Recently I purchased a couple of Hermes ties for my son for his birthday.
When he opened them a few days ago, one of the ties had an odd, little wave effect going on toward the bottom of the tie.
Each tie had been packaged in its own box, and the boxes had been standing up vertically in the bag. I guess this particular tie slipped down and sorta crumpled up a bit in the bottom of the box, resulting in this weird little wave. I tried placing a heavy book on it for a couple of days, but that didn’t solve the problem.
My son told me that he’s had this happen with ties in the past and they really look weird when worn, so he ends up just not wearing them. I don’t blame him. I’m sure a cleaner could get the wave out, but I don’t want to take a brand new tie to the cleaners, at least not yet. Ummm…how to get the wave out?
I did a bit of research online and learned a few things. I read that it’s not a good idea to iron silk, it’s bad for the silk fibers and can change their appearance. Also, if you look closely at a tie, you’ll notice they are not actually flat on the sides/edges. The sides of a tie are rounded over, another reason ironing a tie isn’t a great idea.
Fortunately, the wrinkle is down near the tip of the tie so I think I could place a cloth between the tie and the iron (if it comes to that) and remove the wave without ever ironing the sides/edges of the tie.
But the method that I saw most recommended online was to lightly steam the wrinkle or wave out of the tie. So, a few days ago I purchased this steamer for my son and daughter-in-law. You may remember when I purchased this same steamer for myself and shared it in this post: Looking forward to Ironing Less and Playing More this Summer. It has excellent reviews and you’ll find it available here: Steamer.
I’ve really enjoyed this steamer and have used it several times this spring, but I’ve never tried it on a silk tie.
It arrived today so I’ll be putting it together this evening and giving it a try. Have you ever tried steaming a silk tie? Have any tips for getting waves/wrinkles out of a silk tie without ironing it and risking flattening out the edges of the tie?
I’ll be sure to share how it works. I plan to keep the steam on a very low level, so wish me luck!
Update:
Adding a photo to this post sharing how the tie looked after a very light, extremely brief steaming…as in about 3 seconds of steaming. I followed a suggestion left in the comments by Jeanne to put a sock over the nozzle of the steamer to prevent water droplets from getting on the fabric and it worked great! I steamed the wave at the end of the tie, steaming the tie from the back.
I steamed the tie for about two seconds, then took a look at the front of the tie and the wave was almost completely gone. I steamed it for about 2-3 more seconds and it was completely gone. My son wore the tie to work the very next day. I wish I had thought to take a photo of it while he was wearing it. Very pleased with how easy it was to steam out the wave at the bottom end of the tie.
I would definitely always use a sock over the nozzle of the steamer when steaming a silk tie. The next day I used the steamer to steam wrinkles out of the linen dress and little droplets of water ended up getting on the linen fabric from the steamer. They dried quickly and the linen dress was fine, but I wouldn’t have wanted that to happen on this silk tie, in case the droplets could have left spots. So I would definitely recommend using a white (non-colored) sock over the nozzle of the steamer before attempting to steam a wrinkle from silk. Thanks so much to Jeanne for that awesome suggestion!
I bought a steamer when I realized department and clothing stores use one to remove wrinkles. It’s incredibly easy and works insanely well on silk. Now, I only drag out the iron and ironing board if I need to do something heavy or it needs knife-sharp folds. I only have a few tips. Wipe down the head before each new use to remove colored leftover lint, especially from sweaters. Use distilled water in the tank. And I got this one from a friend who was a salesperson at LV. I was steaming my sister’s wedding gown before the ceremony. The steamer was sputtering because there was tap water in the tank and leaving water marks on her gorgeous Dior silk gown. I was panicking and he immediately slid a clean sock over the head and that solved the problem! Hope this works for your Hermes tie!
Thanks for that tip, Jeanne! I just finished assembling the steamer and I’ll buy some distilled water in the morning before I attempt to steam out the wave. I like that tip about the sock, great idea! I can just imagine how panicked you must have been steaming a gorgeous Dior silk gown!
I hope the steamer works! Did you think to call the store to ask them what they might suggest? Or if they have had other complaints with any other orders. I’m sure your son and daughter -in-law will be pleased with the steamer and what it will do for their clothes.
No, I didn’t think about that but that’s a great idea! I may wait until Monday when they are open again to call and see what they recommend. I have a feeling they will recommend steaming it out, but would love to get their thoughts. Thanks for that suggestion, Cyndi!
Oops, sorry about the double message, it didn’t look like the first one went properly. Hope they have an answer for you or just graciously tell you to return it and select another.
What about just rolling the end of the tie very lightly over a lit lightbulb being careful not to let it linger too long. You could even put a cloth on the bulb first and then try it. Might be just enough to get the dimple out. Good luck whatever you do. Actually, just holding a lightbulb (not turned on) under that slight fold while you steam it might remove the little divot.
Thanks for that suggestion, Ginger! XXX
since you’ll want to keep your hands away while steaming, perhaps insert the end of a wrapping paper roll, the tube part only (since its round) and hold with one hand while steaming with the other? similar to the light bulb above, but without the lamp/cord/bulkiness. Good luck
That’s a good point…definitely learned my lesson before about getting my hand too close to the steam. Thanks for that suggestion, Becky!
My first thought was that the steam might leave water marks on the silk tie because water does that to silk fabric. I’ll have to try distilled water on silk since Jeanne mentioned above that tap water circles. So I’ve learned something new!
I’m glad she mentioned that, too. I think that’s what the manufacturers of the steamer recommend, as well.
Susan, in Haute Couture terms what you have is called ‘a ripple’ that often occurs with natural fibers such as wool or silk. Now looking at the tie I am wondering if the problem might even lie in the ‘tipping’ liner fabric so am not sure of the exact solution but do know, when working with silk you can steam ‘press’ (not iron) it however the key is – – to use a press cloth (ie: silk organza is actually the best) working from the wrong side and * leave it in a flat position until it dries* . -Brenda-
I’ll look closer tomorrow and make sure that’s not the issue…thanks for mentioning that! I don’t remember it looking like that when I picked it out in the store, but I could have missed it. Thanks for those tips, Brenda!
For that kind of money, I would ask for a replacement tie.