How to wash and store scarves

A scarf doesn't need washing often; it isn't against the skin all day the way a shirt is. Air it after wearing, wash it when it needs it, and store it so it doesn't crease. Twenty minutes of care a few times a year is all it takes.

Hand washing, step by step

1. Check the fabric. The product page and the care tag tell you what you have. Silk and wool: dry clean or hand wash cool. Viscose, cotton, polyester and acrylic: hand wash cool, or machine on gentle in a mesh bag for cotton and polyester.
2. Fill a basin with cool water and a little mild detergent. A teaspoon of a gentle liquid detergent (or baby shampoo for silk) in a basin of cool water. Hot water fades color and shrinks wool.
3. Soak for five minutes, then swish. Don't scrub or twist. Move the scarf gently through the water. For a mark, work a drop of detergent in with your fingertip.
4. Rinse until the water runs clear. Two or three changes of cool water. For silk, a tablespoon of white vinegar in the last rinse restores the sheen.
5. Press out the water in a towel. Lay the scarf flat on a clean towel, roll the towel up and press. Never wring; it breaks the fibers in silk and viscose and stretches wool.
6. Dry flat, out of the sun. Unroll onto a dry towel or a mesh rack, straighten the edges and fringe, and let it dry away from heat and sunlight. Hanging stretches the weave; sun fades the print.
7. Finish with a cool iron on the reverse. While still slightly damp, iron on the lowest setting from the back, with a pressing cloth for silk. Steam, not pressure, for wool.

When dry cleaning is worth it

Printed silk with many colors, anything with beading or embroidery, and wool with a soft finish. The risk with silk at home is dye moving; test a corner first, and if the water colors, stop and take it to the cleaner.

Stains

Act quickly and gently. Blot, don't rub. Cool water first; a drop of detergent for food and makeup; for oil, a little cornstarch left on for an hour, then brushed off, before washing. Never use bleach on any scarf.

Storing

• Silk and viscose: folded loosely in a drawer, or rolled, with tissue between pieces. Hanging leaves a crease line and stretches the bias.
• Wool and knits: folded, never hung, with a cedar block nearby. Clean before storing for the summer; moths go for worn fibers.
• Cotton and polyester: folded or rolled; they're the least fussy.
• Everything: out of direct sun, which fades print along the fold lines.

Fringe and snags

Comb fringe gently with a wide-tooth comb while damp. For a pulled thread, don't cut it; ease the fabric around it back into place and pull the loop through to the back with a needle.