Steps to Make the Beauty of Your Woven Fabric Long-lasting

Fabrics from our archipelago country, Indonesia are beyond beautiful and elegant; they are also rich in cultural values and built with complex manufacturing techniques. Do you know that the myriad, gorgeous motifs are often featured in photoshoot decorations, carpets, blankets, tribal headbands, to wall displays as well? Our fabrics have a high demand from local to foreign markets! Moreover, fashion inspired by the application of our iconic woven fabric makes a good material for kinds of accessories and Instagram-able casual fits. In the matter of caring for woven fabric, it is simply a no-brainer. However, you must be a little more considerate than usual to maintain the beautiful, vibrant colors as not to fade away easily. Here are our tips to provide you with more insight on caring for woven fabric below.

Do These Initial Steps to Determine The Proper Method for Your Fabric

Coloring techniques applying natural ingredients make the fabric prone to dull. But no worries! The level of staining matters too. To check whether your woven fabric is safe for wet cleaning, you can perform a test by soaking a little part of the fabric into the water. See if the water turns cloudy or not for 2-3 minutes. Cloudy water indicates your fabric is not suitable for wet cleaning, refer to the dry-cleaning method instead. If it turns out the other way around, you are good to go for wet cleaning with several adjustments.

Else, check the fabric label (usually in the back) to attend to the fabric maintenance suggestions.

Steps to Caring for Your Woven Fabric in Dry Cleaning Method

Dry cleaning can be done with and without a washing machine. You can just aerate your fabric as long as your fabric is not exposed to direct sunlight.

Dry Cleaning by Machine

The dry-cleaning method does not necessarily imply that it is completely dry through. In the process, you put a special kind of liquid such as Perchloroethylene (petroleum solvent). However, it is not a mixture of water and detergent. This method is meant for special fabrics that cannot be washed. Dry cleaning is not recommended for clothing made of leather, suede, fur, or those that are mud-stained because it will only make the stain hardened.

The steps to dry cleaning with a washing machine include:

1. In order to protect the fibres of the fabric from the rigorous spin in the washing machine, put your fabric in a special bag for washing. Try not to fill the bag too full to allow more space for one fabric to another. Put a dry-cleaning sheet containing water, perfume, and other dry-cleaning chemicals inside the bag.
2. Make sure the dry-cleaning machine filter cloth is clean and then put each bag carefully that already contains a dry-cleaning sheet. Set the heat setting to medium for about 30 minutes. Don’t let clothes sit in your dry cleaner past the timer, as this will only wrinkle the clothes. What happens to the dry-cleaning sheet is it will evaporate and straighten the folds of the clothes and smell good.
3. Pull out each fabric from the bag and let it cool and aerate for a while by hanging it on a hanger.
4. For ironing, try to adjust the heat depending on the needs of the fabric. Cover the woven fabric with a layer of cloth or paper so that it is not directly exposed to the heat of the iron so that the color is well-preserved.

Steps to Caring for Your Woven Fabric in Wet Cleaning Method

Local artists that produce the Sumbanese woven fabric argue that it is best to maintain the natural fabric color by washing it in seawater. One of the adaptations implemented by fabric owners who do not have easy access to the sea is by making themselves saltwater solutions. In fact, woven fabrics do not require frequent washing. However, when it is critical to do, there are several things to consider when using the wet cleaning method on woven fabrics. Those include the consideration for the material of the laundry solution, it should be gentle like shampoo or baby soap. Detergent use should be avoided for the fear it might damage the fabric fibres. Also, never wash any woven fabrics with hot water. Let’s proceed to the stages of caring for your woven fabric in the wet cleaning method below:

1. Mix the soap in the water basin until dissolved.
2. Dip the woven cloth, avoiding rubbing and wringing movements so that the yarns do not tangle for approximately 5 minutes. The dipping time of the cloth also depends on the size and length of the cloth. Just make sure the cloth is completely wet.
3. To reduce the water volume in the wet woven fabric, massage all parts of the fabric carefully from the top to bottom. Shake out your laundry so that the volume of water recedes.
4. Spread it on a clothesline and keep the fabric out of direct sunlight. Wait for it to dry evenly, never lift your fabric when it is still damp, or it will get rotten and be at risk of termites.
5. To iron the fabric, make sure that the fabric is coated by a layer of clothing on top of it before it is exposed to the heat of the iron.

Storing Your Woven Fabric

When not in use, bend it slightly and store the fabric by hanging it on a hanger in the cupboard. Ethnic woven fabrics are safe to fold, but to store them, always keep your storage area or cupboard dry. Its function is to prevent mold and termites. Another trick is to put fresh lime and silica gel. To make the fabric naturally scented, you can place cloves. Furthermore, if you don’t use your fabric for a month, don’t forget to always take it out of storage and aerate it before putting it back in storage.

Preserving Your Natural Beauty of Woven Fabric Couldn’t Be Easier with These Tips

The value of woven fabrics from Etnus Tenun is very high. As time passes by, many are starting to look at fashion styles with a combination of Indonesian weaving as well. This is because apart from the intricate process in producing our woven fabrics in a traditional method by our local artists, it also requires a high level of precision to create these unique motifs. Are you down to see our collection? Go to the products page now.