Well, let me tell you, washing rayon, that fancy stuff, it ain’t like tossing your old t-shirts in the wash. You gotta be careful. I heard it shrinks, a lot. 100% rayon, that is a tricky one. This is about how to wash 100 rayon. It is not easy, you know.

First off, don’t you even think about throwing it in that washing machine. That machine is too rough. Rayon is like that, delicate. You wash it by hand, you hear? If you put 100 rayon in machine, it will be ruined. Hand wash is the only way.
Now, if you got a stain, you gotta treat it first. But don’t be scrubbing too hard, you will make it fuzzy. Use some gentle stain remover, the mild one. They say rayon fibers, they break easy. So be gentle, you hear me? If the tag says “dry clean only”, just take it to the cleaners. Don’t risk it. Even hand-washing that “dry clean only” stuff can ruin it. Maybe it’ll shrink, or the color will run. Dry clean is safe, you know. But if you do it yourself, you need to be very careful.
- Don’t use the machine, no, no.
- Treat stains gently.
- “Dry clean only” means dry clean.
You need a gentle soap, not the strong stuff. The kind they make for delicate things. No bleach, no fabric softener. That stuff will damage it, for sure. You gotta use mild detergent. That is important.
I saw this thing once, they did a test. They washed different fabrics. And guess what? That rayon, it shrank more than anything else! That is why you need to be careful when you wash rayon. More than two inches it shrank! The polyester, that didn’t shrink much. Wool shrank a little. Cotton, a bit more. But rayon, oh boy, that shrank the most.
Most clothes made of rayon, they tell you to dry clean them. They say that’s the best way. Makes sense, I guess. It keeps the clothes nice. It is the safest way, you know? Safest for the 100% rayon. If you want to keep it nice, you need to be careful.

But some folks, they still want to wash it in the machine. I don’t know why. It’s risky. But if you’re gonna do it, you gotta be extra, extra careful. But still I think hand wash is better.
So, can you wash rayon? Yeah, you can, but you gotta be real careful. It ain’t like your regular clothes. You want it to last, you gotta treat it right. Don’t be rough with it. It is not like cotton.
Now, how do you hand wash this rayon? Well, first you fill up a basin with cool water. Not hot, cool. Hot water will shrink it. Then you add a little bit of that gentle soap. Swish it around a little. Then you put your rayon thing in the water.
Don’t rub it too hard. Just kinda swish it around in the water. Let it soak for a bit. Maybe fifteen minutes. Then you rinse it out with cool water. Don’t wring it out! Just gently squeeze the water out.
- Use cool water.
- Gentle soap, just a little.
- Swish it around, don’t rub.
- Soak for a bit.
- Rinse with cool water.
- Don’t wring, just squeeze.
Then you gotta dry it. Don’t put it in the dryer! That will shrink it for sure. Lay it flat on a towel. Roll it up in the towel to get some of the water out. Then lay it flat somewhere to dry. Not in the sun. Sun will fade the color. If it is a shirt or something, you can hang it up, after you get most water out. But don’t use those wire hangers. They’ll leave marks. Use a padded hanger, or lay it flat. Dry rayon is also important.

If you iron it, be careful. Use a low setting. And put a cloth between the iron and the rayon. Don’t iron it directly. It might scorch. It is better not to use iron.
Washing rayon, it’s a lot of work. But if you want your clothes to last, you gotta do it right. Just remember, be gentle. It is delicate fabric. You need to be careful with it. It is not that easy to wash 100 rayon. But if you know how to do it, it will be fine. Remember, be gentle, use cool water, and don’t use the machine. If you do all that, your rayon clothes should be okay. If you don’t want to do it wrong, just take it to cleaner.
That’s all I know about washing rayon. Hope it helps you out. Just be careful, okay? Rayon is tricky, you know. But if you do it right, it will be fine.