How to Wash Embroidery – Complete Details with Methods

An embroidery piece finishes after a lot of effort and time. Your embroidery work needs extra care to last long so you should better know on how to wash embroidery. Cleaning/washing an embroidery piece in a proper way is necessary to keep your delicate work last longer and as new after years of washing.

After completing an embroidery task next step is washing it before using or wearing it the first time. Perfect cleaning methods to follow every time you wash your beloved piece of hand embroidery are suitable for the appearance of your work. How to wash an embroidery cloth?

In this write-up, I will guide you on proper methods for washing embroidery that increase the life of your hand embroidery. And you can keep your creation as new for years.

Let’s learn How to Wash your Embroidery Piece

It is recommended that hand washing is an excellent option for any embroidered cloth. Let’s check how to wash embroidery work with hands.

Hand Washing Method:

Instruction:

• After checking for colour bleeding
• Take water in a bowl or sink and add some gentle detergent.
• Now put your embroidered piece into the detergent mixture.
• And gently rub it from time to time.
• After some time when all stains and marking get vanish.
• Drop the soapy water and wash it multiple times with clean water
• After washing, take a bowl of clean water and add a tbs of white vinegar.
• Dip your workpiece in this water. This helps lock the colours, stops discolouration, and gives shine to your embroidery.
• Now take two dry towels and put your work piece between them.
• Now squeeze it gently and absorb extra moisture into the towel.
• Now dry it on a flat surface.
• After drying, iron your hand workpiece from the front and backside to give it an extra finish.

Machine Washing:

Some embroidered accessions rarely wash after months or years, such as bags, covers, wall hangings, and other embroidery crafts. These accessories can’t clean with hand washing and need a machine wash, but you must learn some tips about machine washing.

Instruction:

• Turn the side of your embroidery piece before putting it in the machine
• Add a mild washing soap
• Select the gentle washing option in the machine
• Choose a low temperature for washing
• Don’t use the tumble drying option

You can also wash those embroidery clothes in the washing machine you wear in your daily routine and want them to be spotless.

Other Cleaning Methods:

We have some decorative embroidered items such as wall hangings or frames, and you can’t wash them with your hands or with machines due to irremovable brackets or hanging material. Here are some more tips that will work well for your embroidery art piece.

Use a vacuum cleaner to clean dust from your art piece. First, cover the embroidered patch with a net or stocking cloth, then start vacuuming it, keeping a distance of 1 cm, don’t touch the vacuum nozzle with embroidery.

If any dust is left or it remains dirty, apply some baking soda to the surface of the work. Then start the vacuum method on the embroidered patch, soda has abilities to soak the dirt, and when you vacuum it, all the dirt comes out with soda particles. But don’t leave soda on your embroidery for long hours. It may cause color fading.

You can also try wet cleaning with a cloth dipped in soapy water. But before doing this method, check out for discoloration. If colors do not bleed, then try this technique. First, make some soapy water, take a piece of sponge or cloth and dump it into a mixture. Now, clean your embroidery art by rubbing this cloth on it. Leave it for a while, then take a clean, dry towel and rub it on the embroidery to absorb the soap mixture. Now take the water and vinegar mixture in a sprayer and spray it over the patch, then again absorb all dirt and water with a clean towel or sponge. After this method, you must dry it quickly to prevent color bleeding. Set the hair dryer at a lower temperature and dry it fast.

After all these tips and tricks, if your embroidery piece bleeds or it fixes with a paper/cardboard frame. The last option is taking professional dry cleaning services. It is a costly option, but some of your arts are also worthy.

If you are interested in starting an embroidery business or for personalizing then do checkout some detailed reviews of the best embroidery machine, beginners machine, branded machine and a business machine.

Why a piece of embroidery needs washing?

• After completing embroidery to clean tracing lines.
• Washing removes the hand oils from the fabric that transfer on cloth during work and, if not washed, can turn into yellowish stains with time.
• Washing helps to clean fabric and remove dust and stains from your embroidery, which it gets while you are working or using your embroidered garment.

Test for colorfastness:

Before you start washing your embroidery piece, it is crucial that you check it for colourfastness. Some threads dye colours that run in water and ruin your embroidery piece. So, with a simple trick, you can check the colours of your embroidery patch.

• Take a white cloth and dip it into cold water.
• Now gently rub the cloth with the help of a finger on the embroidery.
• Try to rub it on each colour of thread used in your stitch.
• You can also use a cotton swab for this test.
• If any colour gets run or transferred on a white cloth or cotton swab.
• Don’t try to wash it because it leaves colour and destroys your garment piece.
• Instead, use the dry clean option for these types of embroidery.

If there is no discolouration from your embroidery, you can gently wash it by hand or machine according to the care label instructions mentioned on your embroidered accessories.

What are some precautions for washing and cleaning an embroidery piece?

Washing your embroidery work is necessary, but following some precautions increases your embroidery life.

Follow these simple tips,

• Avoid using hot water. It will shrink threads or fabric and cause fading of your embroidery.
• Don’t use strong detergents on your delicate embroidery. It will fade colors and damage your fabric.
• Avoid using bleach. It will ruin the colors of fabric and threads.
• Don’t rub hard, excessive squeezing, and pull the fabric.
• Do not apply the tumble drying method on hand-embroidered cloths.
• For delicate threads, Use the dry clean method.

Conclusion

When we make a piece of embroidery, we want to keep it for a longer period as it takes a lot of time and creativity from us. People adore the work by looking at its finishing and presentation. To keep your embroidery last long and newer, washing is vital.

By adopting perfect methods of washing embroidery, you can revive the life of your favorite embroidered item. Hopefully, above mention info will help you to get the correct methods of washing embroidery.

FAQs

These were complete details on how to wash embroidery and stay updated for more valuable information.