Taking care of Hand Painted Sarees

How to wash, care and maintain Hand Painted Sarees (Madhubani, Pattachitra, Sourachitra etc)

As the owner of a hand painted saree, you will be wearing art! As a connoisseur of this Indian artisanal product, you would surely want to care for it so that the colours continue to stay vibrant over the years and the saree continues to look beautiful.

A few simple instructions could help you keep the saree in mint condition. Please read the below instructions which could be a simple guide to continued happiness! Please note that the instructions below are only for hand-painted Tussar or pure silk sarees (and not for other types of silk/zari sarees like Kanjeevaram).

1. As a handcrafted and hand painted saree, please take adequate care while wearing it and please note that the saree does not require frequent washing since we presume that you would be wearing it only on special occasions.
2. Always store the saree in a dry and cold place, preferably wrapped in a piece of cloth. You may use silica gel packets to absorb the moisture.
3. Periodically change the folds of the saree to avoid permanent crease.
4. Never press on the area that is painted directly. Always press on the reverse side of the saree. Steam press with a soft cotton cloth gives better result.
5. If the saree needs to be washed after a few wears, you may consider dry cleaning. Dry cleaning is preferred to hand-wash at home.
6. However, if you do feel the need to wash it at home, use gentle cleansing agent like Ezee or a baby shampoo.
7. Never put the saree for machine wash. It must be hand-washed only.
8. Fold the saree length-wise and dip in a cold water baby shampoo or Ezee solution and let it soak for 10-15 minutes.
9. In case there is a particular stain, please scrub it with your hands delicately.
10. After soaking, bring out the saree and dip in a bucket with cold water and leave it for 15-20 minutes so that the shampoo separates from the fabric.
11. Thereafter, bring out the saree and drain out as much water as you can by folding the saree again and putting pressure on it. Please DO NOT wring the saree.
12. Once you have rinsed most of the water out, please drip dry it in a shaded place. DO NOT put in a tumble dryer. Also, do not dry in direct sunlight as that could render the colours dull.
13. Once dry, please have the saree pressed from the reverse so that the iron does not get into direct contact with the colours.

These simple steps should ensure that your exquisite hand painted saree keeps looking vibrant and new for years!