A good silk saree or bridal lehenga can last for decades — or be ruined in one season of careless storage. Most damage comes from three things: stains left to set, moisture trapped in storage, and folds that stay in one place for too long.
After you wear it
- Air it before folding. Hang it in the shade for a few hours so sweat and perfume can evaporate. Never fold and store an outfit straight after an event.
- Check for stains. Look especially at the pallu, the hem and the blouse underarms. Turmeric, oil and food stains are easiest to remove when fresh.
- Wear perfume before you dress, not sprayed onto silk or zari — the alcohol can mark the fabric and tarnish metallic thread.
Wash or dry clean?
Pure silk, zari and heavily embroidered or embellished sarees and lehengas should be dry cleaned. Cotton sarees can usually be hand-washed — separately and in cold water, since new cotton sarees often bleed colour in the first few washes. When in doubt, check the label or ask us; we inspect every piece before cleaning and will tell you if it carries a risk. See our saree and lehenga dry cleaning.
How to store them
- Use muslin or cotton, not plastic. Plastic traps moisture, which can cause mildew and yellowing.
- Refold every few months. Silk weakens along fold lines that stay fixed for a long time, and can eventually tear there. Change where the folds fall.
- Keep heavy lehengas folded or flat in a cotton bag, rather than hanging them for months; the weight of the work can pull at the waistband.
- Keep mothballs from touching silk — use neem leaves or wrap the repellent separately.
- Store away from direct sunlight, which fades colour.
Wedding stains
Haldi, mehendi, oil and food are the usual suspects. Don't scrub, and don't use hot water on silk. Blot gently, then get the garment cleaned as soon as you can. Our stain first-aid guide covers what to do in the first hour, and our stain removal service handles the rest.
Before the wedding season
Standard delivery is a few days, so plan ahead: send outfits for cleaning well before the event rather than the day before.