How to Wash and Care for an Embroidered Pheran
In short: dry clean an embroidered pheran. Do not machine wash, soak or wring it. Between cleans, air it, brush off dust and dab a fresh stain with cold water. Press it on low from the inside, with a cotton cloth over the embroidery. Store it folded in a cotton bag, away from damp, with neem leaves for wool.
Why dry clean only
The cloth would survive a wash. The embroidery would not. Aari loops catch and pull in a machine, sozni puckers when the cloth shrinks around it, and tilla thread dulls in water and detergent. Thread colours can also bleed into a pale ground. So our care label says dry clean only, for the work, not the cloth. A pheran needs cleaning about once a season, unless something is spilt on it.
Between cleans
| Problem | Do this | Not this |
|---|---|---|
| Dust, smell of smoke or food | Hang it outdoors in the shade for an hour; brush with a soft clothes brush | Spray perfume or deodorant on it |
| Fresh stain (tea, curry, oil) | Blot with a dry cloth, then dab with cold water from the edge in; dry clean soon | Rub, use hot water, bleach or a stain pen on embroidery |
| Creases | Steam from 15 to 20 cm, or iron inside out on low with a cotton cloth between | Iron directly on tilla or sozni |
| Pilling on cashmilon | A fabric shaver or comb, lightly, on the plain cloth | Pull the bobbles off |
| A loose thread | Snip it with scissors | Pull it |
| Wet from rain or snow | Lay it flat in the shade until dry | Put it on a heater or in a dryer |
Ironing an embroidered pheran
Turn the pheran inside out. Set the iron to low, or the wool setting with steam off. Lay a clean cotton cloth over the back of the embroidery and press, lifting the iron rather than dragging it. Never put the iron on the front of tilla or sozni: the metallic thread flattens and the fine stitches shine. A hand steamer held 15 to 20 cm away drops most creases without touching the cloth at all, and is the safest tool for a raffal piece.
Storing it for the summer
- Clean it first. Moths and stains both start on a pheran put away dirty.
- Fold it with the embroidery on the inside, and lay tissue or a soft cotton cloth over the worked parts so they do not rub.
- Put it in a cotton or muslin bag, never plastic. Plastic traps damp and that dulls tilla.
- Keep it in a cool, dry cupboard away from sunlight. For raffal wool, add dried neem leaves or a cedar block.
- Take it out, air it and refold it along different lines once in the summer.
Tilla and sozni: two extra rules
Tilla thread is metallic. Sweat, perfume and damp dull it, so put perfume on before the pheran and let it dry, and never store tilla in a damp room. Sozni is fine thread packed close. It does not like friction: a bag strap or a seat belt rubbing the same spot all winter will wear it. Move the strap to the other shoulder now and then.
Questions
Can I hand wash a cashmilon pheran?
We do not recommend it, and damage from washing is not covered. If you ever must: cold water, one drop of mild liquid, no soaking, no wringing, and keep the embroidery out of the water as far as you can. Dry it flat in the shade.
Will the thread colour run?
Not in dry cleaning. In water it can, especially darker threads on a pale cloth, which is one more reason to keep it dry.
Will a pheran shrink?
Not if it is dry cleaned. Cashmilon loses its shape and raffal shrinks if they are washed hot or tumble dried.
How do I care for a Meeras raffal pheran?
The same way, with the wool rules added: steam rather than iron, store with neem or cedar, and air it every few weeks in the season.
How do I care for a tusha or raffal shawl?
Dry clean, fold rather than hang, and store it in muslin. See our guide on real pashmina for shawl care.
Where is the care label on the product page?
Under Wash & Care on every product page in the pheran collection.
Written by the KAARKASH team in Srinagar, Kashmir, where our pieces are made and packed. Updated October 2026.