Linen is a natural and eco-responsible material which, if well cared for, gets more beautiful over the years. In order to get the most out of your linen products, you should remember about a few tips.
First little tip from grandma: just after buying your linen product, put it in a bath of cold water mixed with some white vinegar, let your product soak for 12 hours before washing it. This will help fix the colours and soften your product.
Machine washing of linen products
First of all, as for all textiles, make sure you sort your clothes by colour before putting them in your washing machine, this way you will avoid possible discolouration. It is also important to pay attention to the different materials you will be washing simultaneously in the machine, as some materials, such as polyester, might be pilling more when put in the washing machine and therefore might damage your linen clothes with their lint.
Linen is a very resistant material that can be washed at up to 60°, however, we recommend a 30° wash which is sufficient and better for the planet. Your best bet is to use a minimal spin, between 600 and 800 rpm, to avoid breakage in the fibre.
As for cleaning products, you don’t need to use a specific detergent, but if you can, choose a natural one (better for the planet). Avoid chlorine-based detergents, however, as they may cause fabrics to turn yellow.
Linen care: drying
As far as drying your linen textiles is concerned, air-drying is the best option. If you are lucky enough to have an outdoor area, letting your laundry air-dry outside is even better. Linen has the ability to dry faster than other materials, so your linen products will only need a short time to dry.
Drying linen in a tumble dryer is not a bad idea, as it will soften the linen fibre and give your clothes and household linen a soft touch. The tumble dryer, however, uses a lot of energy.
Linen care: ironing
The ironing of your linen clothes is not compulsory, as the wrinkles on linen shirts and bed linen are desired. But if you absolutely want to iron your linen textiles, we advise you to always iron them when they are wet. Indeed, the humidity will soften the linen fibre and make it easier to iron.
Additionally, when ironing your linen clothes, be careful not to use excessive heat which could damage the fibre or even burn it.
Last but not least, remember to place your linen clothes on hangers in your closet so that they retain their shape and are free from wrinkling as much as possible.
