And worst of all, silk begins to look dingy and dull after just a few trips to the dry cleaners.
Many silks look better and last longer when hand washed.
But beware, many inexpensive and poorly woven silks may fade, become stiff, change texture or lose their sheen when hand washed. Try a test piece in a series of launderings before spending a lot of time and effort in any project. Silk Noil may be machine dried, but this will increase shrinkage and should definitely be done before being cut and sewn. Hand wash a small scrap or swatch and check to see if you like the way it looks. We wash all our dupioni that is custom dyed, and it has a much softer texture, very different than the crisp finish it has off the bolt.