How to Clean a Necktie

Video Transcript

"Hi my name is Mark Breaux. I've been working in men's tailored clothing for about twenty five years now. And I'm here to talk to you about how to clean a tie and a little bit about the maintenance of a tie. Most quality ties are made out of silk, the liners on the inside of them are wool, the liner I'm speaking of is the lining that you can't see. It's not this lining here, it's the lining that gives the body of the tie. And that's this liner in here, it's a fairly thick fabric, it gives the tie the weight and the body that it needs. Better quality ties are made out of wool, the liners are made out of wool. The outside is obviously made out of silk. Those two fabrics do much better if you have them dry cleaned. Dry cleaning the tie you want to use a quality dry cleaners, it's a delicate fabric, it's a delicate fabrics and also the construction of them. It's not something that you can take a rough and tumble of a dryer or washer and a dryer real well. So you want to use a quality dry cleaners and most of the time all the stains or whatever comes out. I prefer to avoid spilling something on it and just keep them clean to start with. That obviously works much better. If you are in a situation where you do need to clean a tie yourself, if you get a spot or spill or something on it, there is a dry cleaning products out on the market that you can buy at most stores. My experience with them is sometimes if you are not real careful with them, they can leave a ring, especially on a lighter colored or a more solid based tie. If you have a lot of pattern to it, it'll also, it often hides the ring so it's not so visible. But also you can just use simple talcum powders if something gets on the tie that's wet or oily, sprinkle talcum powder on it, let that sit on it and that will draw the oils and the moisture out of the tie and then you can brush it off. And that's my recommendation for how to clean a tie."