Gota patti is metal ribbon stitched onto fabric. It is more delicate than the fabric it sits on, and most damage to a gota saree happens in the wash, not in the wearing.

Here is how to keep one looking new for years.

The rule that matters most

Dry clean is genuinely better for gota patti, especially for the first few cleans. This is not a shop trying to avoid responsibility - water loosens the stitching, and detergent dulls the metallic finish.

If you must wash at home, read the rest of this carefully.

If you are washing at home

Do

• Use cold water only. Warm water loosens both the stitching and the dye.
• Wash the saree alone, at least for the first three washes. Hand-dyed colours bleed.
• Use a mild liquid detergent, not powder. Powder granules catch in the gota and scratch it.
• Dip and lift gently. Do not rub the gota area at all.
• Squeeze water out by pressing between palms or rolling in a towel.

Do not

• Do not soak. Even fifteen minutes weakens the stitching.
• Do not wring or twist. This is what pulls gota off.
• Do not use bleach, or any detergent containing bleach.
• Do not machine wash, on any setting, including delicate.
• Do not scrub a stain. Blot it.

Drying

Dry in shade, never in direct sunlight. Sunlight fades hand-dyed colour quickly and can tarnish the metallic finish on the gota.

Hang it over a wide rod or a line, not a thin wire hanger - a thin hanger creates a permanent crease line and puts weight on one point.

Ironing

Iron on the lowest heat setting. Always place a thin cotton cloth between the iron and the saree, and never let the iron touch the gota directly - the metal will discolour or melt.

Better still, iron the saree from the reverse side.

Storing

This is where most long-term damage happens.

• Wrap the saree in a cotton cloth, not plastic. Plastic traps moisture and tarnishes gota.
• Refold along different lines every few months. Fabric weakens along a permanent fold and eventually tears there.
• Keep away from naphthalene balls placed directly against the fabric.
• Store flat if you have space, rather than hanging - hanging puts constant weight on the shoulder area.

If gota comes loose

Do not pull it. Cut the loose thread close to the fabric and take the saree to a tailor who does hand work - it can be re-stitched invisibly. Pulling a loose gota thread unravels the stitching along the whole motif.

How long should a gota saree last?

Cared for this way, decades. It is common in Rajasthan and here in Agra for families to still have gota patti pieces from two generations back, with the gota intact even where the fabric has worn thin.

Every saree in our gota patti collection is hand-applied work, and we include care instructions with each order.