The Art of the Knot: Maintaining Your Silky Smooth Ties

A few tips in maintaining and cleaning silk ties and keeping your knot looking great.

Silk ties are little gems for those nice suits you have in your wardrobe – shiny, smooth, looks expensive and add a little glamour to the knot. With this look, however, it becomes difficult to salvage after a stain or a wrinkle.

Here are some tips to help you salvage that piece of wardrobe if the situation arises.

Wrinkles
To prevent all ties from wrinkles (particularly where you tie the knot,) we suggest:
   • Do not tie knots on silk ties too tight
   • Untie the knot after each use
   • Hang properly on a tie rack or roll up for storage and packing

If there is a need to iron your silk and polyester ties, first, put a clean soft cloth over the tie. Iron gently over the cloth while keeping in mind that the temperature should not be higher than 140 degrees C.

Stains
Stains on silk ties are almost like a death sentence. It is nearly impossible to salvage. There are a few last chance tips out there and here are some of them.
   • Act quickly - as soon as your tie has been stained
   • It’s ideal to have:
       o Fabric protection spray
       o Stain removers
       o White paper towels
   • Stain removers are tricky because they have a chance of discolouring the tie
   • If you find an adequate stain remover, apply just a small portion to the white paper towel and gently dab the stain
   • Do not expose silk ties to water
   • Dry cleaning can also damage the tie. Silk ties lose its shine after dry  cleaning. If you need to dry clean, be sure to point out the stain.

Follow these tips and your knot will look perfect!

Other related articles:
How to tie a WINDSOR KNOT