How to care for your silk products

Silk is an incredibly luxurious fabric that has natural dirt repellant properties.

Wrinkle free silk

Silk is a natural protein fibre, so it tends to crease easier than synthetic fibres. Steaming is the best method to keep your silk wrinkle free. You can simply hang it in a steamed bathroom to help flatten out the creases, or use a steamer.

Storage and Travel

All our pure mulberry silk products are carefully packaged in a secure box. We recommend to keep them in the original packaging when possible to retain their quality, especially when travelling.

Washing

To extend the longevity of your silk products hand wash in Woolite, but be sure to follow the instructions.

Handwashing

Turn the silk garment inside out.
Fill a basin or bath with lukewarm water – 30 degrees Celsius
Add a few drops of silk detergent
Submerge the garment and gently stir in the soapy water with your hands to evenly and distribute the detergent in the water.
Soak for 30 minutes
Take the garment out of the soapy water (if there is colour in the water do not panic – this is normal. You will not notice any loss of colour in the garment when you are done)
Run clean lukewarm water through the garment until the rinse water is no longer soapy
DO NOT ring or twist the garment
Use a clean white towel to soak up the moisture.
Lay the item flat in its natural shape on a drying rack or hang to dry. If you happen to hang to dry, position the item properly on the hanger to prevent stretching.

Mulberry silk now accounts for more than 95% of the silk produced globally.

What is inside your duvet?

SILK BATTING

Silk duvet inners are made using pure 100% silk batting in different togs to create the ideal weight and warmth for the season or climate.

Silk batting is identifiable by the sheen on the silk.

In South Africa in particular, we use 3.2 tog for summer duvets and 6.4 tog for winter duvets.

Custom tog silk duvets can be ordered and manufactured by special request. The lowest tog is 2 tog which is required for full coverage.

POLYESTER/HOLLOW FIBRE FILLING

Polysester is the material used to create hollow fibre duvet filling. It essenially tries to immitate silk but apart from looking similar to silk in some respects, it does not have the same temperature regulation capabilities or the longevity.

Hollow fibre is much cheaper than silk or any of the feather fillings.

Hollow fibre is light, is springy to the touch and retains it’s puffiness fairly well. It is not possible to reinvigorate hollow fibre like Silk duvet inners.

DUCK DOWN/FEATHER FILLING

Feather filling, including various grades of duck down are the most common and popular fillings found as duvet fillings around the world.

Goose and duck down have very good thermal properties, helping to regulate temperature and as with Silk, the tog of the duvet determines what climate it is ideal for.

The tog of top quality duck/goose down duvet inners require less feather material to achieve the same tog rating.

What is a tog rating

The tog rating is a measure of the warmth of a duvet. It indicates the ability of the duvet to trap and retain heat and and when combined with the ability of the filling materials heat regulation properties, means, the higher the tog rating, the warmer the duvet.

The tog rating system provides a standardized way to communicate the thermal insulation of a duvet. Here’s a general guide to tog ratings and their corresponding warmth levels:

2.0 to 6.4 Tog

These are lightweight duvets suitable for warmer weather or for people who prefer a cooler sleep environment. Our Silk Duvets are made in 2 different togs, 3.2 tog for summer and 6.4 tog for spring/winter.

At SILK.co.za we manufacture to order and are able to customize any duvet to the tog rating you require.

Silk Duvet Inner 3.2 Tog

Silk Duvet Inner 6.4 Tog

6.4 to 10.5 Tog

These are medium-weight duvets, suitable for cooler nights or for use in bedrooms with average temperatures.

12 to 13.5 Tog

These are heavyweight duvets designed for colder seasons or for individuals who tend to get cold during the night.

Over 13.5 Tog

These are extremely warm duvets, ideal for very cold climates or for individuals who are particularly sensitive to cold.

It’s important to note that personal preferences and individual factors, such as room temperature and personal body warmth, also play a role in choosing the right tog rating. Some people may find a lower tog rating sufficient even in colder weather if they tend to sleep warmly, while others may need a higher tog rating for extra insulation.

It’s a good idea to consider the tog rating in conjunction with the material and construction of the duvet to ensure the desired level of comfort. Additionally, some duvets come with options for different tog ratings on each side, allowing users to adapt to changing seasons or personal preferences.

In the case of silk tog ratings, it is possible to tie tie two of the summer duvets (3.2 tog rating) together to create a Spring Dub=vet. (6.4 tog rating)