Cleaning a silk duvet can be a tricky business. Silk is delicate and can be damaged very easily if not treated correctly.

The first thing to do is make sure your duvet really needs full cleaning. Often household spills can be mopped up with a wet cloth and will dry if left out on the line for a few hours. If your silk duvet is very soiled then it will need the works.

Once you have decided you need the entire duvet cleaned, you need to establish what kind of silk you have in your duvet. If you duvet does not specifically say it is filled with long-strand mulberry silk you need to rethink your cleaning options. Lesser quality silk (even the “mulberry silk” you get from some retailers) will be short strands of off-cut silk. When washed the strands will bunch together and your duvet will be ruined. A good way of telling what kind of silk you have in your silk duvet is to check if the duvet is box stitched. If it is then the odds are othe sil inside the duvet is of lesser quality.

Once  you have established your silk is long-strand mulberry silk you need to establish if your home washing machine drum is large enough to take the full duvet. Be aware that even if you can get your duvet in the machine, silk will retain lots of water and will make the machine very heavy.

The best option is to take your duvet to a professional cleaner who will have a larger drum machine. Make sure you give them the following details.

• Wash at 30′c and below. Never above as the silk will be damaged.
• Spin briefly after wash to remove some of the water.
• Use a silk detergent like Tenestar. A silk detergent will protect the silk.
• Dry preferably outdoors on a line. Do not tumble dry!!!

It is worth mentioning that (good) silk filled duvets do not need cleaning as often as synthetic duvets do. This is because silk holds less moisture and therefore less bacteria. A good airing from time to time is all your duvet should need.

A silk duvets do vary so much you should consult the manufacturer before washing as the above is merely a guide.

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