Caring for Vintage Silk, Wool, and Cashmere: 5 Rules from a Seller

Vintage clothing lives on a different timescale than what you buy new. A silk blouse made in 1975 has already survived fifty years, it'll survive another fifty if you care for it properly, and end up in a landfill within a few years if you don't.

Here are the five rules I follow with my own vintage, and the ones I recommend to anyone buying a piece they want to keep for years.

Rule 1: Never put vintage in the washing machine

Modern machines are too aggressive for fabrics made before the 1990s. The agitation, water temperature, and detergent chemistry are all designed for synthetic-heavy modern clothing, not natural-fibre vintage. Even a "delicate cycle" will pull at seams, shrink fibres, and break down dye.

Three routes that actually work:

Hand wash, cold water, mild soap. Works for cotton, linen, most silk. Fill a basin, drop the piece in, gently agitate with your hands for 30 seconds, let soak 5–10 minutes, lift out (don't wring), rinse, press between towels, lay flat to dry.

Dry clean. Works for structured silk, wool coats, tailored pieces, anything with a lining. Find a dry cleaner who handles vintage specifically, ask before dropping off.

Spot clean only. Works for delicate vintage pieces with embellishment, embroidery, or beading. A damp cloth and a drop of soap, blotting (not rubbing) the stain.

Rule 2: Dry naturally, always

Tumble drying is worse than washing machines. The heat alone destroys natural fibres, silk yellows, wool shrinks, cashmere pills.

• Silk: lay flat on a cotton towel, away from direct sunlight. Silk's dye can fade in hours under sun.
• Wool: lay flat, shape gently while damp, away from heat sources. Never on a radiator.
• Cashmere: lay flat on a towel, reshape to original dimensions, flip once to dry evenly.
• Cotton and linen: can be hung, but still out of direct sun. The sun will bleach naturally dyed vintage within one afternoon.

If you have to dry something quickly, use a fan. Never heat.

Rule 3: Store vintage like a collector, not like a closet

How you store matters as much as how you wash. Vintage pieces in bad storage develop problems that are hard or impossible to reverse.

For silk and wool:

• Padded hangers (wooden or fabric-covered), never wire
• Breathable cotton garment bag, never plastic
• Cedar blocks or lavender sachets for moth protection. Never mothballs, the chemicals break down fibres.
• Away from direct light
• Humidity between 45–55% if you can manage it

For knitwear:

• Fold, don't hang. Hanging distorts the shoulders over time.
• Store flat in drawers or on shelves
• Cedar or lavender, same rule as silk

For delicate or beaded pieces:

• Lay flat, ideally in acid-free tissue paper
• Cool and dark
• Never in cardboard (acidic) or plastic (traps moisture)

Rule 4: Repair small things immediately

A tiny loose thread becomes a seam tear. A two-millimetre moth hole becomes a coin-sized hole within six months. A missing button stresses the placket.

Keep a small repair kit: silk thread in black and cream, a sharp hand-sewing needle, a few basic buttons. Ten minutes of repair work now saves a garment that would otherwise be unwearable in a year.

If it's beyond home repair, a blown zip, a torn lining, a broken strap, take it to a tailor who handles vintage. Ask whether they're familiar with period construction before dropping anything off.

Rule 5: Wear it

The final rule, and the most overlooked: vintage clothing is meant to be worn.

I see people buy beautiful vintage pieces and keep them in storage as "too special to wear." The dye fades anyway. The fibres degrade anyway. The piece achieves nothing sitting in a closet.

Wear your vintage. Rotate through it. Let it pick up your story on top of all the stories it already has. A silk blouse that's been loved for fifty years and then loved for another twenty is the whole point.

Notes by fabric

Silk. Never spray perfume directly on silk, the alcohol destroys the fibres. Apply perfume first, let it dry, then dress.

Wool. Brush down with a soft clothing brush after each wear to remove dust and surface dirt. This alone can extend the life of a wool coat by decades.

Cashmere. Wash less than you think. A cashmere sweater worn over a shirt usually doesn't need washing for 10–15 wears. Over-washing is what pills it.

Cotton and linen. The most forgiving of vintage fabrics. Can handle a gentle machine cycle on delicate if you have to, but still better by hand.

Leather and suede. Never water-wash. Wipe with a damp cloth, condition with a product made for the specific material. Store with a cotton cloth inside to retain shape.

When to take it to a specialist

Some things are worth paying a professional for:

• Vintage wedding dresses or bridal pieces
• Beaded or sequinned pieces over 40 years old
• Anything with a designer label worth more than €200
• Pieces you plan to pass down as heirlooms

A good vintage conservator is worth the cost. Ask at your local museum, they usually know who in your city does this well.

Where to find pieces worth caring for

Browse Vintage Blouses & Tops, Vintage Jumpers & Knitwear, Vintage Lingerie & Slips, and the rest of the shop for pieces worth keeping. If you want care advice for a specific piece you're looking at, email hi@bohemefolk.com, I'll tell you exactly how to handle it.

, Victoria