A great silk tie comes with great responsibility. They’re delicately and beautifully finished, and a stain could be fatal.
Here’s how to avoid mistakes that could be potentially fatal to your new shiny tie.
When stains occur, do not try and wash with water
This is the biggest mistake made by thousands of tie wearers regularly. You get some food or drink on your tie and the immediate reaction is to run to the bathroom and quickly wash it out with water; but hold on.
Trying to wash your silk tie with water could cause the stain to worsen and be joined by a water stain – which is what happens when water comes in contact with silk. This ‘water stain’ is very difficult to get rid of once it occurs so it’s best to avoid using water to clean your tie.
Wipe off any excess with a dry cloth
Instead of attempting to use water on the stain, the best option for an immediate stain when you are out and about is to blot of any excess from your tie with a dry clean cloth.
You should then leave the tie and wait until you can clean it correctly.
Use rubbing alcohol
You can use rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol on non-greasy stains (find out how here) but most of the time it is best to ask your tie provider to advise you on the best way to go about cleaning when various stains occur.
For some silks, dry-cleaning is recommended
