Designer pieces and quality garments crafted from luxurious fabrics like delicate silks are beloved for a variety of reasons: their stunning visual impact for the fashion-minded; breathable fabric that maximizes the wearer's comfort; and of course, the pristine condition and good fabric integrity they maintain with proper care — proper care being the key phrase here.
In the long run, clothing is only as good as its fabric care routine. The luxurious appearance of even the most expensive clothes and quality materials won't last long if the wearer ignores care tips.
The Importance of Specialized Care Tips for Optimal Cleaning
If you want to get the most out of expensive items like designer clothing such as silk blouses or high end linen garments featuring delicate embroidery, following care instructions and maintaining a good fabric care routine is paramount. Avoiding permanent damage to the original texture of the fabric is key.
The risk of damage to beloved clothes — especially when they're also expensive clothes — frightens many fashion lovers, especially if they can't always afford expensive clothes like silk garments or high end handwoven fabrics from specialized fabric suppliers, much less high-quality fabric protection products. The idea of causing irreversible damage to beautiful handwoven cotton fabric or one-of-a-kind luxury garments is frustrating at best, and heartbreaking at worst.
Optimal cleaning and proper garment care will not only preserve, but potentially expand the lifespan of high quality clothing. Pay close attention to our care tips for best results.
Tip #1: Read care instructions with an attentive eye.
It may seem obvious, but paying attention to specific care instructions for each item — especially more delicate garments such as those crafted from silk fabric — is key to preventing fabric damage, and maintaining your clothing's lustrous appearance. Care tips will vary in accordance with fabric type, especially given the variety of fabrics currently on the market, but may include the following instructions:
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Invest in breathable garment bags for more delicate fabrics. This will prevent snagging and other clothing damage that might otherwise put mechanical stress on your washing machine.
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Keep an eye on your water temperature. For specific guidance, dheck washing machine setting instructions, since some fabric types should only be washed in cold water. This ensures the vibrancy of colors over time, and prevents color fading or running.
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Avoid exposing delicate fabrics to harsh chemicals, such as cheap fabric softeners or overly harsh detergents and cleaning solutions.
Tip #2: Decide in advance if you can handle the commitment of dry cleaning-only items.
While Bleusalt's items are all washing machine friendly for the convenience of our customers, this is not the case for all fabric items, especially more delicate fabrics. If you're investing in designer clothing dry cleaning is often the norm.
As such, before falling in love with the luxurious appearance of dry cleaning-only fabric choices, make sure you have the time and money to invest dry cleaning services. Machine washable items are typically easier to care for, and maintain pristine condition without the inconvenience of constantly paying for professional cleaning services. Remember: your choice for clothing should fit not only your budget, but your everyday lifestyle.
Tip #3: When in doubt, opt for a delicate cycle.
Many valuable items in the fashion world are crafted from luxurious fabrics, but unfortunately, not all of these specialized products contain readily accessible instructions on whether or not traditional washing methods are appropriate. To make matters worse, certain types of delicate fibers can't handle dry cleaning either.
In these cases, best practices for clothing care typically call for a delicate cycle or gentle cycle on the washing machine. For especially delicate fabrics, use a garment bag for good measure. Air drying instead of relying on the heat of the dryer can also go a long way toward keeping clothes in excellent condition.
Consider investing in a good drying rack and some padded hangers or wooden hangers, so that air drying is more accessible and convenient.
Bonus Tip: All Bleusalt garments should be washed and dried on a delicate cycle. For more detailed instructions on effective cleaning for our items, please see our Materials page.
Tip #4: Avoid overly frequent cleaning.
This tip might seem counterintuitive. After all, hygiene is important, and regular cleanings within reason will keep your clothing fresh! However, tossing your clothes in the washing machine every day — especially delicate items like handwoven cotton fabrics — will eventually wear down fibers over time. Treat your special handwoven fabrics and other luxury items more delicately by airing them out, and washing only when truly necessary.
Benefits of Investing in Luxury Garments
After reading these four tips, you might feel discouraged from buying seemingly fragile luxury items like delicate garments crafted from fine silk fabrics. However, luxury garments can still be a worthy investment, since quality clothing sourced from reputable fabric suppliers will last multiple seasons. Delicate fabrics may seem initially daunting to care for, but learning their cleaning methods can be well worth it — and don't always require high-quality fabric protection products.
Higher Quality Means Longer Lasting Clothing Fibers Over Time
For one thing, more expensive pieces of clothing often prove a more frugal choice for clothing in the long run than cheaper alternatives — simply because proper garment care gives high-quality materials such a long lifespan. The quality of fabric items show not only in the initial visual impact when the clothes are still new — but in the viability of the fabric over time.
The tensile strength of more expensive fabric choices, for example, is often more powerful, which means the garment itself will last longer. This is true even of seemingly delicate materials like silk, which maintain a smooth texture and pristine condition for years, so long as proper storage and care are used.
Natural Fibers Have a More Sustainable Environmental Impact
Luxury items crafted from natural fibers are a great option from the eco-conscious. While many luxury retailers have a rotation of seasonal items popular at different points in the year, crafting clothing from natural fibers enables the creation of "seasonless basics," such as the timeless items we create here at Bleusalt. Without having to invest in as many seasonal items, consumers can reduce the waste and environmental damage frequently associated with clothing production, such as greenhouse gas emissions.
Here at Bleusalt, rather than relying on synthetic fibers, we are proud to source natural fibers from botanic trees grown in nature. Unlike clothing crafted from synthetic fibers, our products minimizes the risk of damage to the environment by preventing leakage of harmful chemicals. As a result, we're able to create clothing that retains excellent condition and comparatively high levels of tensile strength, all while reducing the potential for a negative environmental impact.