In India for most women silk saris are as precious as gold and silver ornaments. Once they buy their favourite design and colour in silk they look after it very carefully, both while they wear it and when they store it in the wardrobe. Of late, silk shops undertake the polishing of old silk saris to give it extra shine. Here are some tips on how to take good care of your silk clothes.

Silk material should be always dry-cleaned (White Petrol Wash). Harsh surface abrasion would result in distortion of textural stability. In case, dry-cleaning is not possible, one can follow these instructions to avoid colour bleeding and distortion of fabric.

• Use only lukewarm water and any well known brand of soft toilet soap.

• Do not leave the silk sari/silk material in water for a long time

• Do not rub, scrub or beat silk clothes or silk articles.
  
  
• Rinse well in lukewarm water making sure that no soap is left in the fabric.
  
  
• Do not soak different coloured fabrics together.
  
  
• Squeeze out water and dry the fabric in the shade.
  
  
• Do not dry in sunlight.
  
  
• Do not use an unduly hot iron when pressing the fabrics.
  
  
• Do not sprinkle water over silk fabric before ironing; instead use a thin wet cloth over the silk fabric.
  
  
• Do not treat with bleaching solution and avoid detergents.
  
  
• Borders, pallu and the body of the sari should be washed separately (In case of contrast sari).
  
  
• Do not store zari saris / materials in plastic covers or cardboard boxes as it could damage the shine of the zari.
  
  
• Silk saris should always be covered with washed soft cloth while storing in a wardrobe.
  
  
• Never put naphthalene balls in silk saris while storing, as it can react chemically with the silk and zari.
  
  
• If silk saris are exposed to rain water, it is always advisable to immediately dry clean it without any further delay.

It is not advisable to spray perfume directly on the zari portion of the sari.