Caring for Satin, Metallic & Glitter

Overview

What you'll need

• Microfiber Cleaning Cloths (multi-pack)Soft cloth for blotting and wiping
• Woolite Delicates (pH-neutral wash)A drop in cool water for spot cleaning satin (test a hidden spot)

Picked for the material, not paid for. Test anything new on a hidden spot first.

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Dust off

   A dry, soft microfiber in light strokes. On glitter, dab with a strip of low-tack tape; on sequins, a soft cloth in the direction they lie (a lint roller catches sequin edges).

2. 2

   Step 2: Blot fresh marks

   Blot a spill at once with a clean white cloth, from the outside of the mark in, so it doesn't spread. Never rub.

3. 3

   Step 3: Satin: spot clean

   Test on a hidden spot first: colored satin can bleed. A drop of pH-neutral delicates wash (Woolite Delicates) in cool water, not dish soap, on a white cloth wrung almost dry, dabbed on the mark. Then dab with plain water across the whole panel, evenly, so it dries without a ring. Dry at room temperature, stuffed with tissue. Wine, dye or old stains: a specialist cleaner.

   Only for Satin / silk
4. 4

   Step 4: Metallic: wipe only

   A barely damp microfiber, then dry it straight away. No polish, conditioner, eraser or solvent: they cloud or lift the foil.

   Only for Metallic / foil leather
5. 5

   Step 5: Glitter and sequins

   Wipe with a barely damp cloth in the direction the sequins lie. Stick loose sequins or bare glitter patches back with a dot of clear fabric glue on a toothpick.

   Only for Glitter / sequins
6. 6

   Step 6: Heel tips and covers

   On heels, check the tips. Have a cobbler replace worn ones before the metal pin shows: it takes minutes, and a bare pin damages the heel and floors. A satin- or glitter-covered heel that's scuffed through is a cobbler re-cover.

What to avoid

• Rubbing a spill — blot from the outside in
• Soaking, or more than a barely damp cloth on satin
• Brushes on satin, metallic or glitter
• Polish, conditioner, erasers or solvents on metallic foil
• Storing them touching other pairs — sequins snag and foil scratches

Watch for

• Water rings. Dab the whole panel evenly with plain water so it dries uniform; a specialist if it stays.

By material

The routine above, adjusted for each material it covers.

Between wears

• Containers. A cotton dust bag for each pair, so nothing rubs. Not plastic: it traps damp.
• Shape. Acid-free tissue in the toes keeps satin from creasing.
• Light. In the dark: white satin yellows and colored satin fades in light.

Related guides

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  Caring for Velvet, Calf Hair & Natural Fibers

  Velvet slippers, calf-hair loafers, raffia espadrilles, cork. These are textures more than surfaces: velvet and calf hair have a pile that crushes and mats, raffia and jute are plant fibers that swell and stain with water, and cork dries out. Care is dry first: brush with the pile, dab rather than wash, and keep them out of the rain.

  7 stepsAbout 28 minBeginner