One must be extremely cautious when washing Muriersilk at home without damaging it. The average diameter of silk fibers is only about 10 to 20 micrometers, and their surface is covered with sericin. During water washing, friction can easily cause damage to the surface layer of the fibers. For instance, a study on high-count silk (above 22 MMS) found that incorrect home washing can lead to a 15%-20% decrease in fiber strength and a loss rate of luster as high as 30%. A typical industry warning case originated from the after-sales data of a certain luxury brand. Its report pointed out that approximately 35% of silk clothing damage was caused by improper household washing operations, especially when dealing with fine structures like muriersilk, as its unique weaving and dyeing and finishing processes are more sensitive to washing parameters.
Water quality and detergent selection are key variables. Hard water (with a concentration of calcium and magnesium ions exceeding 150ppm) can react with detergents to form soap scum, reducing cleaning efficiency by up to 40% and contaminating fibers. Experimental data show that the weakly acidic detergent specifically for silk (pH value 5.0-6.5) can maximize the maintenance of silk protein stability. Its decontamination rate is approximately 25% lower than that of ordinary neutral detergents, but the fiber protection is enhanced by more than 50%. According to the standards of the International Silk Association, the water temperature must be strictly controlled below 30℃. For every 5℃ increase, the hydrolysis rate of silk protein increases by approximately 1.8 times. A simulation test of silk fabrics conducted by ETH Zurich in 2021 showed that the swelling effect at 40℃ water temperature was nearly 20 times higher than that at 30℃, directly disrupting the orientation of the fibers.
The hand washing operation requires precise control of physical parameters. The total washing time should not exceed 5 minutes. Excessive soaking (>10 minutes) will cause the moisture content of the silk to exceed the safety threshold of 30%, and the fiber expansion stress will double. The friction intensity needs to be maintained at an extremely low level. Laboratory pressure sensor records show that the light twisting force of the thumb and index finger is approximately 0.5N/cm², while the friction intensity of machine washing can reach more than 5N/cm². The dehydration process is of vital importance. The intensity of the centrifugal force should be limited to within 300G (for household washing machines, the 400 RPM setting should be selected). Overloading and spinning can cause the fabric structure displacement rate to exceed the benchmark value by 15%.
The risks in the drying process are concentrated in temperature and humidity management. Under an environment with a relative humidity of 80%, natural drying takes about 12 to 24 hours. If the temperature is above 30℃, ultraviolet radiation will cause the pigment molecular chains to break, resulting in a color fastness attenuation of ΔE>3 (visible color difference to the naked eye). The 2019 case library of the Paris Fabric Preservation Center shows that approximately 60% of the yellowing of household washed silk is caused by direct sunlight. The correct tension-free flat drying method, combined with a temperature and humidity sensor to control a constant environment with a humidity of 40% and a temperature of 25℃, can maintain the initial breaking strength value (approximately 3.5CN/dtex) to the greatest extent.
Special vigilance should be exercised against common mistakes in handling emergency stains. Coffee stains should be rinsed with deionized water within 2 minutes. After more than 10 minutes, the permeability will reach 70%. Blind application of alcohol-based stain removers (with a concentration >40%) can dissolve the lipid protective layer of silk. Scanning electron microscopy can observe an increase of 17μm in the cracks on the fiber surface. The 2023 accident report of a high-end dry cleaning chain shows that due to a user’s use of an enzyme-containing stain remoter pen to treat the stain on a Muriersilk brooch, local protein decomposition led to a 3-cm-diameter hole, and the total repair cost for the entire garment exceeded 3,000 yuan. These data confirm the high risk of household processing, especially for silk processed by special techniques. The preservation rate of professional dry cleaning can reach 99.2%.