Can I iron silk? How to iron silk safely at home

While writing about the various ways of removing wrinkles from silk previously [Link here], and washing silk [Link here], it occurred to me that laundry always ends off with ironing. So, here we are today, talking about how to go about ironing silk without ruining it.

Does silk need to be ironed?

I’ve mentioned previously that if you wash and hang your silks up after, most; if not all of the wrinkles would be gone. But some of you might like your silk to look sleeker and more professional. Or perhaps, you have stubborn wrinkles on your silk garment.

However, silk is delicate and needs extra tender loving care. Do not iron silk at the same temperatures that you iron cotton and linen!

What happens if you iron silk too hot?

Ironing silk at a temperature that is too hot may lead to scorches marks, leaving a burn mark. It may melt the fibres and fabric, giving the silk fabric an undesirable shiny sheen. If the temperatures are high enough, it may even result in shrinkage due puckering of the silk fabric.

All of these are irreparable damage to your silk garment. Hence, learning to iron silk at the right iron settings, temperature and ironing technique is important. Repeated ironing of any garment ages the garment quicker.

 

What Iron Setting to use for Silk

Many modern irons have an actual silk or delicates setting, which would be your best option. Check the base of the iron or the instruction manual, its usually on it. My iron has silk settings, but I generally use the lowest heat and work my way up slowly

In the event that your iron doesn’t have such a feature, use the lowest possible heat setting instead. If it is not hot enough, slowly increase the heat setting. But it should still be within the range of low temperatures. Remember to select the steam option if there is one.

What temperature should I iron silk at?

Although keeping your iron at a low heat is crucial for ironing silk, there is actually a recommended range of temperatures. The optimal temperature to iron silk garments falls between 110 – 150°C, the equivalent of 230 – 300°F.

Any temperature lower than 110°C / 230°F may take a longer time to remove wrinkles from the silk garment.  In fact, the lower temperature would cause longer time spent in ironing and the prolonged repeated exposure to the iron’s heat is not good for the silk garment.

Aim to keep your temperature between 110 – 150°C / 230 – 300°F!

When is the best time to iron silk

The best time to wash, agreed my most professional launders, right after handwashing it, but not while it is soaking wet! Remove excess water from the silk garment by squeezing it, then rolling up in a clean absorbent towel. You may also choose to air dry it for a while. Instructions on how to handwash silk are found in this other post [Link].

Silk has to be slightly damp to minimise the effects of the iron’s heat. If your silk garment is dry, you may use a spray bottle and mist its entire surface. If you’re using a steam iron, fill it up with water and use its steam feature.

 

Can You Iron Silk When Wet?

Never iron silk while it is dripping wet. Think of wet hair, if you try straightening or curling wet hair with a flat iron or curler, it sizzles. Your hair will crack, split and lose its shine. It works the same way for silk.

Burn or scorch marks might be left on your silk garment if you iron it while it is too wet.

Things to prepare before ironing your silk garment

A couple of things to take note of, it may sound straightforward but you’ll be surprised at how often its overlooked.

Check your silk garment before ironing it

Watch out for any stains that may not have come off during the wash, do a spot clean or wash the garment again before ironing. Do not iron over any stains as the heat may cause the stain to settle firmly into the silk fibres.

Prepare a white cotton sheet

You may choose to cover your ironing board with a clean white cotton sheet. The purpose is to protect the silk garment from potential colour transfer from your ironing board.

To be frank, this is a step I skip. But feel free to try it, no harm being safer!

Its good to prepare your white press sheet or press cloth at this phase too

You can either buy a press sheet or cloth, or use a thin white cloth.

Check that your iron is clean

Remove any burn marks or specks of dirt from previous use, else there’s a chance that it will blemish the silk garment.

How to clean your iron

If there are any marks or stubborn dirt spots on your iron, here’s what you can do. Mix one tablespoon of water and two tablespoons of baking soda to create a paste. Then, spread the paste over the iron plate and scrub lightly to remove any dirt or burn marks. Wipe with a damp cloth afterwards.

Now, you are ready to iron!

Step by step instructions for ironing silk

Here’s the general steps for ironing silk garments:

1. Turn on your iron to the silk / delicates or lowest temperature setting. Select the steam option if available. Wait a few minutes for it to heat up.
2. If your steam iron is not hot enough yet it will spit or drip water, wait a bit longer.
3. If you are not using a steam iron, take the time to fill up a spray bottle with water.
4. Place a clean white cotton sheet over your ironing board, if you are using one.
5. Once the iron is hot, run it over the cotton sheet or ironing board surface to remove any dust. It is also a good time to check that your steam iron is working.
6. Turn you silk garment inside out, we will iron the inside (wrong side) of the silk to protect the lustre of the surface
7. I recommend that you use a thin press cloth over the area you’ll be ironing to prevent scorch marks.
8. Start by ironing the smaller surfaces of the silk garment, such as collar, sleeves and cuffs
9. Move on to the body of the silk garment and iron out remaining creases.
10. Finish up by hanging your silk garment up to keep it wrinkle free
11. Remember to empty the water from your steam iron after use, to prevent the build-up of limescale within the iron.

Important ironing technique

When ironing silk, keep the back and forth dragging motions to a minimum. It is unlike ironing other fabrics; you do not slide your iron back and forth the silk fabric. Silk fibres are delicate and doing so would stretch the fibres out.

Instead, gently press downward, through the press cloth, lift up the iron and repeat on other wrinkled portions. Avoid pressing down on one area for a long period of time, even if you are using a press cloth, this would minimise scorch marks and burning. If the wrinkle is not going off, allow the area to cool for a while before and pressing again.

These steps hold true and will work for most silk garments. Check out the examples below!

How to iron a silk shirt, pictures and instructions.

Here are the models: silk shirt, press cloth, spray bottle.

We will be ironing the cream white silk shirt today. For a clearer picture, the black silk shirt would be used for demonstration purposes in one of the pictures.

To start off, turn the silk shirt inside out and dampen it with the spray bottle. We will be ironing the inside of the silk shirt. Line your ironing board with a white cotton sheet (I’ve skipped this step as colour transfer does not happen on my board).

Then, place the damp silk shirt on the ironing board. Cover the area to be ironed with the press cloth. I’ve used a thin white cotton tee shirt.

Start pressing the iron on the smaller surfaces of the silk garment, such as collar, sleeves and cuffs. Move on to the body of the silk garment and iron out remaining creases. I had to press out wrinkles on the body of my silk shirt twice to smoothen it. Check out the differences between attempt 1 and 2.

In case you are skeptical that this works, I took a mid-progress picture.

Finish up by hanging your silk garment up to keep it wrinkle free

Is it safe to iron a silk blouse?

If you follow the same instructions for ironing a silk shirt, perfectly safe. If your blouse has ruched areas, check out how to iron ruching below.

How to Iron a silk dress with a padded bodice?

You can iron a silk dress, the same way you ironed the silk shirt. If it is a long, maxi or midi silk dress, it’ll require more patience. Similar to the silk shirt, start with the smaller surfaces like the sleeves and straps.

If the silk dress has a padded bodice, use the steam function and hover your steam iron over it. Do not press down on the padded bodice, it will be flattened and unsightly.

Turn the silk dress inside out, and loop a single layer over the ironing board. Leave any excess fabric hanging off the ironing board. With silk dresses of all lengths, I find it easier to iron from top to bottom. Iron the top half, pulling the dress around the ironing board, complete a section then move downwards and repeat.

How to iron a ruched silk dress

Similar to a padded bodice, use the steam function and hover your steam iron over it. Do not press down on the ruched areas, it will be flattened and unsightly.

Wrinkles do not show up easily on ruched fabric once its worn, so don’t worry too much about it.

Tips for Ironing silk dresses with padded bodice and ruching

• Steam the bodice, and any ruching by hovering the steam iron above the area.
• Iron the dress inside out

• Mist areas with stubborn wrinkles with water, steam it, brush the fabric back and forth with quick, hand movement to straighten out the fabric slightly before press ironing.

Can You Iron a Silk Scarf?

If you can iron silk shirts, blouses and dresses, silk scarfs are probably the easiest of the lot to iron.

The smaller the silk scarf, the faster it is to iron, look at my silk scarf. I just spritz it with water, cover with a white press cloth and that’s it! Naturally, larger silk scarfs would take more work, but the process is the same.

Damped the silk scarf, use a press cloth, Iron systematically and you will be done in no time.

How to iron a silk pocket square

Ironing a silk pocket square is similar to ironing a silk scarf. One thing to take note of though you’re your pocket square has hand-rolled edges, don’t iron the edges! Iron only the inside flat area of the pocket square to retain the unique look of the edges.

Can You Iron Silk Pillowcases?

I leave mine hanging after handwashing it and the wrinkles are mostly gone. Besides, after slipping the pillow in it, its nearly perfect! But that’s me, if you are not as lazy, then feel free to iron it.

Remember to turn the silk pillowcase inside out, dampen it, use a press cloth and you can start ironing.

How to iron silk curtains

This is really tedious. Regardless of size or length, silk curtains are like humongous silk scarfs. By now you should have guessed, the method to ironing silk curtains is exactly the same as would iron a silk scarf and silk pocket square.

Tips for ironing silk curtains

I would however, wash the silk curtains before ironing them. You do not want any dust, dirt or stains to be ironed into the silk fabric.

Final tips for ironing silk

If your memory is like mine, bad on a good day and non-existent on a regular day, then take this as your mantra for ironing silk.

Dampen silk, press cloth, low heat, iron inside out.

That’s it! Practice makes perfect. I promise you, by the third, if not fifth silk item, the steps to ironing silk will be firmly in your mind. If it isn’t, you are always welcomed back here.