After Worn

You shouldn't put your kimono in your closet right after returning home. It is necessary to put it on a hanger for about an hour to air it out. However, do not leave it on a hanger for days. Otherwise, it may fade or lose its shape. In case it is wrinkled, you will need to iron it before storing. Do not use steam iron but use dry iron at low temperature. As you iron, lay white cloth on the Kimono and thin white Japanese paper on embroideries, gilts and crests. If you do not have Japanese paper, regular thin white paper can be used.

Humidity will stain your precious kimono. So, we strongly recommend that you wrap your kimono in paper for protection. Tatou-shi, special wrapping paper for kimono, is the best, but regular paper also can be used. However, do not put it in a plastic bag for a long period of time. Silk is such a delicate fabric. Before storing the kimono, lay a piece of paper on the bottom of the drawer, and place some mothballs wrapped with paper. Do not forget wrapping mothballs with paper, otherwise they damage your precious kimono.

Before storing the kimono, lay a piece of paper on the bottom of the drawer, and place some mothballs wrapped with paper.

In Japan, we air our kimono about twice a year. Pick a dry day after 2 or 3 consecutive sunny days, and let it hang in an airy place for about four hours, avoiding direct sunlight.

If you have your kimono stained or soiled, dry cleaning is a better choice, but you should tell the staff at the cleaners that kimonos are made of delicate silk that are easily damaged by dry cleaning. In the old days, there was no dry-cleaning. So, kimonos were washed by the cleaning process called, "Arai-Bari". Once disassembled, kimonos were washed with water and dried out on wooden boards, then reassembled. These days, valuable kimonos are still cleaned in this way by professionals because this has been the best way to care kimonos in the ideal condition.