Almost all plain silk can be hand washed at home, and the dry clean only label is usually about the garment's construction rather than the fibre. Cold water, a pH neutral wash, no wringing, and a flat dry gets you there. What I do not wash at home is anything structured, lined, beaded or pale enough that a water mark would show, which in practice means jackets and anything with a built-in bra. A slip, a camisole, a pyjama set, a bias skirt: those all go in the sink. Below, the slips and dresses, the camisoles and blouses, and the silk I sleep in. The label is worth reading for construction rather than fibre. Dry clean only usually means a fused interlining, a bonded seam or a structured cup that water will separate, and none of that is present in a slip or a camisole.

Silk dresses and slips are the easiest things to wash and the easiest to ruin by hanging wet. The weight of the water pulls a bias cut out of shape permanently, so these dry flat on a towel, always. Wash these in cold water with a wash made for wool or silk, never a standard detergent, because the enzymes in ordinary powder break down protein fibres and silk is a protein. Two minutes of gentle movement is enough. Press the water out between two towels rather than twisting, then dry flat and away from direct sun, which fades dyed silk faster than washing ever will.

Camisoles and blouses are where you notice deodorant and perfume building up, and where a wash every few wears actually extends the life of the piece. Alcohol is what dulls silk, not water. A camisole or a blouse takes the most contact with skin, and it is deodorant and perfume rather than sweat that damages silk over time. Both are alcohol based and both dull the surface permanently if they are left to sit. Washing more often is genuinely better for these pieces, which is the opposite of what most people assume about delicate fabrics.

Silk to sleep in gets washed most often, so this is the category where washability is worth paying for. Anything sold as washable silk has been finished to survive it. Washable silk is a real finish and not a marketing phrase: the fabric has been pre-treated so it can survive agitation and a cool machine cycle. If a sleep set says washable, use a mesh bag and the gentlest cycle and it will be fine. If it does not, treat it like everything else here and use the sink.

Fleur Du Mal works almost entirely in silk and lace, and the slips and camisoles are the pieces I would trust to a cold sink without hesitation. The bias slips in particular are cut well enough to be worn out rather than only to bed. The pieces are cut properly on the bias rather than approximating it, which is why they hang instead of clinging, and the lace is set into the seam rather than sewn on top. Both details are the difference between a slip that reads as lingerie and one you can wear under a jacket.

A few bias skirts to finish, since they follow exactly the same rules. Bias cut skirts to finish, because they wash and dry exactly like the slips above and they solve the same problem in a different register. A bias skirt with a knit on top is the most useful version of silk in a wardrobe that is mostly not silk.

A last practical note on the thing that actually goes wrong: water marks. They come from a drop drying on its own on the surface, not from washing, so if you splash a silk blouse, wet the whole panel rather than dabbing the spot. And skip the steamer's direct contact. Hold it a few inches away, or you will end up with a shiny patch that no amount of washing removes.