Tussar, Chanderi and Madhubani-print sarees are the three in most wardrobes that get ruined fastest, and almost never on the day they are worn. The damage happens afterwards, in a hot wash, on a sunny balcony, or folded on the same line for four years.
Here is what each one actually needs.
Washing
Dry cleaning is the safe answer for Tussar and for anything with a zari border. Both fabrics lose their body when soaked, and zari tarnishes on contact with water.
If you wash at home, do it cold, by hand, with a mild liquid detergent, and keep the soak under five minutes. Never scrub a printed area. Never machine wash Tussar or Chanderi, because the agitation flattens the texture that you paid for.
On a spill, blot with a dry cloth and stop there. Rubbing spreads the stain into the weave and lifts the print.
Drying
Shade, always. Direct sun fades colour faster than anything else on this list, and it makes Tussar brittle over time.
Do not wring. Press the water out between two dry towels, then dry flat or over a wide rod so the weight of the wet fabric does not stretch the fall.
Ironing
Medium heat, on the reverse, with a thin cotton cloth between the iron and the saree. Do this while the fabric is very slightly damp and the creases come out in one pass.
A hot dry iron placed directly on Tussar will glaze the surface, and the shine it leaves cannot be removed. Over printed sections and zari, keep the cloth between at all times. For Chanderi, steam from a slight distance rather than pressing hard, or you lose the crispness that makes it Chanderi.
Storing
Wrap in cotton or muslin so the fabric can breathe. Plastic traps moisture and yellows light colours over a couple of seasons.
Fold loosely, three or four broad folds rather than eight sharp ones, and refold along different lines every three to six months. This one habit prevents the split fold lines that finish off most old sarees.
Keep neem leaves or cloves nearby rather than naphthalene, which leaves a smell that takes months to clear. There is a fuller routine in how to store sarees.
A Note on the Prints
Our Madhubani, Kalamkari and block designs are printed, not painted. That is good news for care: printed art on Tussar or Chanderi tolerates a careful cold wash far better than pigment applied by hand would, and there is no risk of the artwork lifting off in patches.
What still needs protecting is the fabric underneath. Tussar's texture and Chanderi's crispness are the things worth preserving, and both respond to the same treatment: cold, shaded, gently pressed, loosely folded.
The Short Version
Cold water or dry clean. Shade dry. Never wring. Iron on the reverse through cloth. Store in muslin, refold twice a year.
If you want the fabric background behind these rules, what Tussar silk actually is explains why it behaves the way it does. The ranges sit under Tussar and Chanderi.
One thing worth doing tonight: open the cupboard, pick the saree you have not worn in two years, and refold it along a different line. That is the whole maintenance routine, and it takes a minute.