Caring for Your Silk Travel Sheet (and a few Fun Facts about Silk)

Brave Era travel sheets are made of 100% silk, a natural material that’s hypoallergenic, temperature regulating, and extremely lightweight. Producing that silk is painstaking, time-consuming, and one of nature’s greatest wonders.

Caterpillars spin a cocoon of protein fibers around themselves as they prepare to transform into a pupa and, ultimately, emerge as a moth. The silk threads from a cocoon are woven into cloth, each one producing almost a kilometer of silk filament. When the strands are extracted, however, it takes roughly 2500 silkworms to produce a single pound of raw silk.

Despite its fragile beginnings, silk cloth is remarkably resilient. Our travel sheets are machine washable, with reinforced stitching for added durability. Following these simple tips will ensure your sheet continues to keep you warm, comfy and bug-free for years to come.

• Harsh chemicals can cause silk fibers to break-down, so always use a mild soap or detergent to wash your sheet. Make sure to use the “delicate” or “hand wash” setting on your machine (a water temperature between 30-40 degrees is ideal).

• Don’t put your sheet in the dryer. Excessive heat will cause the fibers to shrink and become stiff to the touch. Instead, roll it up in a towel to remove any excess moisture and your sheet will air dry in no time at all.

• If you need to remove and marks or stains, rub gently with a sponge and mild soap. If the stain won’t come out, you may need to take it to a dry-cleaner who handles silk fabrics. Excessive scrubbing will damage the fibers, so err on the side of caution if a mark doesn’t come out after machine washing.

• If you’re not going to be using your sheet for extended periods, make sure to store it away from direct sunlight. Take it out for an airing every few months to allow the natural fibers to breathe.

 Fun Facts

• A larva will eat 50,000 times its weight in mulberry leaves before maxing out as a silk worm.
• The silk filament comes out of the worm’s spinneret, a tube on the top of its head. Basically, it’s just fancy insect spit.
• A worm will turn its body over 300,000 times to form a cocoon.
• Silk has been cultivated for over 5,000 years in China.
• Silk worms are now extinct in the wild. The Bombix mori was once native to northern China, but can now only be found in captivity.
• The female silk worm lays 400 eggs and dies almost immediately afterwards, shortly followed by the male. Their entire adult existence involves finding a mate, reproducing, laying eggs and dying. They can’t see, they can’t fly, and they don’t even get to eat.
• It takes over 2,000 cocoons to produce a single Japanese kimono, so its no wonder that the price of raw silk is about twenty times that of raw cotton.
• In terms of tensile strength, silk is the strongest natural fiber on the planet.
• Silk can absorb one third of its own weight in moisture without feeling damp, which is why it’s the perfect material for sleepwear and for our 100% silk travel sheet.