How to care for your hand block prints

Traditional clothes add variety and elegance to your wardrobe. But if you have owned them in the past, you might know they need a certain amount of care, especially hand-blocked prints. They are delicate and come in an array of vibrant hues, so maintaining them well ensures they do not end up looking shabby and worn out. Let us find out how to care for your hand block prints the right way.

Why do hand block prints bleed?

The beauty of handmade prints lies in their imperfection. Hand blocking uses vat dyes like indigo that are insinuated into cloth fibres while they are water-soluble. Once the dye is trapped inside the fibre they become insoluble. However, this is not a chemical bond but a physical one. Trapping the dye within fibres makes the fabric colour fast. But, if the dyes do not penetrate the fibres thoroughly and stay on the surface, the fabric is prone to bleeding, flushing, and colour rubbing off due to abrasion.

Take care of bleeding hand block prints.

Let us walk you step by step through washing, drying, and maintaining your favourite block-printed clothes to ensure their lifelong sparkle.

Sorting

Sort clothes by colour before washing.

Soaking

Soak the clothes for no longer than five minutes in water. Use a mild detergent, and do not overdo the soaking. You can add a colour fixer to the solution for better results.

Washing

Hand washing is ideal for block prints. But as it is not practical to hand wash hand-blocked quilts and bedsheets, machine-wash them in a delicate cycle at not more than 30 degrees. Do not use enzyme powders or liquids to wash, and do not tumble dry.

Wash bright colours separately. Remember that any excess dye on the surface needs two to three washes to come out completely.

Rinsing

If you are hand washing, do not use solid bars of soap to wash your hand blocks, and do not brush them. Rinse the clothes gently in cold water. Rinse the prints generously during the first three washes to remove excess colour.

Searching

Dipping cotton clothes in diluted liquid starch will give them crispness and shine.

Drying

Pull to shape and dry your block prints inside-out in the shade. Direct sunlight and high-heat drying can fade colours and therefore avoid them.

Ironing

Iron the clothes inside-out, the way they are dried.

Storing

Store your hand blocks in a cool, dry place, away from the direct sun. Make sure that clothes with strong colours are stored away from the light ones. Air them, and refold them every once in a while to avoid permanent creasing on the clothes.

You can use fabric sachet bags to keep the clothes smelling fresh, but do not spray perfumes on them. Spraying perfumes and deodorants directly onto clothes leaves permanent marks on them.

How to care for sensitive hand block prints

Certain block prints like Dabu that use mud resist, Ikats etc., can bleed more than others, and they are best dry cleaned. Hand-painted or blocked Kalamkari silk should most definitely be dry-cleaned. However, you can wash Kalamkari cotton.

A lot of labour and love goes into creating hand-printed fabrics. Spare some time and effort to care for your hand block prints, and they shall last you a long time.