The dishdasha, also known as thobe or kandura, is a traditional garment worn by men in the Middle East, particularly in countries like Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. It is a long, loose-fitting robe made of cotton or polyester fabric that is comfortable to wear in hot and dry weather conditions. Taking care of your dishdasha is essential to keep it looking good and ensure its longevity. Here are some tips for taking care of your dishdasha:
The kandura is the most traditional dress in UAE and it is the symbol of pride and identity. It is a long white cloak with full sleeves with no collar. Because the kandura is all white, the dirt and stains will be more visible but in this blog, we’ve compiled 3 tips for taking care of your kandura.
Your dishdasha needs to be adequately cared for when being washed. This is how you should be washing it.
Before washing your dishdasha, you need to pre-treat any stains that may linger on the material. Depending on the stain, depends on how you must pre-treat it.
Ink- If you have an ink stain soak it in milk for 24 hours before washing it as normal.
Sweat/yellowing- To get rid of sweat and yellowing stains, mix three aspirins with two tablespoons of water until a paste is formed. Smear the paste on the stain and leave it for an hour before washing as normal. If you don’t have any aspirin, sprinkle a handful of salt on the stain and squeeze some lemon over it until it’s soaked. Rub the lemon juice and salt until the stain has been removed or lightened, before washing as normal.
Makeup- Whether your makeup stain is powder or liquid based, shampoo will lift the stain. Spread a small amount of shampoo on the stain, before rubbing it in with soap and water. Once the stain has lightened or lifted wash as normal.
Deodorant- Rub a denim item on your deodorant stain, being careful to not press too hard and damage the fabric. The roughness of the denim should lift the stain from your dishdasha and leave it stain free.
Wash darker coloured dishdashas in the washing machine, on a cold cycle, using a mild detergent.
If you have a white or lighter coloured dishdasha it is best to hand wash it to avoid colour fading. To hand-wash, fill your basin with warm water and use a mild detergent. If you do wish to use the washing machine, make sure that you wash your garment with similar colours to avoid colour running, and only on a warm cycle.
Never use a tumble dryer to dry your dishdasha as this will put the fabric under too much strain and result in it becoming misshapen. Instead, hang it out to naturally dry, ideally in direct sunlight.
Unlike with other items of clothing, you want to iron your dishdasha when it is still slightly damp, using the cool setting on your iron. This being said you need to iron at the right time- if you begin ironing when it is too wet then your ironing will be useless but leave it for too long and it will become too dry.
If you have left your dishdasha to completely dry before ironing, a steam iron will be most effective. The steam will add a bit of moisture to your garment and help smooth out the creases.
The best way to ensure that your dishdasha is adequately cared for is by using Laundryheap’s dry cleaning service. For just KWD1.00 you can get your dishdasha picked up, dry cleaned, and re-delivered to you within 24 hours. To book your Laundryheap service head to the Laundryheap website or download the free Laundryheap app.
