Wash rayon in cold water<\/strong> with a mild liquid detergent<\/strong> — by hand, or on a delicate cycle with a low spin. Never use a hot tumble dryer.<\/strong> Rayon loses roughly half its strength when it is wet, so it has to be handled gently: no wringing, no twisting, no bleach, no long soaks. Dry it flat or hang it in the shade, and iron it on low heat with steam while it is still slightly damp.<\/p>\n Follow those rules and rayon keeps its drape, its colour and its shape for years. Break them — hot water, a hot dryer, a hard spin — and the garment will shrink, stiffen or stretch out of shape.<\/p>\n Rayon is made from wood pulp cellulose that has been chemically reshaped into a fibre. That is what gives it the soft, silky hand feel of silk at a fraction of the price — but it also makes the fibre much weaker when wet<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Two practical rules follow from that one fact:<\/p>\n You will also see rayon sold as viscose<\/strong>, modal<\/strong>, lyocell<\/strong> or Tencel<\/strong>. They all sit in the same family and the care rules below apply to all of them. Lyocell is the toughest of the group; plain viscose needs the most care.<\/p>\n Yes — rayon can shrink, and it is the most common complaint about the fabric. There are two separate things going on, and only one of them is your fault:<\/p>\n The good news is that cold water and air drying prevent almost all of it<\/strong>. If a garment was pre-shrunk at the factory, relaxation shrinkage will be minimal from the start.<\/p>\n There is a mirror-image problem worth knowing about too: rayon can also grow<\/strong> on a hanger. It is a heavy fibre with little memory of its own, so a soaking-wet rayon dress left hanging by its shoulders can stretch at the neckline. Support the weight — dry it flat, or on a padded hanger.<\/p>\n Machine washing is fine for everyday rayon as long as you set it up properly:<\/p>\n When in doubt, hand wash. A structured rayon blazer, a pleated skirt or anything lined is safest at the dry cleaner.<\/p>\n This is the step that decides whether the garment survives, so it is worth getting right:<\/p>\n Rayon presses beautifully — it simply needs a low setting and a little patience.<\/p>\nWhy Rayon Needs Its Own Rules<\/h2>\n
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Does Rayon Shrink?<\/h2>\n
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Hand Washing Rayon, Step by Step<\/h2>\n
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Machine Washing Rayon (If the Care Label Allows It)<\/h2>\n
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Drying Rayon Without Shrinking It<\/h2>\n
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Ironing and Steaming Rayon<\/h2>\n
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What to Avoid: The Short List<\/h2>\n