Washing linen

An easy to care for material, linen can be washed by hand or by machine and a surprisingly wonderful benefit of washing linen is that the fabric becomes more soft and luminous with each session. Be sure that your machine is set to the gentle cycle and be certain to use a mild soap or baby shampoo. Your garment should be washed in a low temperature (cool or warm). Coloured linens should be washed on the cold setting to retain vibrancy of hue. If possible, try to wash your linen garments in soft water (water that contains a low mineral count). This will keep your linens clean from the soap scum that appears from leftover mineral deposits that will cause your garment to become stiff and/or dull. If you do choose to hand wash your linen, it is important to completely rinse out all soap or detergent. If any soap remains and the garment begins to dry, a brown spot may appear as a result of leftover cellulose from the soap. If you mark or stain your linen piece, be sure to remove the stain promptly. The stain cannot be removed once it has set into your garment.

Drying linen

Depending on how tightly your linen is woven, drying could cause the threads in your garment to shrink. Check the care label to see if your garment has been pre-shrunk and what drying methods are recommended. After washing, one thing to be sure to avoid is allowing your linen to dry completely. If the garment is left outside on a clothesline to dry entirely, it will become stiff, brittle and coarse and uncomfortable to wear. However, you must also avoid wringing out the damp garments as this will break the textile fibers and ruin your piece. Machine drying works acceptably on a low heat, as does rolling the article of clothing in a towel to dry. While the garment is still slightly damp, it is best to hang the item indoors until it is dry. Your linen needs the natural moisture in the air to maintain flexibility.

Ironing linen

Iron your linen while it is still damp and use a lot of steam to keep the moisture in. Set your iron at a high temperature and begin by ironing the wrong side (the inside) of the garment. If you would like to bring out the natural luster in the article of clothing, then ironing the right side (outside) will help you to achieve a shinier effect. The same way that you shouldn’t dry your garment completely, you also want to avoid ironing your piece until all moisture is removed.