How to Care for Viscose

12 de octubre de 2026

Wash viscose, also called rayon, in cold water, up to 30°C (86°F), by hand or on a gentle cycle, inside out. Never wring it. Press the water out in a towel, then dry it flat or on a padded hanger, out of the sun and out of the dryer. Iron viscose on the reverse, or through a pressing cloth, at the medium setting, two dots in the iron symbol.

Viscose needs this care because it keeps only about half its strength while it is wet, and regains most of it as it dries. The sewn-in label on each piece comes first: its instructions mark the harshest treatment the piece can take, so a cooler wash or a gentler cycle stays within them. Some viscose is dry clean only. Sizes and fit are on Size & care.

Step	What to do	Why
Wash	Cold, up to 30°C (86°F), by hand or on a gentle cycle, inside out, in a small load or a mesh bag.	Cold water helps protect clothes from fading and shrinking.
Spin	Short or none. Never wring.	Wet viscose stretches easily, and a long spin creases it.
Dry	Roll in a towel to press the water out, then lay flat or hang on a padded hanger, in the shade. No dryer.	Only modal-type rayon is cleared for the dryer.
Iron	Two dots, the medium setting, on the reverse or through a pressing cloth, with light pressure.	Pressing the face directly can leave shine or iron marks.
Store	Wovens on padded hangers; knits and bias cuts folded.	Hanging pulls knits out of shape.

Is viscose the same as rayon?

Yes. Rayon is the US name for fibers made from regenerated cellulose, usually from wood pulp, and viscose is the international name for its most common form. The Federal Trade Commission lets US labels use either word, while European labels must say viscose. Viscose is not plastic. It is cellulose, the same polymer cotton is made of, dissolved and spun again into a fiber. Most fabric sold as "bamboo" is rayon too.

Modal and lyocell are rayons as well, made by other processes, and TENCEL is a brand of lyocell. Both hold their strength when wet far better than standard viscose. On a label, "viscose" names the standard kind, since international and EU rules give modal and lyocell names of their own. In the US, "rayon" can cover all three, so treat a label that says only "rayon" as standard viscose. The rest of this guide is about that kind.

Why is viscose delicate when it is wet?

Its fibers swell in water and lose strength. A review of fiber data puts wet viscose at 50–55% of its dry strength. University of Glasgow researchers measured a historic plain weave and twill at roughly 40–50% weaker wet, with wet samples that "tended to fracture quickly"; once dry, the fabric had recovered most of its strength.

So the risk lies in handling the piece while it is wet. Lift it with both hands, support its weight, and never twist, wring or scrub it.

What temperature should you wash viscose at?

Wash viscose cold, up to 30°C (86°F). On a US care label, the Federal Trade Commission defines "cold" as water up to 30°C (86°F). The international care system allows viscose at 30°C and 40°C (104°F), but the number on a label is a maximum, not a target, and Consumer Reports notes that cold water helps protect clothes from fading and shrinking.

Can you machine wash viscose?

Often, when the label allows it. The international care system lists viscose among the fabrics for its mild programs, with a reduced load and a short spin or none. In the US, choose cold and the gentle or delicate cycle, which means slow agitation for a shorter time. Turn the piece inside out and wash it in a mesh bag, or with a few light pieces of similar color.

How do you hand wash viscose?

Dissolve a mild detergent in cold water, no warmer than 30°C (86°F).
Submerge the piece and move it gently through the water for a few minutes. Do not rub, pull or wring it. Work quickly with colored and printed pieces, and do not leave them lying wet.
Rinse it in clean water of the same temperature.
Press the water out against the side of the basin, then lay the piece on a dry towel, roll it up and press.
Unroll it, shape it by hand and dry it flat or on a padded hanger, out of direct sun.

Does viscose shrink?

Yes, and in cold water too. Water swells the fibers and lets them relax from the stretch they were spun and woven under, so the cloth draws in. The Ohio State University Extension puts the shrinkage of untreated rayon in a machine wash at as much as 10%. A finish applied at the mill can reduce it. Take most care with crepe: Ohio State warns that full bias skirts and dresses of rayon crepe can end up with uneven hems.

To keep shrinkage down, wash it cold and briefly, handle it as little as possible while wet, and keep it out of the dryer. Viscose needs no sizing rule of its own: Size & care shows how to measure and what to do between sizes, and the care above keeps a piece at its size.

Why is some viscose dry clean only?

Standard viscose is weak and can shrink when wet, and some of its sizings and dyes leave rings in water, so for regular rayon the Ohio State University Extension says dry cleaning "is usually recommended to preserve the appearance". A care label also reflects the most sensitive part of the piece, which may be a lining, an interfacing, a trim or a print rather than the viscose.

The wording matters. Under US rules a label needs to list only one safe cleaning method. "Dry clean only" is a warning that washing will cause damage, and a maker may print it only with evidence. A plain "Dry clean" vouches for dry cleaning and says nothing either way about washing; Ohio State warns that dry-clean rayon can shrink and water-spot. If you choose to wash one, keep it to an unlined, unstructured challis or twill, and test first: dab a little water on an inside seam and see whether it puckers, shrinks or changes color.

Can viscose go in the dryer?

Standard viscose, no. The Ohio State Extension gives tumble-drying instructions only for the high-wet-modulus rayons such as modal, on warm and taken out while slightly damp, and warns that regular rayon may stretch or shrink when wet; Consumer Reports keeps delicates out of the dryer altogether.

How do you iron viscose?

Iron viscose at the medium setting, two dots in the iron symbol, up to 150°C (300°F). Viscose takes slightly less heat than cotton, Ohio State notes. Iron on the reverse, or through a pressing cloth on the right side, with light pressure, to avoid shine and iron marks. The international system allows a steam iron at this setting, used through a damp pressing cloth. If you use a handheld steamer, hold it away from the cloth and try it on an inside seam first: one that spits can leave the water rings described below.

Why does viscose get water spots?

Viscose is often finished with a sizing, and some sizings and dyes move when they get wet. A raindrop or a splash carries them to the edge of the wet patch and leaves a ring, which the Ohio State Extension warns may be permanent. We know of no tested way to lift such a ring at home; show it to a dry cleaner before putting more water on it.

Can shrunk viscose be stretched back?

Shrunk viscose can be eased back a little, at best. The method Nisa Salim, a materials scientist at Swinburne University of Technology, describes is to soak the piece in lukewarm water with about a tablespoon of hair conditioner per liter (about a quart), ease it back to size and dry it flat. Conditioner lubricates the fibers for a while, but it cannot fully reverse heavy shrinkage. We found no controlled study on viscose, and any length you regain may draw back the next time it is wet. Wet viscose is at about half strength, so pull gently or not at all.

How do you remove stains from viscose?

Blot, never rub. Wet viscose is at about half its strength.
Test any product on an inside seam first, as GINETEX advises checking colorfastness before pretreating.
Bleach only as the label's triangle allows. A triangle with two lines inside means oxygen (non-chlorine) bleach only.
On a piece whose label crosses out the circle, skip spot removers that contain solvents; the international care system rules them out with that symbol.
Keep it away from the iron until the stain is gone: heat can set it.
On a piece labeled dry clean, take any stain to the cleaner rather than working water into it; on sized rayon, water can leave a ring.

How do you store viscose?

Wovens on wide, padded hangers, never thin wire ones, hung about 10 cm (4 in) apart, as the Canadian Conservation Institute advises.
Knits and bias-cut pieces folded, because hanging pulls them out of shape.
Trousers and skirts hung from the waist.
Clean, and in breathable covers, not plastic. Sized fabrics feed mold. The Canadian Conservation Institute finds it can grow on them in about 100 days at 70% relative humidity and 10 days at 80%, while any spell below 55% stops it. In a humid climate, a dehumidifier or air conditioning can bring a closet below that line.

Dresses, blouses, trousers and blazers

Dresses. A long, bias-cut or knit viscose dress grows heavy when wet, so dry it flat. A crepe or lined dress is the one to keep with the dry cleaner, when its label allows it.
Blouses. Unlined challis and twill blouses whose label allows washing: by hand, cold, rolled in a towel, dried on a padded hanger.
Trousers. Hang them from the waist, and press the creases through a cloth.
Blazers. A structured or lined viscose blazer follows its label, which reflects its most sensitive part.