Scarves How to improve Hermes cashmere silk scarf appearance?

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zta47

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Jan 6, 2024
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#1
I purchased a Hermes cashmere silk 140 second hand and when it arrived it had been already washed, at least by hand. It's still very soft but it appears like there's some pilling and it's just not in the best shape.
What is the recommended course of action here? Should I try to hand wash it myself? Should I have it dry cleaned?
I'm interested in both cleaning the scarf and in improving the appearance of the worn look.
Thank you!
 
#3
textilegirl said:
What about a light, barely warm steam, or even an iron if you want to tame some of the fuzz? Unless you really trust your dry cleaner not to press the hems (a nightmare to fix on such a large piece) I wouldn’t start there.
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Thank you! I will do that. I totally forgot about the rolled hems. I hope the iron can also help!
 
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#6
zta47 said:
Good idea! Thank you!
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Just came across your query. I mostly collect CSGMs so I feel your pain. I would suggest to refrain from washing the shawl. I know that there is a huge chorus of people on the forum that wash their cashmere scarves - and which is ok, but in my personal experience the cashmere gets a lot of fuzz from washing, which turns into piling - and looks rather very unattractive thereafter. I would suggest to dry clean the shawl - pressing would calm the after-wash fuzz. You can also iron the shawl yourself from the back using a thin cheese cloth. As far as hems - those are easy to round if they got flat. What I do is I get a spray bottle and spray a bit of water just to the hem and re-round then with my fingers and dry them with a dry cloth. It does take a lot of time though as you have to do it inch by inch - I usually spread the “re-rounding drill” over a couple of days. You can also clean the shawl your self from fuzz - again, takes a lot of time (you need to have short nails for it to be able to de-fuzz) but you can literally transform the worn out rag into a shawl looking like new (I have done it many times).
If you are up to it, you can send your shawl for dr cleaning to tie crafters in NYC - it will cost $55 but they do a fab job. All the best.
 
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#7
zta47 said:
I purchased a Hermes cashmere silk 140 second hand and when it arrived it had been already washed, at least by hand. It's still very soft but it appears like there's some pilling and it's just not in the best shape.
What is the recommended course of action here? Should I try to hand wash it myself? Should I have it dry cleaned?
I'm interested in both cleaning the scarf and in improving the appearance of the worn look.
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Dry clean as per others above (I am not coordinated enough to hand wash or iron

And, at the risk of scandalizing @textilegirl and many others,

I don’t really notice whether my CSGM ‘s hems are plump lol ;)

Of course, if your CSGM is worn in certain areas only, creative folding while it’s around your neck or shoulders will help
 
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