Has anyone had luck with cleaning plisses? I've hand washed most of my 90s and moussies, but the plisse scares me a bit. More than a bit.
Scarves Cleaning and Caring for Hermès Scarves
- Thread starter dianagrace
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Hi Vintage Leather, the plisse musn't be washed as the pleats will come undone. It must be dry cleaned.
Thank you! This was one of the best recaps for cleaning scarves! I'm not sure if my iron and washing machine have the settings that you mentioned but I will certainly follow these steps otherwise!
Plisse scarves need to be dry-cleaned, and your Hermes boutique can send them out to be cleaned and re-pressed if need be, although it's more expensive than cleaning a regular scarf. I doubt that a very gentle handwashing would damage the pleats significantly -- say, if you get a big coffee stain and want to rinse it immediately, it should be fine; the pleats may not be as defined when it dried, but it would they would not completely disappear.
I always handwash my Hermes scarves, and I have not had a single problem. I am allergic to dry-cleaning chemicals and cannot wear a scarf that was dry-cleaned since it comes in direct contact with my skin. I use warm -- not hot -- water and mild detergents (I use German brands, but I think Woolite etc works well). Stains come out much easier if you wash the scarf as soon as you get it / notice it.
Re: bleeding, most cases I know if took place because of washing scarves in water that is too hot. Lukewarm water should not dissolve the good-quality dye that Hermes uses. Adding table salt to water helps prevent dye from bleeding.
I usually use silk wash with cold water, and I've had very good luck. I even managed to get automotive oil off of one (don't ask. Ive learned to never loan a scarf. It's a gift or it's mine - no middle ground)
I just inherited a plisse with some bad makeup stains. I was hoping that someone would say someting like "yes, they are easy to clean, you just have to...."
Anything worth doing is worth doing right.... Right?
Car oil?! That's impressive (and... how???). I usually get coffee and black gel pen ink stains, and the former are much easier to get rid of than the latter, but I never had to deal with anything so, um, exotic.
Do you know what those make-up stains are? Treating them would depend on that. Maybe I am too adventurous, but I would try to remove them at home, and if it does not seem to work, take the scarf to the store (I have been known to successfully remove a foundation stain off of my vintage silk YSL blouse with ammonia, but I am not sure if I should be recommending that to others
).I am never happy with dry-cleaning cashmere; it just does not feel "right" -- and I am allergic to the chemicals, so it does not work for my anyway.
I try to handwash all my cashmere sweaters, but I have machine-washed them -- also cold water, dedicated gentle detergent, on delicate, no spin cycle, flat dry. Worked like a charm. I don't own any Hermes cashmere, but I honestly don't think I would be brave enough to machine-wash it -- it should not be too much trouble to hand-wash it though.
Car oil?! That's impressive (and... how???). I usually get coffee and black gel pen ink stains, and the former are much easier to get rid of than the latter, but I never had to deal with anything so, um, exotic.
Do you know what those make-up stains are? Treating them would depend on that. Maybe I am too adventurous, but I would try to remove them at home, and if it does not seem to work, take the scarf to the store (I have been known to successfully remove a foundation stain off of my vintage silk YSL blouse with ammonia, but I am not sure if I should be recommending that to others
The stains are foundation stains. If I wasn't afraid of losing the pleats, I'd go for it.
And as for the motor oil - when I received back the scarf, I figured it was pretty much no longer useful. So I was a lot more brave than I would otherwise have been. I did my standard silk-wash and cold water. Then I used a natural soap (ingredients: water, olive oil, and lye) on the stained areas, working the soap through the silk. Then rinsing until the water came clear. The oil was mostly one by this point, so I did the treatment one more time. I then soaked it for 20 hrs in distilled water until I knew all the chemicals were out.
I would still try myself first before taking it to the boutique, but I am very adventurous when it comes to cleaning. It looks like you have plenty o experience with stain removal, but I find Clinique mild liquid facial soap very effective for make-up stains removal.
I am so impressed that you got rid of that stain with just soap? Was it a very fresh stain? It's great that it worked!
ny advice woud be much appreciated..TIA
I hate the stiff chemical feel and smell after dry cleaning, so I wash my silk and GM shawls in very cold water and Johnsons baby shampoo. I rinse in cold, air dry flat and iron, avoiding the edges. I've been washing my silks this way for the last 3 years.
I am with you on the dry cleaning smell and feel, and more often than not, they press the hem even if you ask them not to (unless Hermes sends it out for you). I have bought some previously loved scarves that had been dry-cleaned, and I always have to rinse them in cold water to get rid of the smell; thankfully, hand-washing them also helps to return the hems that have been pressed at the cleaners' to their normal condition.
Johnson's Baby shampoo is very good, as it every mild shampoo or even very mild facewash (I mentioned above that Clinique's is my stand-by for washing my silks).
Agreed! my Astres et Soleils GM had this faint chemical taint which bugged me when i wore it; altho it had been cleaned it didnt feel fresh or drape well. so when i washed it im mainly pleased the smell went!
Sice then ive washed a very old and grubby Junques et Sampans carre , again using cold water, woolite, a colour-catcher in the bowl in case and a swig of white wine vinegar in final rinse. into a laundry bag, 1-2 mins spin ONLY then any extra water squeezed out by rolling in a fluffy white towel. Actually neither of these scarves had any colour run or bleed but the water was pretty much cold so maybe that helped....
leave the scarf flat on the towel for maybe 10 mins to partially air dry. then press on reverse with iron on setting 2, no steam. avoid pressing rolled hem. made sure ironing board had a plain white muslin or pillowcase under the scarf in case any mark from ironing board cover transferred when pressing...and iron face clean....apparently if you like your carres crisp you can use spray starch at this stage but i didnt as i like mine drapey....
also did an old Bolides scarf from 70s/80s, where the scarf was so generally grubby the pale yellow flowers were barely visible! came out a lot fresher and crisper
so far, very pleased but maybe will wait a while before washing my newer carres or my beloved LFASDV cashmere GM!!
Sice then ive washed a very old and grubby Junques et Sampans carre , again using cold water, woolite, a colour-catcher in the bowl in case and a swig of white wine vinegar in final rinse. into a laundry bag, 1-2 mins spin ONLY then any extra water squeezed out by rolling in a fluffy white towel. Actually neither of these scarves had any colour run or bleed but the water was pretty much cold so maybe that helped....
leave the scarf flat on the towel for maybe 10 mins to partially air dry. then press on reverse with iron on setting 2, no steam. avoid pressing rolled hem. made sure ironing board had a plain white muslin or pillowcase under the scarf in case any mark from ironing board cover transferred when pressing...and iron face clean....apparently if you like your carres crisp you can use spray starch at this stage but i didnt as i like mine drapey....
also did an old Bolides scarf from 70s/80s, where the scarf was so generally grubby the pale yellow flowers were barely visible! came out a lot fresher and crisper
so far, very pleased but maybe will wait a while before washing my newer carres or my beloved LFASDV cashmere GM!!
So glad I came across this thread again, just a quick question, how can I get rid of old tea-stains?
I spilled some tea onto my scarf a while ago, and had since handwashed it 2x, but the stains had remain (though visibly reduced in colour).
I'm at loss on what to do now, and would not fancy resorting to using one of those stain removal like napi-san, etc. unless really recommended.
So... help please???
I spilled some tea onto my scarf a while ago, and had since handwashed it 2x, but the stains had remain (though visibly reduced in colour).
I'm at loss on what to do now, and would not fancy resorting to using one of those stain removal like napi-san, etc. unless really recommended.
So... help please???
SpecialK12 said:
SpecialK, would you be so kind as to elaborate further? I have an Aga and fold up all my cotton washing when almost dry and leave the pile overnight on the simmering plate lid. Surely you wouldn't put the silk directly on the metal lid of the simmering plate? Do you sandwich it between other fabrics? How damp is the scarf when you put it to dry?
I am more than intrigued to know what you do as a complete novice! I have just had my inaugural wash, heart in my mouth, of an Ali Baba I bought off eBay which smells quite musty. I have worn it once, trying to ignore the odour, but have done the deed this morning having read the whole scarf cleaning thread again. As I post this, it is on the drying rack damp after being rolled between two towels - looking a little sorry for itself.