How to Remove Water Marks from Silk

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 17, 2023

No matter how hard you try, sometimes accidents happen. Whether you were caught in the rain with a silk handbag, or spilled a glass of water over your favorite silk tie, the water can be absorbed and leave its mark. Even though the label may tell you to dry clean your item, it is possible to remove water marks on your own.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Cleaning Silk with More Silk

1
Find a piece of white silk. Be sure the piece of silk you use is white. Never use colored silk to remove a stain. Rubbing your silk with colored silk could cause the colors to transfer during the process of stain removal.^{[1]
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- Try using a white pillow case.
- If you cannot find any white silk, you can try a piece of muslin or white cotton.
2
Rub the water mark with the white piece of silk. Lie your stained garment on a flat surface. Gently rub the piece of white silk over the stain to lift the water stain off your garment.^{[2]
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- Just like colors can transfer, so can the stain. The goal is to transfer the stain from your silk garment to the cleaning patch.
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3
Avoid rubbing at a diagonal to the silk grain. Pay attention to the grain pattern on your garment. Always rub with or across the grain. Rubbing at a diagonal will wear out your garment and could cause it to lose its shape.^{[3]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Steaming Your Silk Garment

1
Boil water in a pot on your stovetop. Fill a pot with water and place it on your stovetop. Turn the heat on high until the water comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.^{[4]
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2
Hold your garment in the steam for one minute. Grip your garment firmly, so you don't drop it in the water. Waft the area with the water stain through the steam created by the boiling water. It is not necessary to continue steaming your garment for more than a minute.^{[5]
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- Be careful not to burn yourself or the garment with the steam. Moving the fabric back and forth through the steam will help you avoid burns.
3
Lie your garment flat on a clean towel to dry. Place a clean, white towel on a flat surface. Arrange your steamed silk garment into its designed shape and lie it on the towel. Allow it to dry thoroughly.^{[6]
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- If the stain does not go away, reheat your water until it is creating steam and repeat the process.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Washing Water Stains Out of Silk

1
Fill a medium-sized bowl with lukewarm water and a small hint of mild detergent. Make sure that you are using a laundry detergent which is designed for delicate fabrics. Mix the detergent thoroughly in the water. Allow time for powdered detergent to dissolve.^{[7]
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- Acids in some standard detergent could cause the silk fibers to contract and effect the shape of your garment.
- Avoid caustic alkalis which could dissolve the fabric.
- Never use bleach on silk. Bleach erodes the fiber and will fade the color.
2
Soak the garment in lukewarm water for 3-5 minutes. If your fabric is a dark color, or is printed, you will want to skip this step. Instead, dip the garment into the water, then draw it out immediately. This will keep the colors from fading or running.
- Do not soak silk for more than a few minutes.
3
Rinse the garment in lukewarm water. Empty your bowl and rinse it thoroughly to rid the bowl of any soap. Refill it with warm water and rinse the garment by drawing it through the clean water. You can repeat this step a couple of times until you feel all of the soap has been rinsed from the silk.^{[8]
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- Adding a little distilled white vinegar to the rinsing water can counteract any alkalis and soap residue.
- For extra soft silk, you can add a drop or two of hair conditioner to the rinsing water.
4
Allow the garment to dry. Lay a clean white towel on a flat surface. Arrange the garment neatly on top of the towel and allow it to dry thoroughly. Then check to see if the water mark has been removed.
- Shake the excess water out of the fabric, but do not wring it dry, which will cause the garment to lose its shape.
- Never dry your silk in the sunlight. Sunlight can decompose and damage the silk.^{[9]
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- Silk dries quickly, so you can check to see if the stain has been effectively washed out in about an hour.^{[10]
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5
Add vinegar for tough stain. If the water mark persists after the garment has dried, you can try adding a few drops of plain white vinegar to the solution of water and detergent. Vinegar can assist in evaporating the water stain from your garment.^{[11]
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