thing loosely in a plastic bag and set it on a high file cabinet far from calamity and the possibility of spilling. I let it sit for a week.

Alas, at the end of the week the perfume smell was still strong on the corner of the scarf that had been sitting above the baking soda/charcoal. It hadn't dissipated at all. Worse, some of the charcoal appeared to have levitated onto the scarf (!!!! :confused1: ) and there were now black smudges on the scarf! :amazed:

So back to the detergent and hand-washing. This time I rinsed the scarf in a basin of water with 1/4 cup vinegar as others have suggested. After the vinegar rinse I did two just-water rinses. Voila! The perfume stench is now gone! :happydance:

So the lesson is....skip the baking soda and activated charcoal and go straight to the vinegar rinse to get rid of a perfume smell.

View attachment 4540244 View attachment 4540245
Wow! I’m impressed with your tenacity! And now you have both a non-smelly scarf and the iron clad assurance that that scarf is colorfast! Now I’d love to see a nice modelling shot of your scarf, all pressed and in it’s former beauty! Well done!
 
Wow! I’m impressed with your tenacity! And now you have both a non-smelly scarf and the iron clad assurance that that scarf is colorfast! Now I’d love to see a nice modelling shot of your scarf, all pressed and in it’s former beauty! Well done!

Thank you! But it's not a Hermes scarf so I don't think I'm allowed to post a pic here. ;)

That vinegar rinse appears to be magic for removing smells. The other day I pulled out a barn jacket I'd had hanging in the basement for years. It smelled kinda mildewy. I tossed it in the washer with a cup of vinegar and voila! No more mildew smell. Thanks to all who suggested vinegar!
 
Does anyone know a way to wash an Hermes silk scarf so that it turns out like one of the new Wash scarves? I have several of the new “wash feel” scarves and was curious about how they achieve that feel.
 
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