Can You Machine Wash a Saree? Fabric Guide

Yes, some sarees can go in a washing machine, but not silk. Cotton, modal, viscose and other plain machine-printed sarees can be washed on a delicate cycle in cold water inside a mesh bag. Pure silk, zari, brocade and anything heavily embellished should be hand-washed gently or dry cleaned. The fabric label decides, so check it before you load the drum.

Which sarees can you machine wash

A saree is five and a half metres of cloth plus a blouse piece of about 0.8 metres, and the drum is rough on both. The fabric tells you how much risk you are taking.

• Cotton and mul cotton: safe on a cold, gentle cycle. Wash separately, as colour can bleed.
• Modal: safe on gentle cold. It holds strength when wet, which is why it survives repeat washing.
• Viscose and bamboo silk: possible, but hand-washing is kinder because both weaken when wet.
• Pure silk, tussar silk, Kanjivaram and Banarasi: no. Hand-wash or dry clean.
• Zari, brocade, sequins and velvet: dry clean only.

How to machine wash a saree

1. Check the care label and do a colour test: dab a damp white cloth on an inner corner.
2. Fold the saree loosely and place it in a large mesh laundry bag.
3. Use cold water and the delicate or hand-wash cycle.
4. Add a mild liquid detergent, no bleach or fabric softener.
5. Keep the spin low, 400 to 600 rpm at most. A hard spin creates the crease lines that never fully leave.
6. Take it out straight away and dry it flat or over a padded hanger in shade.

Wash it alone for the first two or three cycles. Printed sarees can release a little excess dye early on.

Where machine washing goes wrong

The usual damage is a snagged border, a stretched pallu or a pleat line pressed in by a hard spin. Loose mesh bags help but cannot fully protect a saree with a jacquard or lace border. If a saree matters to you, hand-wash it. Ten minutes in a basin of cold water costs nothing and removes most of the risk.

How often to wash a saree

Less than you think. A cotton or modal saree worn for a few hours can be aired on a hanger overnight and washed every third or fourth wear, unless it has sweat or food on it. Over-washing fades prints faster than anything else. Silk, if worn for a day, needs airing and a shade-dry rather than a wash, and a dry clean once or twice a year.

What modal does well in the wash

Modal is the easiest saree fabric to look after. It resists creasing, keeps its shape and dries within hours. Full care steps are in how to care for your modal saree, and for viscose see how to wash a viscose saree without damaging it. If silk is the worry, how to remove stains from a silk saree covers spot treatment.

If you want an easy-care saree, Rose Block Print Modal Saree is worth looking at. It is a block-print-inspired machine print on modal that tolerates a gentle wash. ₹1,830, blouse piece included. Browse more in modal sarees, with free shipping, COD and 48-hour returns.