How to Care for Handloom and Silk: A Practical Wash-Day Guide

Handcrafted fabrics reward the right care — and punish the wrong kind. Here's how to get it right, fabric by fabric.

Most of the care instructions on a House of Vandy product page say "dry clean only," and it's tempting to treat that as boilerplate. It isn't. Handloom, Chanderi, silk, and linen each behave differently under heat, water, and sunlight, and treating them all the same way is the fastest route to a piece that fades, shrinks, or loses its shape well before it should. Here's what each fabric actually needs.

Handloom Cotton

Handloom cotton is dense and durable by construction, but the embroidery, tassels, and prints layered onto it are usually the more delicate part. Most pieces call for dry cleaning specifically to protect that surface detail, not the base fabric itself.

• Woven pieces (shirts, sarees, cushion covers): Dry clean only. Store in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight, and iron on low heat if needed.
• Embroidered pieces (like the Nira Table Mat): These are the exception — gentle hand wash separately in cold water with a mild detergent, no bleach, dried in shade, and never wrung or tumble dried. Always check the individual product's care label before assuming dry-clean-only applies.

Chanderi

Chanderi's characteristic sheen comes from a fine silk-cotton blend weave, which makes it more delicate than plain cotton and far less forgiving of machine washing or wringing.

• Dry clean only — Chanderi's weave loses its characteristic sheen and drape if machine washed.
• Store folded in a cool, dry place. Avoid hanging for long periods, which can stretch the weave.
• Iron on low heat only, ideally with a thin cloth between the iron and the fabric.

Silk (Including Botanical-Infused Silk)

Silk is the fabric most sensitive to sunlight and heat, and that goes double for House of Parvi's aloe- and rose-infused scarves, where the botanical finishing sits in the fibre itself.

• Hand wash cold or dry clean — never machine wash silk.
• Keep aloe- and rose-infused pieces out of direct, prolonged sun to preserve the botanical finish and prevent the colour from fading unevenly.
• Small variations in sheen or drape between pieces are normal for hand-finished silk, not a flaw — see our guide on what makes House of Parvi silk limited edition for more on why.

Linen

Linen is the most breathable fabric in the collection, but it's also prone to fading if you skip the drying instructions, especially on richly coloured pieces like the Chembarathi Shirt.

• Dry clean only for most linen pieces in the collection.
• Avoid direct sunlight while drying — this is the single biggest cause of colour loss on richly dyed linen.
• Store in a cool, dry place and iron on low heat if required.

Five Rules That Apply Across Every Fabric

• When in doubt, dry clean. It's the safest default across nearly everything in the collection, and the one instruction you'll see repeated most often for good reason.
• Sunlight is the enemy of colour, not just heat. Dry and store handcrafted pieces away from direct sun, whether they're drying after a wash or hanging in a closet.
• Iron on low heat, and protect the surface. A cloth between the iron and any embroidery, print, or appliqué prevents flattening or scorching delicate detail.
• Never wring or tumble dry hand-finished pieces. This applies especially to embroidered table linens and anything with tassels or appliqué.
• Read the individual product's care instructions first. Most of the collection is dry-clean-only, but exceptions like the hand-wash-only Nira Table Mat do exist.

The Takeaway

Handcrafted fabric is a longer-term investment than fast fashion, and the payoff only holds if the care matches the material. Dry clean by default, keep everything out of direct sun, and treat any hand-wash exception as exactly that — an exception worth reading before the first wash, not after.