A sari, also spelled saree, is a style of clothing worn by women, primarily in South Asian countries such as India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal. Here in Canada, sari use is on the rise! They are beautiful, comfortable, and are available in an enormous variety of materials and design.
Saris are available in cotton, silk and polyester blends, and the finishes can be simple hand embroidery to sequined masterpieces. Although ornate saris can look intimidating when it comes to laundering, washing them is way easier than you think!
BUCKET, SINK OR BETTER YET, BATHTUB!
Silk blouses, delicate intimates and pashminas all end up in our hand washing hampers, and your sari should too. The only difference is that on average, saris are made with lots of material so washing them in a bucket or small sink isn’t ideal. If you have access to a bathtub great, otherwise use an extra-large bucket.
JUST WATER & SOAP
Place your sari in your sink or bucket, add cold water, plus just one squirt of mild dishwashing soap, mild laundry detergent or a mild shampoo. If washing in the bathtub, just fill with enough water to soak the sari. Submerge your sari until all the material is wet, plunge and swirl a few times to make everything sudsy. Leave it to soak for half an hour.
RINSE, RINSE, THEN DRIP DRY
After your sari has soaked for half an hour, dump or drain the water. Now it’s time to gently rinse out the soap. Fill the bucket, sink or bathtub with water, and plunge your sari again. Repeat a couple more times until the suds are gone. Gently bunch the sari into itself to squeeze out excess water. Again, gentle is key when removing excess water for heavily sequined saris. Now, wrap your sari in a towel to sop up excess water. Your sari is ready to hang up somewhere it can dry. Leave it to air dry for 24 hours.
Spend more time focusing on the finer things in life and leave the cleaning to the professionals! Find your local MOLLY MAID to schedule a deep clean of your home or sign up for our seasonal cleaning program this summer!
Photo by Vikas Shankarathota
