Linen Care

So, you have bought your favorite linen item that suits you perfectly, and might be wondering how to take good care of it…

Caring for linen items is easy and straightforward. Linen is a durable fabric on its own, so you won’t have to put a lot of effort in tending to them. However, if you want to take advantage of your linen items for them to last a long time retaining its color and appearance, here are some basic rules you should follow.

Prep Linen clothing for washing

Prep the laundry by turning them inside out and buttoning up all the buttons, zipping up zippers, tying up ties, etc. This will help you avoid the garment from stretching and getting it out of shape. Separate white, dark, and colored linens. For best results, wash separately from other fabrics. Do not mix linen garments with heavy items like towels, denim. Then, make sure your laundry has enough space so it could rinse properly

How to Wash Linen Clothing?

Linen clothing may require some extra attention when washing because you want to avoid or control the creasing that happens to linen clothes. A couple of ways to do that is by washing linen clothing in plenty of space and hanging it to dry immediately after the wash.

Linen items can be both hand washed and machine washed.  Either of these methods will not stretch or shrink your linens if they are pre-washed products.

A new item should be washed with cooler water temperatures for the first few washes, this will strengthen the fiber of the fabric. Later you may wash your linen in Lukewarm water to avoid any shrinking and color fading.

Machine Wash:

  1. Wash in lukewarm water (<40°C/104°F). High temperatures may cause shrinkage and weaken the linen fiber of the fabric.
  2. Use mild detergent formulated for delicate fabrics. Do not bleach.
  3. avoid using fabric softener.
  4. Use the gentle machine cycle, preferably ‘quick Wash’ cycle is recommended
  5. Do not overload your washing machine as it can result in twisting or pulling the linen fabric out of shape.

 Hand Wash:

  1. Use lukewarm water with a small quantity of mild detergent and let the garment soak for about 10 minutes.
  2. Gently swish the item. Do not wring, twist or scrub as it can stretch the fabric.
  3. Rinse repeatedly until the soapy residue is all gone. Hang to dry.

Drying Linen

Drying your linens is a method of your own choice. All our Linen products are pre-washed and can be safely machine (tumble) dried on low heat.

Remove from the dryer when they are still slightly damp and hang or lie flat to dry. Air drying is another great option that adds softness to the linen items so you may line-dry your items. Make sure the garments are turned inside out when drying in the sun to avoid color fading.

Removing Stains from linen

The basic rule of getting stains out of linen is doing it as soon as they develop. If you let dirt, oil, grease, and other stains sit, they will absorb deep into the fiber making removal a difficult task.

If you have a minor spot, try soaking it in a water-detergent solution or washing it with club soda. If that does not help, you can put some dish soap and gently massage it until the stain comes out, then wash it as you usually would. Some stains are trickier and might come off by sprinkling baking soda and a few drops of vinegar on the fabric, then rinsing with clear water and blotting it with a paper towel to soak up the moisture.

Bleaching Linen

Please do not bleach your linen items. Bleach and detergents with optical brighteners tend to weaken the fibers and may cause discoloration. If you’re dealing with a stain, please refer to the steps mentioned above.

If you really need to brighten up a white or light-colored linen item, substitute chlorine bleach with an eco-friendly oxygenated bleach.

Softening Linen

Linen naturally gets softer with every wash, and stone washed linen should already be at its maximum softness. Fabric softeners (liquid or dryer sheets) are not recommended as they weaken the fibers of the fabric and coat them reducing their absorbency and moisture-wicking properties.

Ironing Linen

Natural fibers like linen will wrinkle, crumple and crease. The crumpled texture of a linen garment is one of the reasons we love them. The casual look of linen clothing has always been in style and has become very fashionable in the recent years, so you should not worry about a wrinkle or two when you go out. Just smooth it out on a flat surface when it is still a little wet and let it air dry to avoid any heavy creasing.

If you still insist on ironing your garment, make sure to turn your garment inside-out for ironing and use a medium-hot iron while it’s still damp or use a steam iron on a warm/hot setting for linen and a water spritzer if needed.

Storing Your Linen Clothes

Make sure your linens are completely dry before storing to avoid mildew. Natural fibers like linen need to breathe, so it is best to store them in cool, dry, well-ventilated areas and away from direct sunlight. Avoid storing linen in plastic bags, instead choose linen bags or reuse old pillowcases for that. We recommend hanging linen clothes in your closet rather than keeping them folded.