CARE GUIDE

HOW CAN YOU KEEP YOUR CLM GARMENT FOR A LIFETIME?

Wondering how to care for your clothes properly and optimise their quality?

Here is a short guide to help you keep your garments in perfect condition!

A large proportion of our garments are made from silk. Silk is a fine fabric that deserves careful treatment.

We share our tips for preserving your fabrics and keeping your pieces for longer.

To that end, we would like to present our cleaning method (tried and tested!).

FOR THIS, YOU WILL NEED:

A basin

The Dr.Beckmann stain-remover range (quick and convenient)

White vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, washing-up liquid…(if you opt for the natural method)

A clean white terry towel

A steamer or an iron

THE TRADITIONAL METHOD: Hand Washing

Whatever the garment, hand washing is the method that will best protect it! Far gentler than machine washing, it preserves the fabric’s quality and sheen. The fibres remain intact and the fabric does not lose its shape.

Although dry cleaning is possible for silk and/or delicate pieces, we recommend hand washing, which is quicker, less expensive and safer!

(Naturally, certain items such as jeans and workwear for butchers, farmers and painters…are machine washed at very high temperatures.)

For the CLM wardrobe, hand washing is recommended!

As with machine washing, several garments can be washed at once, BUT it is important to separate whites from colours.

WHICH DETERGENT?

When choosing your detergent, make sure it contains no bleaching agents, which can damage delicate fibres. Since powdered detergents often contain them, choose a liquid detergent instead, or simply use Marseille soap.

A cleaning product designed specifically for ‘wool’ or ‘delicates’ may also be used. Its foam generally protects the fibres during machine or hand washing.

WHICH CLEANING METHOD?

Hand washing has the advantage of reducing friction compared with a washing machine. With this in mind, avoid rubbing the fabric (to continue protecting the fibres). Instead, leave the silk to soak in soapy water (for no more than 5 minutes, so as not to damage the colours or fabric), then rinse it thoroughly in cold water.

Rinsing is essential! All detergent residue must be removed, as poorly rinsed fabric may become rough and white marks may appear.

I HAVE A STAIN—WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Is your garment stained? Before hand washing it, pre-treat the stain with a stain remover. We recommend the “Dr.Beckmann” range, which offers a product suited to every kind of stain (make-up, blood, pen ink, paint, etc.).

STEP 1: Fill a basin with lukewarm water* and add your detergent (one suited to the fabric).

*Please note: silk cannot withstand hot water

STEP 2 (if stained): Use the appropriate stain remover for the stain on the garment.

STEP 3: Leave the garment to soak in the soapy water (for no more than 5 min!).

STEP 4: Rinse thoroughly and squeeze out the water (without wringing) from your garment.

STEP 5: Leave to dry flat (preferably) on a terry towel.

HOW SHOULD I DRY IT?

Gently squeeze the garment by hand. Begin by rolling it into a ball and pressing it carefully to remove as much water as possible. You can then wrap it in a white terry towel to absorb the remaining water. This is a particularly effective technique for wool!

Drying flat is ideal for preventing your garments from losing their shape.

HOW SHOULD I IRON IT?

To iron a delicate fabric safely, set your iron to a low temperature. Then iron the garment inside out while it is still damp.

In our case, we use a steamer (the SteamOne model is very effective, though many others exist) with ‘gentle’ and ‘strong’ settings. It allows us to press our silk pieces very quickly, directly on the hanger and right side out.

With this method, we simply adjust the steam flow and keep the steamer a suitable distance from the fabric (the steamer never touches it). This technique makes steaming quick and effective.