A luxurious and beautiful fabric such as the pashmina deserves to be given the best care.

There are plenty of handy tips on taking care of your beloved pashmina. To remove the wrinkles on your pashmina, they should either be steam-pressed or just lightly ironed under a pressing cloth. Pashminas made of silk, however, should only be dry-cleaned. Although all kinds of pashminas are made from natural products, the silk ones wrinkle more easily and should therefore be handled with more care.

When ironing pashmina, use a piece of cloth and iron the fabric on low heat. Store your pashmina in a dry, cool place away from the glare of the sun.
Pashmina shawls, stoles and other products can be either hand washed or machine washed. Just make sure you wash them in cold water and use only light detergent such as woolite. If you’re using warm water, it would be advisable to use a good, natural shampoo. After washing, they should be rolled in a towel to remove the excess water then laid out on a flat surface. Do squeeze your pashmina shawl gently. Don’t twist, as this will stretch and misshape your pashmina. Just stretch it lightly to its original shape and allow the air to dry the shawl completely. Once they’re dry, you can press the products with a steam iron or use a soft brush to give your pashmina a softer, plusher texture.

Here are other tips to remember when storing your pashmina:

• Dampness, leakages and sunlight can be very harmful to your pashmina so make sure your products are far and away from all these. Fold them or pack them neatly in tissue paper or a bag and store them away from damp, dust and light.
• It would be a good idea to clean them before storing them. Make sure there are no stains on it. The fresh stains that are practically invisible might oxidize and become food for moths. These moths are rather smart insects. They have a discerning trait and will feast only on natural fabrics, such as the pashmina. It would be advisable to keep mothballs, or naphthalene balls, and cedar chips to protect your wool. During summer, make sure that moisture does not accumulate in your storage area. A well-sealed plastic box is a safe enough place, just as long as the box is dry before you put your pashmina in.
• Also, to make sure your pashmina doesn’t snag, avoid wearing or using the pashmina products frequently. Allow at least two or three day’s rest after one day’s wearing. Don’t wear your pashmina shawls or stoles next to rough clothing like clothing with faulty zippers, or fancy brooches. Be careful when you’re wearing metal necklaces, belts, rough leather such as crocodile skin leather bags as these may harm your pashmina. You can still be fashionable if you pair your pashminas with silk or pearl accessories anyway.

The pashmina will last you for a long time if only you treasure them and take care of them the way a beautiful, timeless classic should be.