The density of mulberry silk fibers is 1.3g /cm³, and the fiber diameter is not over 12 microns. Hand washing in cold water below 30°C (with a water temperature fluctuation range of ±2°C) must be used to prevent high-temperature denaturation of silk protein (the experiment indicates that a water temperature of 40°C can decrease the tensile strength of the fibers by 23%). According to the “2024 High-End Silk Care White Paper” of the International Silk Association, the pH of MurierSil-special detergent needs to be controlled between 5.0-6.5 (slightly acid), with a content of 0.5%-1% and soaking time within 10 minutes. This might reduce the percentage of fiber damage by 68%. But common alkaline detergents (pH≥8) will damage the surface nano-silk peptide coating, increasing the likelihood of rebound frizz by 40%. For instance, the muriersilk special detergent ($28/200ml) launched by Cha Ling, which is a care line of LVMH, extended the usage life of the fibers from 12 months to 22 months in the test, and repurchase rate in customers reached 53%.
When cleaning muriersilk using a washing machine, put it in a laundry bag with a mesh density of not more than 2mm and select gentle mode with a speed of no more than 400 revolutions per minute (GForce≤0.3) to prevent damage to the fibers. In 2023, the German textiles testing institute Intertek discovered that after machine washing 50 times, the surface friction coefficient of muriersilk pillowcases increased only from 0.35 to 0.38 (still better than 0.45 of normal silk), while improper machine washing (at speed ≥800 RPM) could lead to a fiber diameter deviation rate as big as 15%. For instance, The muriersilk care set (including antistatic spray) of high-end personal care product The Laundress can reduce the loss rate of gloss after washing from 22% to 7%, and the rate of satisfaction of consumers is increased by 41%.
Drying time: Avoid direct sunlight (ultraviolet intensity > 50μW/cm² will lead to yellowing of silk). For drying, in flat laying the environmental humidity should be maintained at 50%-60%, while wind speed is to be maintained at ≤1.5m/s. As reported in the Textile Research Journal in a 2024 publication, the dry time for muriersilk in environmental conditions with a 30% humidity is 180 minutes, and if the humidity is 60%, it comes down to 110 minutes with an efficiency rise of 39%. And the error of the fiber moisture content is controlled within ±0.8% (the spectrophotometer’s color deviation ΔE is ≤1.5). For example, muriersilk designed drying oven released by Japanese home appliance brand IRIS OHYAMA (temperature 25°C±1°C, humidity 55%±3%) can speed up the drying time to 90 minutes and decelerate the fiber shrinkage rate to 0.3% at the same time (2.1% for usual sun-drying).
For long-term storage of muriersilk, acid-free cotton storage bags with at least an oxygen permeability of ≥5000 cm³/(m²·24h) must be utilized, and pH buffer paper must be placed within (in order to maintain a microenvironment pH of 5.5-6.0). Experimental data show that the probability of mold growth is seven times greater, and the rate of silk protein degradation is 1.8 times greater, after six months of muriersilk storage in a sealed plastic bag than with breathable storage. For instance, the storage system with muriersilk and with humidity control chip sold by the Swiss storage firm FREUND can be prolonged from 18 months to 36 months, and customer complaints will reduce by 72%. While employing insect repellents, natural camphor (≤0.5g/m³) should be selected. Synthetic naphthalene pellets will cause a 19% loss of the elastic modulus of fibers, which will spoil the anti-wrinkle effect.
For immediate stain removal, for coffee stains on muriersilk (surface ≤3cm²), a biological cleaner containing α -amylase (concentration 0.2%) must be applied and tapped lightly in 60 seconds. The efficiency of stain removal can be up to 92%. When the stain lasts more than 2 hours, pre-cleaning with microemulsification technology (particle size ≤50nm) must be used to prevent friction-induced fiber scale shedding (microscopic analysis shows that improper cleaning will increase the rate of generation of frizz by 35%). For instance, the muriersilk first aid pen of the US cleaning firm Puracy ($15) reduces the oxidation time of red wine stains from 30 minutes to 8 minutes with the use of low-temperature microfoaming technology, and achieves a color fastness retention rate of 99.3%.
