A woman in champagne satin pyjamas stretches on a hotel bed behind a Rose gold silk pillowcase, panelled double doors and a wall lamp behind her

Travelling with your silk pillowcase

The short answer

Pack it. A silk pillowcase folds flat and slips into a carry-on: fold it in thirds, slide it into a soft pouch on top of your clothes, and dress the hotel pillow with it on the first night. Check the pillow’s shape before you go: rectangular takes the Standard 50 × 70 cm, square the Euro 65 × 65 cm. On a longer trip, wash it by hand.

Friday evening, a suitcase open on the bed. In France, the Toussaint school holidays begin after classes on Saturday 17 October and run until Monday 2 November. Somewhere between the swimsuit you will not need and the jumper you will, there is a question: does the pillowcase come too?

It can, and it takes almost no room. Here is why travellers pack their own, and how to do it well.

Why do travellers pack their own silk pillowcase?

The hotel pillowcase is cotton. However beautiful the room, the pillowcase on the bed is very likely crisp white cotton, chosen to go through the hotel laundry after every guest. It is a fine pillowcase. It is simply not the surface your hair sleeps on at home, and hair glides over silk instead of rubbing, so blowouts last and mornings start with fewer tangles.

The flight is dry. On a plane, the relative humidity in the cabin is typically below 20%, according to a report on airliner cabins by the US National Research Council. Your hair arrives after hours of dry air and a headrest. On the first night, a familiar silk surface is one small thing you can control.

A familiar object on an unfamiliar bed. New rooms, new sounds, a pillow that is too high or too soft. Your own pillowcase, with its monogram in the corner, makes the bed feel a little more yours.

It costs almost no space. Folded, a silk pillowcase is a flat square the size of a large book. You will not notice it in the suitcase; you will notice it on the pillow.

Which pillowcase size fits a hotel pillow?

Hotel pillows come in two shapes: rectangular or square. Our Standard pillowcase, 50 × 70 cm, fits rectangular pillows; the Euro, 65 × 65 cm, fits square ones.

  • Look before you pack. The room photos on the hotel’s website often show the pillows. A quick message to the reception works too: rectangular or square?
  • Measure if you are unsure. Lay a pillow flat and measure it seam to seam, at home or on arrival.
  • Dress the pillow you sleep on. If the bed has a mix of shapes, cover the one under your head and leave the decorative ones as they are.

The envelope closure helps on the road: an inner flap holds the pillow, with no zip or button to catch on anything in the suitcase.

How do you fold and pack a silk pillowcase?

  1. Pack it clean and dry. Wash it a day or two before you leave, so it travels ready to use.
  2. Fold it lengthwise, then in thirds. Smooth it flat with your palms first, so the folds stay soft and few.
  3. Give it a pouch. A soft cotton bag or a fabric pouch keeps it apart from zips, buckles and the soles of your shoes.
  4. Pack it near the top. Laid flat on your clothes, it is the first thing out on arrival and the last thing to be squashed.
  5. Keep it in your carry-on on a long trip. If your suitcase arrives a day late, the first night is still yours.

If it creases on the way, the creases soften once the pillow is in it. For a smoother finish, iron it on low heat on the reverse, or use a light touch of steam.

What goes in the night pouch?

A small pouch that holds the evening, wherever you land:

  • The pillowcase, folded in thirds.
  • An eye mask, for rooms that are never quite dark: a gap in the curtains, a corridor light under the door, the standby light of the television. Our guide to choosing a silk eye mask covers fit and pressure.
  • A scrunchie, to tie long hair loosely at night.
  • A travel-size bottle of pH-neutral silk detergent, for a trip of a week or more. It goes in your bag of liquids.
  • A mesh laundry bag, if you plan to use a washing machine along the way.

How do you wash a silk pillowcase on the road?

The care label travels with you. It says to wash by hand, or in the machine at 30 °C on a delicate cycle, inside out in a mesh bag, with a pH-neutral silk detergent and no bleach or fabric softener.

In a hotel room, the basin does the job:

  1. Fill the basin with lukewarm water and add a few drops of silk detergent.
  2. Turn the pillowcase inside out and move it gently through the water for a minute or two.
  3. Rinse in clean water until no foam is left.
  4. Do not wring it. Roll it in a dry towel and press, then unroll it. Britannica notes that silk loses some of its strength while wet, so wet silk is best handled gently.
  5. Dry it flat or over a hanger, away from direct sun, the radiator and the heated towel rail. Silk does not like long exposure to sunlight, and the label rules out the tumble dryer.

Washed in the evening, it is often dry by morning in a heated room. If you hand it to the hotel laundry, show them the label: hand wash or a delicate cycle at 30 °C, and no tumble dryer.

And if you would like that hotel feeling once you are home again, our note on a hotel bedroom at home has seven details.

Where Siluxe fits

The Siluxe silk pillowcase is 100% mulberry silk, 22 momme, Grade 6A, OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100, certificate 26.HCN.36686, tested for harmful substances, and designed in Paris. It comes in Standard 50 × 70 cm (Rose gold or Gold) or Euro 65 × 65 cm (Gold), with an envelope closure and an embroidered S monogram, at 84 €. See the pillowcase.

Our silk eye mask, at 35 €, is one size and folds into the same pouch, in Rose gold, Gold, Bronze, Burgundy or Silver. Darkness, softly. See the eye mask.

Complimentary delivery from $100 on USD orders: the pillowcase and the eye mask together qualify.

FAQ

Can I take a silk pillowcase in my hand luggage?

Yes. It is a piece of fabric, so it packs like a shirt: folded in thirds, in a soft pouch, near the top of the bag. Keeping it in your carry-on means it is with you on the first night, even if your suitcase arrives late.

Which silk pillowcase size fits a hotel pillow?

It depends on the pillow’s shape. The Standard 50 × 70 cm fits rectangular pillows and the Euro 65 × 65 cm fits square ones. Check the room photos or ask the hotel before you pack, and dress the pillow you actually sleep on.

How do I dry a silk pillowcase in a hotel room?

Do not wring it. Roll it in a dry towel and press out the water, then dry it flat or over a hanger, away from direct sun, the radiator and the heated towel rail. Never put it in a tumble dryer.

Will a silk pillowcase crease in my suitcase?

A little, depending on how it is folded. Fold it lengthwise, then in thirds, after smoothing it flat, and pack it on top. The creases soften on the pillow; for a smoother finish, iron it on low heat on the reverse, or use a light touch of steam.

Sources

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