Tie Care

The male necktie! The daily office jewelry for our neck as men. The necktie is to a man, what the everyday necklace is to a woman...

Neckties come "a dime a dozen" and can be expensive or cheap. Either way, don't you hate when you spill food or something on your necktie? The best way to avoid this is simply eating more carefully not to spill. But if it does happen, does that mean the tie is ruined? Can you clean it? How? All of these questions occur even when the smallest spill gets on the necktie, expensive one or not. So let me share with you a few tips on caring for your ties!

Addressing the most popular question first, can you clean a silk necktie? The answer is, yes! The best thing to do is clean it a soon as possible. Even if you're at the table, take a napkin and whip it off immediately so that it does not set into the silk. The tricks you've heard about using club soda and stuff like that do not work, so don't do it! That may work for cotton but does not work for silk. You will only cause more damage to your tie. The better option is to simply use a little warm water. "Little" meaning a fingertip amount of water, just enough to clean the spot that is on your tie. You will not damage your tie. When done, just let it air dry and you'll be fine.

Here are some other quick "tie tips" that are often over looked, but can be very useful in caring for your ties:

1. Un-make your tie! Rather than just pulling the small end out of the knot when taking off your tie, undo your tie in the reverse motion of which you tied it. This allows for the small threads and silks not to be stressed out or torn fast over time.

2. Roll your ties up! Many of us hang our ties up when done, but it is actually better to roll your ties up until the next time. When your ties hang for a long time, the weight of the tie lining can weigh your tie down, causing it not to look as crisp after hanging for a while. Yes, you can hang your ties, but rolling them is better.

3. Keep ties in the dark! Most ties are kept in the closet which is great so that the silk is not in the direction of the sun or strong light. If you do have a light in your closet, make sure the ties are not near or directly under it. By ties being in dark and cool areas will allow the silk to keep it's rich color and softness.

There you have it gents, and ladies caring for their man! Care for your ties, they are a great complement to your fashionable "Life...With Style!"

Yours truly,
Michael Ferrera