What happens when you chuck Velvet in the Washing Machine AND Dryer???

🧺 Washing + Drying our Cotton Rayon Elastain Velvet: What Really Happens

📍 This is our new cotton rayon elastane velvet.  It comes in three colours – Musk,  Bronze and Teal.

The care label says DRY CLEAN ONLY — but I wanted to test what really happens when you throw it in the washing machine (and even the dryer).

👗 The first sample was air-dried naturally. You can see it has some crease marks from the machine, which is pretty normal. I’m going to iron it and see how it responds.

💨 For this, I’m using a hand towel to protect the pile and layering a piece of white cotton fabric on top — just in case of colour transfer (even though that’s unlikely, it’s a good habit).

This pink piece is machine-washed velvet that’s still a little damp. I’m ironing it from the wrong side on a regular heat setting — steaming first without pressing down hard.

🧵 You can see it still has that main crease, and the pile’s a bit rumpled.

Next, I tested the bronze velvet, also machine-washed (probably 40°C), then air-dried. It’s come out with no major wrinkles and a lovely, textured feel. It’s definitely lost some of the original sheen — but it still looks and feels luxe.

✨ Then we have the one that went through the clothes dryer.

Yes, it has some permanent crinkles… but they’re not deal-breakers. In fact, I kind of like the crushed, lived-in finish. Especially for an everyday dress — it feels like velvet you don’t have to baby.

When comparing:

•🩷 Washed + air-dried + ironed = softer pile, but still creased

•🟤 Washed + tumble dried = crinkled, no pressing, more consistent texture

And honestly? I prefer the dryer version. I didnlt check for shrinkage – I would assume there would be between 5-10% MAX – if sizing is super important keep this in mind and do your own shrinkage testing if washing and Tumble Drying.

So, here’s my final verdict:

✅ Machine wash + tumble dry

❌ Don’t iron it after — it loses that plush feel

🧼 Or of course, dry clean if you want to keep it crisp and glossy

This fabric isn’t as high-maintenance as it looks — and that makes it so wearable. Perfect for wash-and-wear dresses with a velvet twist.