Caring for Your Banarasi Saree: Tips and Tricks to Keep it Looking Beautiful for Years 

Banarasi sarees are a delightful gift from heaven that leaves you absolutely spellbound. They are made from divine silk fibre, which requires special care and attention. For centuries immemorial, they have ruled the realms of interest for women. So what keeps their pristine glory intact? Let's unravel all the tips and tricks to ensure your Banarasi saree stays beautiful forever.

Firstly and most importantly, ensure you look at, speak to and handle your Banarasi saree with pure love and affection. Sarees are a sacred traditional women clothing garment that craves your attention, and you give it what it desires will only make it bloom more on you. Every time you wear it, look at it with a gaze abounding in love, and the saree, in turn, will reciprocate your feelings. It will shine more, making you seem more divine and conspicuous than you already are.

Prerequisites for Washing a Banarasi Saree

Banarasi sarees are usually made from finely-woven silk. They have intricate embroidery such as zari or brocades engraved in them. This characteristic makes them extremely delicate when it comes to maintaining them.

Before washing a Banarasi saree, you must take the following salient steps:

1. Test the saree for colour bleeding as certain varieties of silk run colour when washed. Then, take a cotton swab, dip it in laundry detergent and rub it on a concealed part of the edge. In case the swab gets coloured, you must choose to dry clean them. Moreover, if you do decide to hand wash them, ensure that you do not wash them with any other clothes as it may taint them.
2. Never spot-clean the Banarasi sarees, as that will only lead to the lightening of colour in that part of the saree. It will create an odd-looking contrast on the saree and devastate its appearance. Instead, gently rinse the entire saree with water. 

Procedure for Washing the Banarasi Saree 

1. Submerge the saree in a large vessel filled with a well-stirred mixture of cold water and mild detergent or baby shampoo. Ensure that the washing liquid is high-quality. It should not have harsh chemicals that damage the texture of the saree or roughen or shrink it.
2. Let the saree soak in the water for 2 to 3 minutes. After that, it should imbibe all the benefits of the washing liquid.
3. Now agitate the saree by moving it up and down. This seeks to displace dust particles that might have accumulated on the saree into the water.
4. Take out the saree from the vessel and gently rinse it in cold water to remove any excess detergent that might have persisted on the saree.
5. Do not squeeze or twist them tightly but ensure all the water seeps out. You can do this by dabbing a soft towel over them to rid them of the excess moisture.
6. Finally, hang them on a clothing rack in a shady area or in subdued sunlight. At no cost must they be exposed to direct sunlight. The heat can significantly ruin the fibres' turgidity to a large extent, making them rupture uncontrollably.

Yes, washing a Banarasi saree can be a meticulous and elaborate process. Still, it is definitely worth sustaining their undying allure. They will be your constant companion through all chapters of your life and deserve to be well-cared for.

How to Dry a Banarasi Saree After Washing? 

1. Avoid the dryer. Instead, lay it flat on a clothing rack. Ensure you do not leave it there for prolonged periods, as it can lead to shape deformation in the saree.
2. While ironing the saree, ensure that you steam-iron it. Either that or you can iron it traditionally at a moderate temperature by putting a resisting layer of newspaper or cotton cloth over the saree. 

How do I Store the Banarasi Saree?

Even after washing the saree, you must continue to preserve its beauty. Storing a saree takes up a significant fraction of the saree's life. Hence, it would help if you dealt with its peculiar nuances.

• The saree must be stored by wrapping it in a muslin cloth or putting it on a wooden hanger.
• Metal hangers should be avoided as they might chemically react with the silk and damage its lustre.
• They must be arranged in a neat pile to prevent the formation of any wrinkles on the saree.
• It would help to avoid storing them in a wardrobe filled with other sarees, as the contact of different fabrics might create friction in the saree.
• Lastly, let them breathe every few months by putting them out in the open. Further, refold them to dissipate any wrinkles that may have formed on the crease lines.

Elusive pro-tips that no one has told you about

We all have well-kept secrets, and so does the world of silk sarees. So come with me to uncover all these tips and tricks that you might have never heard of before when it comes to their maintenance:

1. To remove a stain, mix equal vinegar and water parts. The chemical nature of vinegar can disintegrate the composition of the stain, rendering your saree clean.
2. Storing the saree in damp cupboards can lead to bacteria breeding on the saree. Yes, even microorganisms love Banarasi sarees. Hence, you must store them in dry places and infuse the area with naphthalene balls.
3. In case the colours of the saree bleed, you can starch the saree after washing it to revitalise its colours.
4. Zari and brocades woven on saree borders are susceptible to the shame of oxidation and must be stored in air-tight wardrobes.

Sarees come in numerous designs, each with its own aura, intricate designs and fabric. They also play with an extensive spectrum of looks, but how we treat them shows how much we respect our beautifully rich culture. No matter how high-end or complicated the purchase is, we must know how to properly re-construct and re-invent them.