How to Get a Stain Out of a Silk Tie

(Reading time: approx. 8 minutes)

aka "Can you wash ties in the washer?"

Removing a stain from a necktie, silk or otherwise, is a serious business. As much as we all take the greatest of care with our ties in precarious situations, like eating a donut, accidents do happen. In this article, I outline the 3 Golden Rules for Keeping Your Silk Ties Clean.

So, how do you get a stain out of a silk tie?

Keep Your Tie Out of Harm's Way in the First Place
You've Stained Your Silk Tie - Act Quickly!
Silk Tie Aftercare and General Maintenance
Care and Maintenance of Ties Made from Other Fabrics

Rule #1. Keep Your Silk Tie Out of the Way

Save yourself trouble by avoiding those pesky stains in the first place

By far the simplest method for removing stains from a silk tie (or just not having to remove them) is to reduce the potential for the tie to become stained in the first place. I know this sounds crazy-simple and you're probably reading this thinking that you didn't need to be told that. But, the fact that you are reading it - and reading it in an article about how to get a stain out of a silk tie - kinda tells me that I'm already too late with this little nugget of advice. Am I right?

Anyway, you have a number of options:

• Remove the tie and keep it in a jacket pocket (carefully roll the tie up first)
• Throw the end of the tie over one shoulder
• Tuck a napkin into your collar to completely cover the tie
• Use preventative maintenance (see Rule #3 below)

Saving the last of these options for later, the first three may make you appear less stylish than you'd like or clearly give you a look not really befitting the situation. However, as situations go, the necessity to remove a stain from your silk tie will require your immediate attention...

Rule #2. Act Quickly to Save the Tie

Fetch the club soda and talcum powder - STAT!

Ties are not really that much different to other items of clothing when it comes to the way they're treated for stains, but silk as a fabric is decidedly tricky to work on. The reason for this is that silk is very absorbent and also becomes increasingly delicate when wet or under heat. Hence, silk ties are not easy to clean using conventional methods, i.e. in the washer. In addition to this, silk ties are also not that amenable to use with common stain removers that you can buy in the stores.

However, with care, you can remove stains and general dirt yourself and pretty much restore your beautiful silk tie to its original glory. So, if you do find yourself the unlucky recipient of a jelly-stained tie, here's what to do.

Removing Food from a Silk Tie

Getting food on your silk tie happens all the time - at least it does for me and I'm reasonable careful. But, here you'll find your natural instinct is already good enough to start saving the day. Assuming that you've noticed the errant food being where it shouldn't be, the first thing you'll probably want to do (and the first thing you should do) is to get it off. Quickly use your fingers if you must, but even better use the sharp - although not too sharp - edge of the nearest and cleanest cutlery to hand.

Next, blot the stain using a white or color-fast cloth dipped into club soda - in other words, a cloth that won't make the situation worse by bleeding dye all over the silk tie in addition to the food stain. Club soda is recommended here in preference to plain water, as this can sometimes cause the actual color in the silk tie itself to run, and may cause a water ring. But, if plain water is all you have to hand, then go for it. It's important to stress here that you need to blot, and not rub, the stain as you then run the risk of working the offending food further into the tie or spreading it around.

Once you've treated the stain in this way, and also remembering not to get the silk too wet, water rings can be avoided by gently drying the tie with a hair dryer set on a low-heat setting or holding the tie at a respectful distance beneath a washroom hand dryer.

Removing Sauces and Liquids from a Silk Tie

Things that drip or splatter are always going to make their way onto a silk tie, no matter how careful you are (assuming you haven't followed Rule #1 above). So, here your method is similar to that described for food stains, in that you must always blot with a damp cloth. If you need to, treat the stain immediately with club soda or water, but in this case you should consider using rubbing alcohol instead, or afterwards if the stain is still present.

Rubbing alcohol turns out to be quite good at getting rid of dirt and stains from a silk tie. In fact, you can see this in action in the Video Collection on this site. Again, you apply the rubbing alcohol by dabbing it onto the stain with a clean cloth, blotting it off with another cloth or paper towel, and then letting the tie either air dry by itself or helping it along with some gentle heat from a hair dryer.

You should use rubbing alcohol to clean silk ties stained with soy sauce, ketchup, mustard, juice, wine, etc. In addition, it's also good for removing general dirt and brightening up those dark grubby areas you often see at the edges of a tie.

Removing Oils and Grease (Including Makeup) from a Silk Tie

A favorite old aunt of mine gave me this tip, which works on most fabrics and especially on those that are difficult to clean, like silk. It's a simple method and involves lifting the oil stain off with an absorbent powder.

If you should get an oil-based stain on your silk tie, such as grease from food, butter, or maybe some hand lotion, the first thing you need to do (depending on where you are at the time) is to blot as much of it away as you can with a paper tissue or napkin - basically a dry cloth. Then, as soon as is convenient, lay the tie flat in a cool, dry place and pile either talcum powder or cornstarch onto the stain. Leave this to work its magic for at least 12 hours.

The powder will absorb the oil and after discarding any excess, you should be able to gently brush away the remainder of the powder along with the stain. This process may need to be repeated a few times to get rid of the stain completely and depending on how heavy the staining is. As a final measure, you may also need to apply rubbing alcohol to the stained area in the same manner as described above, for that perfect finish.

Rule #3. Keep Your Silk Tie in Tip-Top Condition

Simple advice to keep you looking sharp in the office

On the premise that prevention is better than cure, there are a number of fabric protectors available such as Scotchgard, that can repel liquids and therefore block stains. They are effective for many types of fabric, including delicates like silk, and are easy enough to use - with Scotchgard, you simply spray it on. Don't overdo it though. Fabric protectors should always be used as sparingly as possible and you should test them on a part of the fabric that won't be visible, just in case they cause any discoloration.

If all else fails and you've been unsuccessful in removing a stain from your silk tie, then head for the dry cleaners. Being the 'can do' person that I know you are, you may like to think of this as the last resort - but even here you need to be careful. While dry cleaners are arguably very knowledgeable about removing stains from all kinds of fabrics, they're going to require some guidance here. Show them the stain, explain to them what it was and ask them to be gentle with it. Some dry cleaning fluids can be a bit harsh on silk fibers, so if you talk with your friendly neighborhood dry cleaner first, they can then recommend the best course of action to take.

Take care when tying, untying and handling silk ties in general. Scrunching, twisting and wringing will all add creases and make your tie look otherwise misshapen. The best way to store silk ties is to roll them up carefully or hang them. Some people say that you can't iron a silk tie at home, but this isn't true. As long as you're careful, use the lowest iron setting and don't actually make contact with the silk itself and you should be okay. Techniques here are to either hover the iron over the surface of the tie (with the tie lying flat or hanging) and applying a little steam, or to sandwich the tie flat between two light towels and to iron gently on the stack. Here, the top towel should be slightly damp and you'll know when you've finished when it's dry.

Care and Maintenance of Ties Other Than Silk

Arm yourself with the knowledge of how to clean any tie and you could be a real hero

Not all ties are made of silk. In fact, the range of materials used in making ties varies from plain old cotton, through to leather and even wood. Yes - you can actually buy wooden ties. Anyway, here's a selection of the more common material types with a few tips on their cleaning and maintenance when used in neckties.

Linen
A linen tie can be gently washed by hand in cold or slightly warm water. As linen is extremely prone to wrinkles, the tie should be hung to dry and you may want to press out any excess water beforehand with a towel. Don't wring or twist a linen tie. You can iron straight onto the tie, but don't press down too hard, and you should also do so when the linen is still a little damp or with the iron on a steam setting.

Cotton
Treat cotton ties as you would linen, with the addition that it's preferable to steam rather than iron. Otherwise, iron hot on a steam setting.

Polyester
Again, a polyester tie should be hand washed in cold or slightly warm water. Dry it like you would a linen or cotton tie, but iron it on a low setting or even better steam it smooth.

Microfiber
Microfiber ties can be hand washed in warm water. As with all the other materials here, don't wring or twist a microfiber tie. Steam or iron it on a low setting.

Leather
Wiping clean is the best way to remove stains from a leather tie. There are a number of leather wipes and protectors available. Avoid getting leather ties wet and they should never be washed. Don't iron them either - just hang them up.

In Summary...

The main points to take away from this article

• Fresh stains are easier to remove than old stains
• Always blot stains - never try to rub them out
• Be persistent - it may require several attempts to clear a stain
• When cleaning silk ties, avoid saturating the fabric
• In answer to the question at the start of this article - it's not advisable to wash ties in the washer!

Don't forget, there's nothing stopping you from using any combination of the cleaning methods described here to treat a single stain. Check out the Video Collection on this site for further information on how to select, care and maintain silk ties. And finally...

The image at the top of this article is from pexels.com and requires no attribution under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license.