There are many prejudices about silk. Let's wring their necks!

As Montesquieu said: "Skepticism is the first step towards truth"! So it's urgent to take a step back (if not a long one) from a number of prejudices that are as fanciful as they are widespread!

As for these far-fetched "urban tales and legends" from which we don't really know where they originate, those circulating on the web have a hard life!

Discovered 3000 years before our era, silk has always been considered a refined and luxurious raw material, long reserved for the elite. Now democratized, it is used in the textile industry for its many thermal and antibacterial qualities, as well as for its incomparable sheen and feel. So it's hardly surprising that silk is now also found in our homes, and particularly in our bedrooms.

Used in the manufacture of quality duvets, pillows and bed linen, silk cajoles, fascinates and gets people talking! So many misconceptions abound! Here are a few surprising and unfounded myths, our top 6 silk prejudices:

1 - Silk is cold!

FALSE!

Quite the contrary! Cool in summer and warm in winter, silk is a natural raw material that absorbs moisture and helps to thermoregulate the sleeping environment. This property also prevents the development of bacteria and dust mites, and enables the fiber to better regulate temperature.

So, a silk sheet, duvet cover or pillowcase will stay cool in summer, and be cosy as soon as the first chill sets in.

A silk duvet will also have great covering power, despite weighing less than a down or wool duvet. Since silk is naturally healthy and insulating, the combination of its exceptional thermal and sanitizing properties offers the best possible sleeping environment:

• Thermoregulating, it is ideal for people suffering from hot flushes. It is also ideal for unheated bedrooms, where temperature variations can be significant.
• Airy and light, it avoids the suffocating sensation you get with other types of heavy, thick duvets. It also has the ability to improve blood circulation.
• Flexible and enveloping, it avoids thermal bridges.
• Absorbent, it limits humidity and therefore perspiration, while purifying the air.

2 - Silk must be hand-washed!

FALSE!

This is the most common prejudice about silk. Another common misconception, but one that's as false as it is widespread!

Silk is a naturally healthy, antibacterial and hypoallergenic material. For duvets, pillows and throws, therefore, washing with water is unnecessary and risks damaging the silk and depriving it of its natural properties.

What's more, the proliferation of bacteria, a source of unpleasant odors, is limited by silk's naturally antibacterial qualities. So there's less need for care!

Silk bed linen care

All our silk duvet covers and sheets can be washed in the washing machine!

We recommend a delicate cycle at 30°C and the use of a silk-specific detergent such as Tenestar. Placing items in a laundry bag will also help protect your items inside the machine.

Far from altering the quality and lustre of your silk sheets, regular care will make them increasingly soft and silky.

Care for silk duvets

As for our duvets, they're easy to care for. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your bedding and preserve its qualities for the long term:

• Air your silk duvet two or three times a year, avoiding direct sunlight. This allows the silk to regenerate and regain its volume.
• Protect your duvet with a duvet cover to avoid staining.

In the event of a stain, be sure to clean only the cotton cover, avoiding wetting the silk filling. To avoid any risk of silk deterioration, we recommend using a specific silk detergent such as Tenestar.

Out of season, store duvets in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. The duvet cover provided is ideal for protecting your duvet from dust, while still allowing good ventilation.

As a last resort, we recommend that you contact a professional who is familiar with silk and has a silk-specific detergent. Washing under running water is not recommended, as silk fibers become waterlogged and lose their natural properties after drying. Don't forget to indicate the value of the silk duvet at the depot.

3 - Silk is very expensive!

This is one of the first things that comes to mind when you think of silk, yet it's a very expensive material. FALSE!

Quality silk is expensive to produce. Judge for yourself: on average, between 3,000 and 5,000 silk cocoons are needed to produce 1 kg of silk!

At Maison de la Soie, our aim is to strike a balance between the quality you expect from our products and the fair price you expect to pay for them. Compare, you'll see!

To enable us to sell some of the lowest-priced silk bedding and linen on the market, we've chosen to sell direct on our eshop, with no intermediaries.

What's more, far from being more expensive than cotton or linen sheets, our silk sheets promise you high-quality bedding with proven durability.

Careful maintenance will ensure that your sheets last for many years, turning your initial outlay into a long-term investment in your health and comfort.

And if you're going to spend a third of your life sleeping, you might as well do it without compromise or renunciation, don't you think?

We have, however, thought of the smallest budgets by developing a silk and cotton range:

4 - Silk slips!

FALSE!

While it's true that silk sheets are less rough than cotton or linen sheets, don't confuse the soft feel of silk with the dry, cold, "leaky" feel of cheap sheets made from synthetic fibers.

It's polyester and polyester sateen sheets that slip, not silk!

Satin ("charmeuse" in English) is a soft, shiny fabric that can be made from any yarn. Generally, the word "satin" is used for polyester satin, but you can also find cotton satin, viscose satin, etc... There is, of course, no visual or tactile comparison with natural silk.

So beware of unscrupulous merchants selling polyester satin for silk satin.

Much less expensive to produce, polyester satin is invading the bed linen shelves of distributors looking for easy sales, and deliberately creating confusion.

It's like comparing a chipboard panel to a solid oak plank!

5 - Silk is fragile!

FALSE!

Did you know that before the advent of nylon, parachutes were woven from silk?

Silk's strength-to-weight ratio makes it one of the strongest fabrics available, with excellent tear and wear resistance.

Here again, the collective intellect has done its work, and there are a lot of quick amalgams!
Let's not confuse the finesse of silk lingerie with the strength of a sheet woven from the same material.

It's all about quality!

In addition to the chemical fibers that try to imitate it, there are different kinds of silk, not all of the same quality. It all depends on the animal that makes the cocoon. The best known, and the one that makes the best quality silk, is the caterpillar of the mulberry bombyx butterfly, more commonly known as the silkworm. The caterpillars of other insects (butterflies, spiders...) also make silk thread cocoons.

Several types of silk are available on the market:

• Habotai silk, produced by worms that multiply in captivity, has a matt, slightly sandy appearance. This silk is therefore less silky and lustrous.
• Tussah silk is produced by wild silkworms and is generally considered to be of inferior quality. The short, broken silk fibers promote the presence of knots and impurities in the weave, greatly altering its look and feel.
• Grade A silk is the highest quality available. This quality of silk requires a selection of the finest cocoons, which unwind into a long, regular thread. For silk bed linen, this means fewer thread ends. Silk satin is all the more luxurious, soft and resistant. Our sheets are made exclusively from this high-quality silk.

The weight of your sheets is also important:

Momme is a unit used to measure the density of a silk fabric. For bed linen, this can vary between 19 and 25.

This is the most important criterion for choosing bed linen. silk bed linen because the thicker the silk satin, the stronger, softer and more visually luxurious it is.

We offer only the best qualities of silk: 19, 22 and 25 Mommes. If a manufacturer doesn't tell you the weight in mommes of their silk sheets, look elsewhere!

Last but not least, the fabric of the sheet adds the finishing touch to the comfort you're looking for:

The price of silk rolls varies greatly with width. It's therefore economical to sew two strips of fabric lengthwise to make a large sheet. However, it's unpleasant and unsightly to have a seam in the middle of your sheets. We only offer sheets without patch seams.

6 - Silk products are chemically treated!

FALSE!

Silk is a natural fiber produced by silkworms, which feed exclusively on mulberry leaves.

Our suppliers are certified Oeko-tex® standard 100, which ensures the absence of undesirable chemical substances. Apart from the natural ivory color of silk, dyes are used to color the fabric. However, these dyes are compatible with the Oeko-tex® standard 100.

And if, having swept away all these prejudices about silk, we also told you that your pillowcase is a genuine natural beauty treatment ? Are you convinced?

All you have to do is make up your own mind and judge for yourself...
You'll then be able to add to the list of beliefs about silk, this time based on actual use of the product, which you'll see holds more pleasant surprises than disappointments!

Don't hesitate to contact us to find out more about the products in our catalog.