Caring for your hanbok, piece by piece.
A hanbok is usually more than one piece, and each piece can need different care. A silk jeogori, an embroidered chima, a cotton set for everyday wear and a norigae should not be treated the same way. This guide shows you where to find the right instructions for each one and how to store them between wearings.
Start with that piece’s instructions
Start with the care instructions for that specific piece. If instructions are missing or unclear, ask the seller for written guidance before cleaning.
Do not apply one piece’s instructions to another, even within the same set.
Piece by piece
| Piece | What to check before any cleaning |
|---|---|
| Jeogori (jacket) | Its care instructions; whether it has a separate collar band (dongjeong), embroidery, printed or metallic decoration, or a lining of a different fabric. |
| Chima (skirt) | Its care instructions; whether the waistband and skirt are different fabrics; any printed or metallic decoration along the hem. |
| Overlay or sheer layers | Its care instructions; sheer fabrics can mark easily, so ask a cleaner before treating any spot. |
| Everyday cotton or linen sets | Its care instructions, which may allow washing; follow their temperature and drying instructions exactly. |
| Children’s sets | The care instructions for each piece; small sets often combine different fabrics. |
| Norigae, hair pieces and other accessories | Ask the seller; these often combine cord, metal, stone or beads and may not be washable at all. |
When you take a piece to a dry cleaner, bring its care instructions and point out any embroidery, printing or metallic decoration.
If something spills
- Check the piece’s care instructions first. If it is dry clean only, take it to a dry cleaner as soon as you can and tell them what the stain is.
- For delicate, decorated, embroidered or fragile pieces, do not treat the stain yourself. Ask a professional to assess it.
Between wearings: hang or fold?
Whether a piece should hang or lie flat depends on its construction, weight, decoration and condition. The Canadian Conservation Institute advises hanging only garments that are structurally sound and can carry their own weight, and storing flat those cut mainly from straight panels, heavily decorated, or weak at the shoulders.
- Store flat: any piece that is heavy for its fabric, heavily embroidered or decorated, fragile, or weak at the shoulders.
- May hang: a structurally sound piece on a padded hanger that supports its shoulders; a sound skirt from its waistband on a padded clamp hanger. Never use thin wire hangers.
- Cover with fabric: use a clean, breathable cotton cover, and keep pieces away from light and dust.
Storing pieces for longer
- Keep folds to a minimum and use a box or drawer big enough to need few folds.
- Pad any folds you cannot avoid with unbuffered, acid-free tissue.
- Line the box or drawer with prewashed cotton or unbuffered, acid-free tissue.
- Store pieces enclosed, away from light and dust.
- Change where the folds fall from time to time so creases do not set in one place.
- Before storing, check each piece for any sign of insects or mould. Keep an affected piece away from the others.
- Avoid stacking. If you must, put heavier pieces at the bottom with tissue or cotton between them.
Heirlooms and older pieces: home care is not conservation
The storage steps above come from guidance written for museum collections and adapted here for a home closet. They protect a garment you still wear. They are not conservation treatment.
If a hanbok is old, fragile, valuable to your family, or damaged, do not wash, spot-clean or repair it at home. A professional textile conservator can assess it and advise on cleaning, repair and storage. In the United States, the American Institute for Conservation lists conservators in its Find a Conservator directory.
Traveling with a hanbok
Pack it so it is folded as little as possible, and unpack it as soon as you arrive. If a piece is going to an event far away, check its care instructions before steaming or pressing it on site.
Questions about a piece
Write to us and tell us which piece you have and what its care instructions say. Related: the collection and questions to ask before you buy a hanbok.