Picture the moment you reach for something to wear to bed — not because you have to, but because the fabric itself is reason enough. That cool, fluid weight against your skin. The way it glides as you move. That quiet luminosity that catches the light even in a dimly lit room. Washable silk is real silk that you can wash — and it changes everything about how you can live with this fabric. Unlike traditional silk, which often calls for dry cleaning, washable silk is made to be laundered at home with gentle care. The result is a fabric that delivers the full sensory pleasure of silk with the wearability to reach for it every single night. After 30 years designing sleepwear, what we've learned is that washable silk is the fabric that finally lets customers stop treating their most beautiful pieces like museum objects.
What Exactly Is Silk, and Where Does It Come From?
Mulberry silk is a natural protein filament produced by the larvae of the silkworm Bombyx mori. Those long, continuous threads are harvested, reeled, and twisted into the silk yarn we know. Eberjey describes its Washable Silk as hypoallergenic and thermoregulating, a lovely choice for sleepwear worn close to the skin.
Traditional silk has a reputation for being delicate, and that reputation can create a sense of distance from something that was meant to feel intimate.
How Is Washable Silk Different From Regular Silk?
The difference shows up most in how you care for it.
The Finishing Process
How a silk is made washable varies by mill, from the way the fabric is finished to how it is woven. The goal is a silk that keeps its natural feel through home washing.
The Practical Difference
In practice, the difference is significant. Eberjey's Washable Silk can be hand washed or machine washed cold on a delicate cycle, separately, then laid flat to dry.
How Does Washable Silk Feel?
Eberjey's Washable Silk is 100% mulberry silk, and Eberjey describes its machine-wash-friendly silk pajamas as having a supple drape and subtle sheen.
Is Washable Silk Safe for Sensitive Skin?
Silk — whether traditional or washable — has long been valued for how it feels against skin. Eberjey's Washable Silk is described as hypoallergenic. Its smooth surface also feels gentle against the skin.
Look for OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification, which verifies that every thread, button and accessory has been tested against a list of over 1,000 harmful substances. Eberjey's Inez Washable Silk Long PJ Set is verified by OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 and produced using bluesign®-certified processes.
How Washable Silk Compares to Other Luxury Sleepwear Fabrics
Silk is one of several premium fabrics used in considered sleepwear. Understanding where it sits relative to alternatives helps clarify when washable silk is the right choice.
Washable Silk vs. TENCEL™ Modal
TENCEL™ Modal, made from wood sourced from responsibly managed forests, is the other fabric at the center of Eberjey's collection. Eberjey describes Gisele TENCEL™ Modal as a temperature-regulating knit that drapes and falls in all the right ways, enveloping the body in comfort, while its Washable Silk has a supple drape and subtle sheen.
Eberjey's Gisele TENCEL™ Modal Long PJ Set — Eberjey's #1 bestseller, with more than 1,400 five-star reviews — is beloved for its year-round sink-into-softness comfort. The washable silk collection carries that signature silk sheen. The Gisele set and the Inez Washable Silk Long PJ Set are each verified by OEKO-TEX® Standard 100, so the choice comes down to personal preference.
Washable Silk vs. Satin
Satin is not a fiber — it is a weave structure. It was originally a silk fabric but is now made from other fibers too. Always check the fiber content label, not just the weave descriptor.
Washable Silk vs. Pima Cotton
Pima cotton is soft, breathable and effortless to care for. Washable silk suits those who are drawn to the subtle sheen of genuine silk.
How to Care for Washable Silk
Washable silk rewards a little attention. A few simple rituals will preserve both the fabric's feel and its longevity.
Washing
- Hand wash or machine wash cold on a delicate cycle, separately
- Do not bleach
- Use a mesh wash bag
Drying
- Remove promptly from the machine
- Lay flat to dry
Why Washable Silk Belongs in Your Nightly Ritual
Eberjey's Washable Silk is thermoregulating, offering comfort year-round. Breathable sleepwear that doesn't trap heat can feel more comfortable as you wind down. The smoothness of silk also feels gentle against the skin.
With the washability barrier removed, silk moves from "occasion" fabric to everyday fabric. The ability to launder your sleepwear at home — without a dry cleaning bill or the low-grade anxiety of ruining something precious — changes the relationship entirely. It becomes something you reach for every night, not something you save.
Eberjey's washable silk collection was designed with exactly this in mind: the full sensory experience of silk, built for the rhythms of real life. Because the softer side of life isn't reserved for special occasions — it is the ordinary evening, the slow morning, the ritual of getting dressed for bed.
Frequently asked questions
What is washable silk?
Washable silk is real silk made to be laundered at home with gentle care. Eberjey's Inez Washable Silk Long PJ Set is 100% mulberry silk, produced using bluesign®-certified processes and verified by OEKO-TEX® Standard 100.
How is washable silk different from regular silk?
Traditional silk often calls for dry cleaning or very careful hand washing. Washable silk is made to handle home laundering, so you can wear it every night rather than saving it for special occasions.
Is washable silk good for sensitive skin?
Eberjey describes its Washable Silk as hypoallergenic, with a smooth surface that feels gentle against the skin. The Inez Washable Silk Long PJ Set is also verified by OEKO-TEX® Standard 100.
How do you wash washable silk?
Hand wash or machine wash cold on a delicate cycle, separately, ideally in a mesh wash bag. Remove promptly, lay flat to dry and skip bleach.
Is washable silk the same as satin?
No. Satin is a weave, not a fiber, and it can be made from fibers other than silk. Check the fiber content label to make sure you're buying real silk.
