Scarves Cleaning and Caring for Hermès Scarves

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#361
I just wanted to post about a recent positive experience with dry cleaning.

I "kissed" my 140 cm washed silk and so although I usually handwash my scarves, I decided to send this to the cleaner as I wasn't sure about the grease in my lipgloss. I took it to Jeeves at their St Paul's branch off Paternoster Square in the City. I spent a while talking through my concerns, pointing out where the "kiss" was etc with the manager and he was really helpful and reassuring.

When I got my scarf back after about a week, it was absolutely perfect, stain gone, plump hems, uncreased, no colour run and no nasty chemical smells. The cost was £35 but I am thrilled with the outcome. Highly recommended if you need to dry clean. They have also cleaned DH's H ties and they come out perfectly too.
 
#362
sarafinadh said:
On the topic of cleaning scacrves... We were at the Festival on Monday, In San Francisco. During the patter the speaker made a BIG deal about how one must never wash a scarf, how it will ruin it and that they must only be drycleaned. The scarf I was wearing was a 1962 La Comédie Italienne by Ledoux. It caught the eye of the men giving the demo and he borrowed it (twice) to show to the audience. He made a point of the quality of the scarf, the excellent condition it was in and "what good care" I have taken of it. When I retrieved it after the last demo I asked if he wanted to know a secret about the scarf. He of course said 'yes'. So I told him that the scarf is hand washed every 3 or so years, and THAT is what keeps it in such excellent condition. I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head 8 -O He clapped his hands over his ears and drew back in horror for dramatic emphasis and told me I must not say such things!! It was pretty funny ; -)
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Hilarious story!!!!! :D

I have washed two scarves by hand. I was pretty scared to do it and didn't want any of the scarf to rub too long on another part in case colour transfer occurred. I used cold water, a delicate detergent from a department store in a pretty large tub. After swooshing it around for five minutes I laid the scarf on two large towels and rolled them to remove the water. While still damp I steamed the iron over the scarf. I was nervous of putting it directly on the silk, even though I read you could do this. Then I laid it flat to completely dry. This was my first time ever washing scarves by hand.

One scarf had some dirt on it from regular wear and that came out no problem. The other scarf was new and very stiff. After washing it some brown dirt lines appeared on one fold. I haven't tried removing them and I don't know what it's from since the scarf was red and white and no dye appeared in the water or on the colour catcher I used.
 
#363
francelamour said:
I was offered a preowned scarf - I was looking for this special design a long time and also the colours are perfect!
The only problem is that is has already been washed...I can not see any damage on the photos but could this be a problem?What could have happened?
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Depending on the age of the scarf, it may no longer be quite the "regulation" size, it may have shrunk a tiny bit. Depending on how it was ironed after washing, the hems may be flat (but those can usually be fixed with a good steaming). The feel of the fabric will be somewhat different, softer, more drape. It is unlikely but possible that there may be some colour bleeding but that should be visible in good pictures. I hope this helps.

edit to add: My comments are in reference to the silk twill only. If a plisse has been washed, the scarf has lost the crisp pleats.
 
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#364
CowPrincess said:
Depending on the age of the scarf, it may no longer be quite the "regulation" size, it may have shrunk a tiny bit. Depending on how it was ironed after washing, the hems may be flat (but those can usually be fixed with a good steaming). The feel of the fabric will be somewhat different, softer, more drape. It is unlikely but possible that there may be some colour bleeding but that should be visible in good pictures. I hope this helps.

edit to add: My comments are in reference to the silk twill only. If a plisse has been washed, the scarf has lost the crisp pleats.
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Thank you very much!
 
#365
Thank you all for the suggestions on how to wash Hermes silk scarves. I decided to wash a scarf that had a few stains, including lipstick marks. :ty:
Here is what I did:
I washed the scarf in cold water and used Palmolive dish soap (green), Shout stain remover, and a Tide pen stain remover. I applied the Tide pen on the worse stains with a towel under the stain to avoid the liquid to spread to other parts of the scarf. I let the scarf dry flat on a towel. I didn't iron it (I don't like ironing), but the scarf looks great. I'm now ready to wash a few more!
 
#366
Bumping this. Sorry if this has been discussed. But this morning, I noticed a big-ish stain on my beloved Fleurs d' Indiennes washed silker shawl! It looks like some lipgloss or something, oil based for sure. Has anybody successfully spot-cleaned a washed silker scarf before? Really don't want to send it to Hermes for dry cleaning or hand wash the whole scarf if I can avoid it as the rest of the scarf is in perfect condition. TIA!
 
#367
sarafinadh said:
On the topic of cleaning scacrves... We were at the Festival on Monday, In San Francisco. During the patter the speaker made a BIG deal about how one must never wash a scarf, how it will ruin it and that they must only be drycleaned. The scarf I was wearing was a 1962 La Comédie Italienne by Ledoux. It caught the eye of the men giving the demo and he borrowed it (twice) to show to the audience. He made a point of the quality of the scarf, the excellent condition it was in and "what good care" I have taken of it. When I retrieved it after the last demo I asked if he wanted to know a secret about the scarf. He of course said 'yes'. So I told him that the scarf is hand washed every 3 or so years, and THAT is what keeps it in such excellent condition. I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head 8 -O He clapped his hands over his ears and drew back in horror for dramatic emphasis and told me I must not say such things!! It was pretty funny ; -)
Click to expand...

That is quite a story..keep up your good work.

Hermes at times could take a tip or two from their clients..
 
#368
xiangxiang0731 said:
Bumping this. Sorry if this has been discussed. But this morning, I noticed a big-ish stain on my beloved Fleurs d' Indiennes washed silker shawl! It looks like some lipgloss or something, oil based for sure. Has anybody successfully spot-cleaned a washed silker scarf before? Really don't want to send it to Hermes for dry cleaning or hand wash the whole scarf if I can avoid it as the rest of the scarf is in perfect condition. TIA!
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Hi XX, yup I did the exact same thing with the same scarf :push: I decided to take it for dry cleaning as I was worried that if I spot cleaned it, it might discolour slightly and be visible (I kissed it right in one of the corners). I took mine to Jeeves in Paternoster Sq (I have posted about this elsewhere) and it came back absolutely perfect, it cost £35. HTH
 
#369
cvw1004 said:
Hi XX, yup I did the exact same thing with the same scarf :push: I decided to take it for dry cleaning as I was worried that if I spot cleaned it, it might discolour slightly and be visible (I kissed it right in one of the corners). I took mine to Jeeves in Paternoster Sq (I have posted about this elsewhere) and it came back absolutely perfect, it cost £35. HTH
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Hi cvw1004, I read your earlier post. Do you really think spot-cleaning is not a good idea since it may leave watermarks etc? If so I would wear it for another while and send it for full cleaning.
 
#370
xiangxiang0731 said:
Hi cvw1004, I read your earlier post. Do you really think spot-cleaning is not a good idea since it may leave watermarks etc? If so I would wear it for another while and send it for full cleaning.
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Personally I didn't want to take the risk as this is one of my favourite scarves - I did wear mine for a while before I took it for cleaning, which I know is contradictory, but in the end we were only parted for a week!
 
#371
Hi. I just wanted to let you know I feel your anxiety. I ended up ha nd washing three scarves a few months ago and had excellent luck. I read everything on this thread and did the following, 1. Filled the tub with cold water. 2. Babyshampoo. 3. Large beach towel opened up and ready on the bathroom floor. I poured a bit of baby shampoo in the tub as it was filling. Put 1 scarf in. Moved it the whole time, gently from side to side. Used my thumb gently to work stains...(small salad dressing splatters). Drained the tub. Immediately filled the tub with more cold water. Swished the scarf to get rid of any soapy residue. Gently removed the scarf. Laid other flat on the beach towel. Laid ANOTHER towel right on top and gently patted. Then laid the damp scarf on a new dry towel.

I did. Each scarf a different night. Takes about 15 minutes per scarf. Every single stain came out. No colors running.

Good luck!
 
#373
Spot-cleaned a corner of my favorite Legende Kuna Peuple de Panama with the Laundress Delicate Wash and it discolored my scarf! I used it once before with a white scarf and it came out fine, until I tried it on this saturated-colored scarf. Ruined my scarf, can't describe how mad I am right now... I never wanted my scarf to be "washed" like my jeans!
 

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#375
Chestnutty said:
Spot-cleaned a corner of my favorite Legende Kuna Peuple de Panama with the Laundress Delicate Wash and it discolored my scarf! I used it once before with a white scarf and it came out fine, until I tried it on this saturated-colored scarf. Ruined my scarf, can't describe how mad I am right now... I never wanted my scarf to be "washed" like my jeans!
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Oh dear, this is what I was worried about with mine. Are you going to wash the whole thing to see if you can even it up?
 
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