Shawls...How to Clean Shawls

Shawls have been extensively used as a fashion accessory not only in these times but also in the earlier days of its developments. A shawl is typically a piece of clothing worn around the upper chest to keep the body warm. It was essentially made of special wool from a mountain goat found only in the Himalayas in Asia. It is very important for modern day owners to know how to clean and manage their delicate pieces of garment. This is to ensure longer life span and of course, to preserve its unmatched elegance and sophistication.

Generally, shawl is handled in much the same way as we handle or care for any woolen item. First off, woolen items have the tendency to shed, leaving fluffs that are annoying to behold. Wrinkling is also common and since heat is a very sensitive issue to such garments, you cannot iron them directly.

When one needs to wear a shawl, make sure to give it a 24-rest in between wearing. This is needed to allow the garment to naturally iron out its wrinkles from the preceding usage, eliminating the need for a separate press. To help facilitate the removal of the wrinkles, hang them on a bathroom with the steam on because moisture from the steam will straighten the wrinkles.

In washing such pieces of garment, do not machine wash them unless they are considered to be washing machine-safe. There are garments that come with manufacturer\'s labels indicating they can be washed in a machine. Otherwise, you will need to wash them by hand. There are a few things you need to keep in mind, though in washing shawls.

Soak shawls and other similar garments in a cleaning solution of warm or cold water and mild soap for about three to five minutes.

Use only mild soap or a liquid detergent that do not contain bleach or any other harsh cleaning agent so as to preserve the delicate chemical bonds of the fabric\'s fibers.

Gently agitate the solution where the garments are soaked in order to remove dirt. Do not scrub the garment or even forcefully rub opposite surfaces together. Gentle squeezing of portions of the garment is more preferred than forceful rubbing. In removing soap suds from the garment, do not wring it or even twist it as we would normally do with other fabrics. Instead, gently squeeze the garment one segment at a time until all soap suds have been removed.

In removing excess water from the garment, do not wring or twist it, too. Again, gentle squeezing is preferred than forceful wringing or twisting. Immersing the garment in clean water then immediately hanging them on a padded hanger has been proven effective. Water naturally drains or drips from the garment this way because of gravity.