· GARMENT CARE ·
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We suggest that you dry clean most items from Firefly Designs Africa · Asia
with the exception of 100% cotton and 100% polyester items.

When cleaned, remove the garment from the plastic, and if it is on a wire hanger,
transfer it to a cloth or plastic one before hanging in your closet.

If your garment is not stained or dirty, consider airing it on a hanger in fresh air
before returning to your closet instead of dry cleaning.

When traveling, fold your Firefly Design garments between sheets of tissue paper.
This will minimize wrinkling.

SILK
· Dry cleaning is recommended. Laundering by machine with detergent with other clothes may damage silk garments because laundering detergent and dyes in other clothes may adversely affect the silk.

· For some items without linings and without embellishments (i.e. silk scarves) attached, you may CAREFULLY handwash with specially formulated handwashing product - using cool water. Do not wring, and hang to drip dry AWAY from sunlight. Hand wash ONLY with recommended cleaner for hand washing delicate fabrics.

· Never use cholorine bleach.

· Silk is adversely affected by sunlight. For short and / or long time storage, take care to store your Firefly Design garment protected from light, air and insects.

Touching up/Pressing your silk garment:
Press your silk garment inside out, using a low, gentle heat setting. Sprinkle your garment with a TINY bit of water. Too much heat can dull or burn your silk. For best results – bring to a professional dry cleaning establishment for pressing.

Alternatively – you can steam your silk.

If you wear perfume or hairspray, let both dry before donning your silk garment. That which contains alcohol can damage your silk garment.

COTTON
· Garments that are unlined and 100% cotton may be laundered by machine. They MUST be washed with LIKE color fabrics. Machine washing should ONLY be for white garments of 100% cotton. Dyes used in other colors may not be color-fast. Hand washing or dry cleaning is strongly recommended.

· Any good detergent can be used to wash cotton.

· Chlorine bleach can be used safely on cotton whites.

· Cotton wrinkles easily and will require pressing.

· A higher heat setting is needed in the dryer to dry cotton.
Cotton will take much longer to dry than less absorbent fibers.

· Cotton can be ironed with a hot, steam iron.

WOOL
· It's a good idea to "rest" your wool items for a day between each wearing. While your design
is "resting" - hang on a shaped or padded hanger. In this way - wool items may actually return to their original shape (sans wrinkles) by themselves!

· Before hanging - empty pockets, remove belts and hang with closures zipped and buttoned.

· Brush wool with a special fabric brush to remove any soil on the surface.

· A steamy bathroom works wonders for wool. By hanging your garment, the moisture from the steam will help remove wrinkles.

· If wool gets wet, dry the garment at room temperature away from heat. Remove spots and stains promptly.

· Keep moths away by storing wool with fresh cedar blocks.

· Make sure that you dry clean your woolen item at least once a season (or if it has been stained). It is very important to do this before storing.

· Press wool on the reverse side – if possible. If you MUST press on the right side, use a pressing cloth so that no shine remains. Lower the iron and then lift it; don’t slide it to and fro over the fabric. Use the wool setting on your iron and always use steam. Avoid pressing your garment totally dry.

SPANDEX
· Some of Firefly Design items are a combination of cotton and spandex.

· You may dry clean.

· You may hand or machine wash in lukewarm water. Make sure you rinse thoroughly and do not wring before drying.

· Do not use chlorine bleach on any fabric containing spandex.

· If you wash your garment, make sure you drip dry. If machine drying, use low temperature setting.  Realize that your item will shrink if you dry in a dryer.

· If your garment requires ironing, iron quickly, not leaving the iron in one place for too long.  Use a low heat setting on your iron.

POLYESTER
· Most items made from 100% polyester can be machine washed and dried.
You may also dry clean.

If you wash:
· Use warm water, adding a fabric softener when the machine rinses.

· If drying by machine, use a low temperature and remove as soon as the tumbling cycle
is complete. You may also air dry.

· If you iron, use a moderately hot iron.

RAYON
· Most rayon garments should be dry-cleaned.

· Between wearings, items containing rayon may be pressed with a cool iron.

LINEN
· Some linens are washable; others are dry-clean only. Check the label.

· White linens should be dried in the sun. This will help keep them white.

· Linen wrinkles VERY easily and will require pressing with a very hot iron.
Spray starch may be used.

· SOME GARMENT CHARACTERISTICS ·
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There are two categories of fabrics we use in our garments - natural fibers and manufactured fibers. Some of our designs use combinations of both and some are 100% natural fiber or 100% manufactured. Here is some additional information about fabrics.

Natural Fibers we use: Wool, Cashmere, Cotton, Hemp, Linen, Silk

Manufactured Fibers we use: Polyester, Rayon, Spandex

ABOUT OUR NATURAL FIBERS:
Firefly uses a combination of wool and cashmere in some of its designs.

WOOL is made from the fleece of sheep.  It’s comfortable, versatile, lightweight, warm, wrinkle-resistent. Dry clean.

CASHMERE is made from the fleece of Kashmir goats. Some of the characteristics of Cashmere include:  softness, drapeable, a luxury fabric. Cashmere is expensive. Dry clean.

COTTON is comfortable, soft-to the touch, absorbent, machine washable and dry cleanable. It drapes well.

HEMP is three times stronger than cotton and very durable. It is naturally resistant to mold and mildew and softens a little each time it’s washed, dry-cleaned and worn. Wrinkles easy. The highest quality comes from the “true” hemp plant – Cannabis Sativa, as opposed to Sisal Hemp and Manila (Abaca) hemp which are a lower quality fiber. It is best used in combination with other fibers such as cotton or polyester. 

LINEN is made from the flax plant. It is comfortable, twice as strong as cotton – can be hand washed or dry cleanable. It tailors beautifully, but wrinkles very easily.  

SILK is a natural fiber created by the silk worm.  It has various weights, and is known to be a luxury item.  Silks have different sheens and can be used from anything to lightweight scarves (apparel accessory) to heavy theater draperies!  It is a luxury fabric that may be hand washed or dry cleaned.  It has a poor resistance to sunlight, and may be the thinnest of all natural fibers. 

ABOUT OUR MANUFACTURED FIBERS:
RAYON is soft and comfortable, drapes well and is absorbent. If washed, it can shrink a great deal. Dry cleaning is recommended. 

POLYESTER is a strong, durable fabric that is resistant to stretching and shrinkage. It dries quickly and is virtually wrinkle resistant. Can be washed or dry-cleaned. Removing stains is difficult. Known as “wash and wear”. 

SPANDEX is lightweight and can be stretched over 500% (!) and not break. It is stronger and more durable than rubber, and resistant to perspiration and lotions/body oils. It has been used extensively in athletic apparel, bathing suits and foundation garments.