Sari's and Static Cling

Remember when we were kids and we would rub a ballon on our hair to make it stand up?  Silk tends to do a similar thing and no matter what, at some point in your life with sari wrap skirts, you will inevitably experience the dreaded static cling!!!

So how do we get rid of it?  Well, this article is here to give you some proven tips and tricks to get rid of the static cling on your sari wrap skirts and your sari wrap dresses.

1.) Hang Solo to Dry

It may sound too easy to be effective, but this one is a true winner.  The best way to prevent static cling is to hang your dress to dry in a spot where it doesn’t touch anything else. By letting your silks hang-dry, they don’t have a chance to create friction by rubbing against anything else. No friction = no static.  My favorite way to do this is by using velvet hangers.  Prevents the silk skirt or silk dress from slipping and prevents static cling.

2.) Use the Wire Hanger Trick

This one is a personal fave of mine.  The nerdy science behind this is that the wire hanger is an easy way to neutralize the charged ions that are causing static cling in your silk. Grab a regular wire hanger in one hand (like the kind from the dry cleaner) and hold the waist of your wrap skirt in the other while you gently glide the wire hanger against the fabric. You may hear a soft crackling noise as you do this and that means it’s working.

3.) Mist it with Water

A good friend of mine swears by this one.  Simply mist some water on your silk skirt or dress before you leave the house.  If you’re not at home and don’t have access to a spray bottle, you can also dampen your hands with water and wipe them on your legs and on the inside of your skirt or dress where it’s clingy at.  Don’t use too much water in any case.  A little goes a long way!

Pro tip: Another great way to keep the static at bay is to use steam. The humidity will remove any chance of cling while also getting rid of wrinkles! Leave your dress hanging in the bathroom as you shower or use a regular clothing steamer.

4.) Try a Vinegar Rinse

I sorta remember my grandma using this one.  Consider a distilled white vinegar rinse while hand washing your silk dresses and silk skirts.  In addition to removing any soap residue, the white vinegar acts as an all-natural conditioner that restores moisture to the silk fibers. It works as both a fabric softener and static-cling-reducer without any harsh chemicals!

How to:  After hand washing your silk skirt or silk dress, fill your clean basin or sink with cool water and add ½ cup of distilled white vinegar. Swirl the silk in the vinegar rinse and when removing, gently squeeze out any excess water. Lay your silk flat on top of a towel and roll them up together while gently pressing to absorb as much dampness as possible. Hang your silk dress or silk skirt to dry according to maintain the shape.  Keep in mind that squeezing the dress will cause wrinkling so do this with care.

Let's recap with the Do's + Don’ts of static cling...

DO:

• Use a metal hanger gently on your silk skirts and dresses
• Use a steamer to add moisture that neutralizes the static charge
• Mist your silks with a small amount of water

DON’T:

• Use hairspray or any other liquid static cling fighter
• Twist a wet skirt to get the water out of it