Care for silk scarves and other silk items

With the approaching holiday season we're making sure that our holiday best looks its best. Here are some tips on how to clean silk scarves and other silk items to keep them looking vibrant and beautiful. All natural silk fabrication blends are delicate and required a softer touch.
Before you wash your silk scarves please take in consideration the overall quality of the item. If the scarves are at a lower price the chances are the quality of printed inks and fabrications are not the best and will be more susceptible to color fading, ink bleeding as well as fabric stretching. Please test a small portion before preceding with the wash. If your scarf is a little more expensive then the overall manufacturing process is of a better quality in terms of inks, fabrication and with careful maintenance it can last forever.

The easiest way is to have the scarves dry cleaned but if you'd like to get involved here are some easy suggestions:
Hand wash silk scarves in lukewarm or cold water using soft detergent. I like using "Woolite", "Tide" or "All" dye and fragrance free versions. Do not use Bleach not even color safe bleach. Soak the scarves for a few minutes. Stained areas can be gently rubbed with fingers and a little extra detergent. Wash the detergent off and squeeze to remove excess water. Do not twist or wring the scarf and hang or lay to dry.  Warm iron can be used if needed.

Extra maintenance tip: avoid spraying perfumes directly on any fabric to prevent color and fabric damage.

If you have more silk scarves cleaning suggestions please share.