How to properly care for ties?
Ties are often woven from noble and delicate natural fibers such as silk, linen, wool or cashmere. So a stain can easily be their undoing. Of course, a man doesn't wear a tie for housework, gardening or sports, but stains can still happen easily.
The stain hazards of everyday life:
- a leaking pen or a freshly printed document
- a spilled cup of coffee, a dripping sandwich or a gravy heavy dish during a business lunch
- your baby's milk burp just before you're about to head out the door
- a champagne shower at a friend's wedding
And no, unfortunately, this doesn't just happen to others!
You now have two options for cleaning:
1. do it yourself: Ties should not be washed in a washing machine, even on a gentle cycle. However, you can use curd soap that you have lightly moistened with lukewarm water. Above all, do not rub the stain, otherwise it will penetrate deeper into the fabric. Dab the stain gently, let the soap sit for fifteen minutes, and then rinse the stain with cold water. Depending on the stain and the fabric, there are also many other ways to clean the tie yourself, such as mixtures of 70 percent alcohol and cold water, white vinegar, ammonia or talc, which are usually available in garden stores and supermarkets. Before applying these products to the stain, check on a concealed area of the tie to make sure the fabric is not fading.
2. have a professional do it: today there are many companies that offer cleaning and ironing services. You can opt for a traditional dry cleaner, where you drop off your ties and pick them up after a few days, or for an at-home cleaning service: professionals will pick up your ties at your place and bring them back (a real time-saver for those with busy schedules).
We tested a dry cleaning service for you to see how effective they are at removing stains. For our test, we stained two ties very generously:
- Pink tie: ketchup and hot sauce.
- Green tie: mayonnaise and coffee
Result of this test: the stains disappeared well. However, the ties fabric showed traces of dry cleaning. It seems that the fabric was stretched for cleaning.
Our advice: make sure you choose the right dry cleaner (recommendation from colleagues, friends or Google reviews). Inquire about the cleaning method for ties, which require special attention due to the delicate fabrics, as too much cleaning can damage them and shorten their life expectancy.