Comments on: How to Clean a Silk Tie

on 4/19/2008 I hope Bobs advice works! I have a box full of stained ties and now running out of selection so I may aswell give it a try. I will let you know how it goes in a few days....

on 4/11/2008 After slurging on an expensive and very sharp-looking Goergio Armani tie, I promptly ruined it with a large splotch of pizza grease. To say I was upset with myself was an understatement, but two days later I did an Internet search and came upon the above advice regarding putting talcum powder on the stain and leaving it overnight. I bought some Clubman talc from the corner pharmacy for around $4, sprinkled it on the grease stain, and--I swear--the next morning the was GONE. All the other advice I came across basically said, "forget it, throw the tie away." I'm glad I came across this, though! Four-dollar talc saved a $70-dollar tie!

on 6/30/2006 I must admit I was a little wary at first about wet cleaning a silk tie, but as Bob said if it's a choice between giving it a go or getting rid of it, it's worth a try! My tie turned out almost better than it started out!It is a Thai Silk tie, bought on holidays in Thailand, and it wasn't very expensive (so it wasn't even worth paying a good dry cleaner to try), but it is of quite good quality, and had only been worn once.
I pre-treated the stain (tomato pasta sauce) with a little Woolite and rubbed it with a couple of fingers very gently, just on the surface of the tie for a minute. Then I followed the Woolite instructions and gently swished the tie in lukewarm Woolite solution for about 3 minutes, then followed all of Bob's instructions.
When I took it out of the water my heart sank as the tie was completely puckered, and I thought the wrinkles would never come out. But I carried on, without stretching it, and rolled the tie in a big soft towel. The next day I laid it out flat on a towel to dry. I couldn't believe it, but the tie had completely flattened itself out in 2 days! It didn't need ironing, and in fact - the tie had become a little stiffer and easier to tie. And the vinegar rinse worked really well too, the shine is fabulous. I'm considering washing my boyfriend's other silk ties before he's even worn them!

on 3/7/2006 The following works best on softer silk ties.

*Hang a towel over a hot radiator.

*Rest tie flat on top of towel.

*Using a cold water-vapor spray, evenly spray the area the area, being careful not to soak.

*Have some absorbent kitchen tissue at hand to gently blot.

*Leave the tie over night. Repeat if necessary.

TIP: This will also help you re-shape your tie.

on 11/22/2005 The kind of softness we see in close-ups of glamorous movie stars are achieved by using a special filter over the lens with dimples over its surface, which will slightly distort facial flaws (such as pimples, wrinkles). These filters are costly, but you can achieve a very similar effect by buying a plain, clear filter for your camera (video or still) and carefully making a few dots on the filter using clear nail polish. The more dots you use, the softer the effect. If you are unable to screw a filter on your lens, you can just hold it in front of the camera before taking the picture. Cost: $10 for a filter, $2.50 for the clear nail polish.

on 11/22/2005 Good-quality silk ties (even those fancy woven ones) can be cleaned easily, either by a dry cleaner or by hand. They're really no more delicate than any other silk garment, the problem is that they're usually not pre-washed. Correct treatment is crucial to ensure they don't deform or shrink. I'm sure some people will disagree, but let's face it, if your choices are to either try washing the tie or tossing it, it's worth trying to wash it. If it's a particularly valuable tie it may be worth taking it to a cleaner, though I prefer doing it myself. That way I'm certain they're being cared for properly. Obviously you want to keep washings to a minimum, and I only do it if they've become badly wrinkled or stained. I've done this to several different types of silk ties with excellent results. Of course there are no guarantees, I can only share what has worked well for me.

Food stains should be treated as needed, and the correct treatment greatly depends on the particular stain. While a dry-cleaning solution will remove many stains, sometimes they can make a stain worse or even permanent. The best policy is avoidance; and bow ties completely avoid any problems with food stains on ties. It's impossible to give one treatment which will work well in all cases. For general cleaning by hand, my suggestion is to use a neutral detergent (such as Woolite) in cool water (not cold, and not hot). Don't wring the tie, just immerse it in the detergent and water solution and gently swish for 3-4 minutes, with gentle rubbing as needed. Water weakens silk fibers, so be careful! Pretreatment of stains is essential, because you can't remove many real stains by doing this. The wash is just to remove any remaining dirt and whatever was used to treat the stain.
Thoroughly rinse the tie in multiple sink fulls of cool water, again with no wringing. Try to remove as much detergent as possible, most neutral detergents will readily rinse out without much effort. A rinse in 1/4 cup of white vinegar to a typical sink full of water will remove any remaining traces of detergent and preserve the fabric's sheen (it really does help I've tried both with and without). Thoroughly rinse in clean water to remove any vinegar odor. Make sure you use white vinegar, because other types of vinegar will stain.

Drying is the easiest part. Roll the tie in a soft, clean towel overnight to remove most of the water, then lay it flat on a towel and let it air-dry naturally (I've also used absorbent paper towels to remove much of the water). Again, no wringing and as little pressure as possible! Never stretch or pull on the fabric while it's wet, as this will invariably distort the shape of the tie. Gentle treatment with steam will remove any remaining wrinkles, but this shouldn't be necessary in most cases. I've found most of my silk ties flatten themselves naturally after being immersed in water, and I've only had to do this once with an extremely badly-wrinkled tie. Nowadays I find washing them before they become that wrinkled is the best treatment.

on 11/22/2005 When it happens, don't do anything. When you get home or to the hotel, lay the silk garment on a flat surface with a towel or paper towel underneath it. Sprinkle the stain liberally with talcum powder. It does not matter if it's perfumed or not, as long as it's talcum powder. I used cornstarch once when I was in a pinch. Leave this on overnight or for as long as possible. This allows the grease to get absorbed by the powder. Use a clean face cloth or towel to brush off the powder. I've even used my nail brush. If it is still stained, re-apply. Sometimes it takes up to 3 applications. Take heart, I saved many a top from my lobster dinner this way.

on 11/22/2005 Rather than throw your tie over your shoulder, open the third button down on your shirt and tuck your tie inside. This really depends on the entree (i.e., spaghetti, soups or other dishes that tend to be on the messy side).

on 11/22/2005 When an ex got his silk ties dirty, they couldn't always be dry cleaned. I soaked and washed them GENTLY in Woolite, hung to dry (smooth out any wrinkles) and pressed lightly under another soft cloth such as a cloth diaper.