How to Clean Rayon Fabric

Be gentle with your rayon fabrics

Rayon is a fiber made from wood pulp. When knitted or woven, it produces a light fabric suitable for garments, bedding and many other items for your home. As with most other fabrics, you will need to clean your rayon items regularly. But before you toss that rayon blouse or sheet into the basket with the rest of your laundry, keep in mind that rayon needs a bit of special care.

Things You'll Need

• Mild detergent

Instructions

1. Read the care tag before you begin. While it is possible to wash treated rayons by hand or in your washing machine, untreated rayons will need to be dry-cleaned. Attempting to wash untreated rayons at home may result in shrinkage and will cause the fabric's fibers to weaken.

2. Use a mild detergent and cool to warm water to clean rayon. If hand washing, prepare a solution of the two in a sink. Swirl the rayon in the solution, taking care not to scrub or wring it. Rinse the rayon thoroughly, rolling it in a towel afterward to remove excess moisture. If machine washing, run the rayon through the delicate cycle.

3. Allow the rayon to air-dry flat or on a hanger. You may also machine-dry your rayon on low heat. As you would cotton, remove the rayon promptly and hang to prevent wrinkling.

Tips & Warnings

• It is possible to iron rayon. Cheryl Mendelson, the author of "Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House," advises ironing the wrong side of the fabric on low to medium heat or with steam.

References

• FabricLink: Fiber Characteristics--Rayon
• Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House; Cheryl Mendelson; 1999
• Ohio State University Extension: Factsheet--Rayon