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Care guide · 2 min read

Silk, cashmere and wool: what needs dry cleaning

Silk blouses, cashmere jumpers for cold offices and wool suits for travel: they look their best for years if you treat them gently, and they shrink, felt or spot if you do not. Here is how to tell what can be washed at home and what needs a dry cleaner.

01Why these fabrics need care

Silk, wool and cashmere are natural animal fibres. Heat and rubbing make wool and cashmere shrink and turn to felt, and once that happens it cannot be undone. Silk loses its shine, water-spots easily and is weakened by sweat and strong sun. Gentle handling is what keeps them soft and the right size.

02Read the label first

  • Dry clean only: do not put it in water; it needs a dry cleaner
  • Dry clean (without 'only'): a dry cleaner is safest, but careful hand washing may be possible
  • Hand wash: cool water, a little detergent made for wool or silk, no soaking for long
  • A crossed-out tub: never wash it in water at all

Watch it in 30 seconds

CEDAR READ THE LABEL FIRST 100% CASHMERE CARE WITH LOVE HAND WASH COOL HAND WASH COOL, DRY FLAT WOOL PRESS GENTLY. DO NOT WRING DRY IT FLAT, AWAY FROM THE SUN CEDAR CLEAN BEFORE STORING CEDAR SUITS AND SILK: HAND THEM TO US SUITS, SILK OR CASHMERE? HAND THEM TO US. BOOK A PICKUP WE CHECK EVERY CARE LABEL FIRST

03If the label allows hand washing

  • Use cool water and a detergent made for wool or delicates
  • Press the water through gently; do not rub, twist or wring
  • Rinse in water of the same temperature, because a sudden change can shrink wool
  • Roll it in a towel to take out the water, then dry it flat, away from the sun

04What to leave to a dry cleaner

  • Suits, blazers and tailored wool coats, which hold their shape from inner layers that water can distort
  • Silk with a sheen, prints or linings, and anything marked dry clean only
  • Cashmere with a stain you cannot lift with cool water
  • Pieces with beading, embroidery or leather trims

05Storing them in Dubai

Cold offices and malls mean wool and cashmere get worn far into the year, then packed away for the summer. Clean them before storing, because moths are drawn to body oils and food marks. Fold knits rather than hanging them, so they do not stretch, and keep everything in breathable cotton bags in a cool, dry cupboard, not plastic in a hot room.

06Or hand it to us

Give it to our driver and we check every care label before anything is cleaned, and if something is not right, we clean it again for free. A suit is AED 55 to dry clean, a jacket or blazer AED 40 and a basic dress AED 40.