Good care will make your saree serve you for many years. To avoid ruining it through improper washing or storage, you need to follow some simple key rules. They will help you to keep your favorite saree for a longer time. Here are some general tips for maintaining your saree.
For a cotton saree, use mild detergent. For a silk saree, dry washing is usually preferred. Maintaining your saree depends on the fabric used. Don’t keep saree in plastic covers. Be sure to keep it away from bugs and insects, and don’t store a saree right after wearing it. Also, remember to refold your saree every few months.
Sarees are made of natural materials, such as silk or cotton. Silk sarees are known as must-haves and the most exquisite in any woman’s wardrobe. Silk is quite expensive, that’s why buying a great silk saree is considered an investment. And in order to make the saree last longer, you need to follow some simple tips shared in this article.
How to Clean Your Saree?
The washing of the saree depends heavily on the materials, from which it is made. The most common materials used for saree are cotton and silk. Here are some great tips to use when cleaning your cotton and silk saree.
Cotton Sarees
Sarees that are made of cotton are a classic choice because they are easy to carry and their maintenance is simple and easy to follow. But still, cotton saree requires proper care, as cotton tends to get creases quickly. To avoid that and increase the life of your favorite saree follow these tips:
- Soak your new cotton saree for 10-15 minutes in warm salted water before washing it. This will help to maintain the color of your saree and prevent it from washing out quickly.
- Always use mild detergent for washing. Do not squeeze and wring your saree. Be very gentle. You can just hang the saree over the water tap, so the water access can slowly drain off.
- It’s recommended to starch cotton sarees, so they can stay crisp and stain-free. Also, after starching your saree, make sure it dries out completely in mild sunlight without bunching up. Starch will also make your saree less stiff.
- Make sure you hang your cotton saree in an area without direct sunlighting to prevent the color from fading out.
- To extend the shelf-life of your favorite garment, you have to store your cotton saree in an airy cupboard far away from direct sun and humidity.
- If you want to remove the stiffness from your cotton saree, just soak it in cold water for an hour before washing it.
Silk Sarees
Silk sarees require great care, so you can enjoy wearing them for longer. Silk sarees are very delicate, that’s why you need to be gentle and make sure you follow the proper guidelines for maintaining silk. Usually, dry cleaning is the best option for cleaning silk saree, however, there are situations where dry cleaning will not work.
Here are some tips on cleaning your silk saree:
- Don’t machine-wash or hand-wash your silk saree.
- If your saree gets stained, immediately use cold water to wipe the stain off.
- Dry cleaning is the best way to clean your saree if you have little stains that are easily removed with water.
- You should dry your silk saree in a darker place and avoid direct sunlight at all costs. If your silk saree hangs in the sun for a long time, the color will fade out.
- The best way to store your silk saree is by putting it in a light cotton cloth. Some people store their silk pieces in pillowcases. This is a good choice because it gives your saree breathing space, so it won’t stick to another piece, as it would usually be when you piling up all your clothes.
- Never store your silk saree in a plastic cover because it impacts color and can lead to zari.
Chiffon & Georgette Sarees
This fabric is easy to tear, so it requires very delicate care. Here are some tips on how to take care of chiffon and georgette sarees:
- Only hand-wash your sarees.
- To prevent your chiffon sarees from losing shape, make sure they don’t hang in your closet for a long time
- Don’t wring, squeeze, or wrap a saree vigorously.
- To avoid ripping on creases, make sure you refold your sarees once in a while.
How Do You Keep Sarees Fresh?
To keep sarees fresh, it’s recommended to take them out of your closet at least once in six months. You need to let them hand in mild light for several hours. After that, you can put them back in your closet. By doing this, you will increase the shelf-life of your sarees.
This will help maintain their beautiful colors. This will also make sarees fresher, as it will prevent any odor from sticking to sarees. You should also make sure you change the way the sarees are folded, as this will prevent the fabrics from creasing.
Tips for Maintaining Your Saree in Good Condition
Here are some basic tips to follow, which may be applied to any saree you own. Make sure your sarees are not stored in plastic covers. No matter what material, the mildew spots will develop eventually.
To avoid that, store your sarees in tissue paper or fabric bags, which are made of cotton. Some people even use soft towels for storing sarees. Your sarees should be kept in separate fabric bags. Another great storage option is muslin cloth, which also allows your saree to breathe.
Don’t use naphthalene balls because they can take away some color from your saree and with direct contact your saree will smell like them as well. Also, try to keep your sarees away from bugs and insects. You can use naphthalene balls so that the moths are away from your clothes, but you should prevent your sarees from contact with your balls.
To fight bugs you can also use dry neem leaves. They also have anti-pest properties and will help to protect your sarees from unwanted guests. For heavier silk sarees you can use old pillowcases for storage.
Also, the common mistake is storing your saree right after wearing it. Don’t do that. Let your saree air, so that you can put it into a cotton bag refreshed. You need to let your saree hang on fresh air for at least 10 mins. To get rid of unwanted moisture just put packets of silica gel in bags where you store your sarees.
Always remember to refold your sarees and never let them stay in one fold for longer than three months. This will prevent the sarees from tearing in the areas where they were folded. It is worth mentioning that you should not fold sequined sarees, as it may ruin the design.
Silk sarees dry pretty quickly, so there is no need to dry them in direct sunlight. If your saree includes complex embroidery work, the issue you may have with that is that thread work can get tangled. To avoid that, you can use a netted lining, which will preserve the embroidery.
For the silk sarees, it’s recommended to use hangers. This will help you to avoid wrinkles. But don’t use metal hangers as they can stain your silk saree due to some chemical reaction. It’s better to use wooden hangers or plastic hangers, instead of metal. It is good to store your sarees separately in a cool dark place, so their colors don’t fade.
How to Remove Stains from Sarees?
Some stains are quite stubborn to soaps or detergents, that’s why to remove these stains you need to put in a bit more effort. Here are some tips to help you out:
- Firstly, wet the stain with water, then apply white toothpaste over the stain. It should be applied on both sides of the fabric.
- Then leave your saree to dry for 3-4 days.
- After your saree is dried, wash off the toothpaste and you will see the stain vanished. If it only got lighter, then just repeat all of these steps again.
The toothpaste helps to remove all of the stains without causing the discoloration of the color, that’s why it may be a great option when dealing with stubborn stains. Also, stains on dry-washed sarees can be removed by just washing the stained area in cold water or using ice.
If you have issues with removing lipstick stains, then just place the tissue paper on the stained area. Then dab the stain with soap and let the soap sit on the stain for at least 10 mins. Then just press the stained area with a clean cloth. Repeat that as long as you need to get rid of the stain. You should dry the saree only after the stain is completely gone.
Rubbing the stain with baking soda and vinegar paste and dry cleaning are always the best ways to handle any kind of stain you may have. However, keep in mind that you should never hard brush the stains to avoid tearing or discoloration.
