Eri silk weavers in Meghalaya uses locally made soap to remove sericin, a sticky substance produced by the silkworm from the cocoons. The soap is added into water to create an alkaline solution and then the handpicked good quality cocoons are tied in a muslin cloth and boiled in the solution. This process is known as degumming and it is done in order to improve the sheen, color, and texture of the silk.