Suddenly I am getting questions from people about stains on silks and from silks on props. It is new and was a mystery to me until I asked my wife who is a physician. (Apparently, magicians are not the only ones having this stain problem!)

Surprise! Hand Cleaners and Hand Sanitizers can cause the problem with dyes and the mineral content of certain props. (Many doctors recommend washing hands with soap and water over using hand sanitizers anyway!) The solvents left on the hands with these chemical "sanitizers" become a problem when the hands come into contact with other items and especially a problem with sweaty hands.

From experience, we already were aware of the problems with alcohol and some other solvents.

Sounds like the silks may be dyed with alcohol soluble aniline dyes. It takes a LOT of washing and rinsing to remove all traces of dye when dyeing fabrics. I'm sure some is intentionally left to keep the colors as bright as possible.

It is very rare that I would use these hand sanitizers. I get enough exposure to chemicals in my work. I am not about to add to the cocktail with those I can avoid. I am also a soap and water hand-washing fanatic... an old habit from my days as a chef.

My silks look fine!

Great! Plain ole Soap and water work! There is a reason doctors use it.