Silk is a precious fabric and its beauty is hard to beat. However, knowing the pros and cons should ensure that it is used where its best features can be enjoyed for a long time.
Silk – Pros
- Force: Silk in the strongest natural fiber in the world. It has a particularly good tensile strength, which means that it can withstand high tensile pressures.
- Texture: Everyone knows how pleasant silk is to touch, it has a soft and smooth texture that, unlike many synthetic fibers, is not slippery.
- Elasticity: The silk fiber is very elastic. It can stretch up to 20% of its original length before breaking. And unless its elasticity is tested frequently, it will return to its original size.
- Resilience: Silk fabrics are moderately resistant to wrinkles, making them ideal for both clothing and an interior designer’s dream.
- Draped: Silk curtains have the wow factor. They are so popular because silk has few rivals when it comes to draping. The fiber is flexible and elastic and strong enough to withstand frequent handling.
- Cleaning: The silk stays relatively clean. Its smooth surface does not capture dirt easily.
- Absorbency: Silk fiber can generally absorb about 11 percent of its weight in moisture and is easy to print and dye as a result. Dyed silk is normally colorfast.
Cons of silk
- Sunlight: Exposure to sunlight weakens silk fabrics. Obviously, this is something to consider for blinds and curtains. Raw silk is best suited to cope with sunlight.
- Washed: Silk fabrics should be washed with a mild detergent and ideally on a gentler cycle in the washing machine. Water stains appear easily on silk, but washing the fabric should remove them easily.
- Insect resistance: Insects love silk, especially clothes moths and carpet beetles, and if you’re not careful they could ruin your fabric.
- Resistance to mold: Silks are not very susceptible to mold, but if they are left in a room with high humidity they will not do very well.
- Effect of heat: At high temperatures, silk begins to decompose. Not only can direct sunlight cause heat damage, but you also need to be aware of the proximity of any kitchen appliances.
There is a quality that silk has that is very difficult to quantify in a list of pros and cons. It is of a certain size that is difficult to assign a value to. If you are unsure about wearing silk, our recommendation (within reason, of course) would be to do so. You are unlikely to regret your decision.