I ask because I have some silk undershirts-they are great (keeps you cool in summer, warm in the winter). However, every label says “DO NOT Bleach”. The problem is that the silk yellows with time (and exposure to sweat).
Is there any way to restore the white color (without destroying them)?
No, you can’t use chlorine bleach on silk, wool or other animal fibers, because the chlorine reacts with the proteins and the fabric will be damaged.
Hydrogen peroxide is usually recommended for bleaching silk.
The old “crofting” method of hanging the wet washed garment in the open air under bright sunlight is probably not the best idea in this case, since silk doesn’t hold up well under sunlight exposure.
Chlorine bleach is beastly awful to animal fibers - eats it right up.
Sunlight is nearly as bad for silk, because the sun also will damage it pretty badly, and will actually yellow it worse, thus making your problem even more extensive.
I would second the peroxide bleach, with the comment that if it’s underwear, just live with the yellowing - it isn’t like anyone is going to see it.
Are you saying ralph never gets lucky? :eek:
LOL - not really.
My actual logic went more like: longjohns/silk undershirts aren’t “sexyfuntime” undies for either gender, therefore they wouldn’t be worn when others would potentially be around to see them.
Now that you mention it, I suppose there is Option B, wherein **Ralph **is so much of a sex god that he DOES regularly wear his silky undershirts for sexyfuntime, in which case, obviously, no one is caring about the yellowing. 