Complete guide to linen care: cleaning, drying, ironing and storage

Whether immaculate white, soft or brightly coloured, plain or embroidered, linen has made a comeback in our homes in recent years, becoming a chic and elegant decorative element that is almost indispensable. Curtains, bed linen, sheets, cushions, tablecloths… or simply for dressing up, it is everywhere. Its advantages are numerous: timeless and ecological, linen is a natural fibre, easy to wear, very resistant and with thermoregulating properties.

Since it is a natural fibre and its characteristic wrinkled appearance, its maintenance may seem a bit cumbersome. As always, we advise you to follow the manufacturer's instructions indicated on the labels. However, at Home Healthy Home, we give you some very simple tips that will help you wash and care for your linen garments in complete safety.

A cold water bath will make it easier to maintain your linen clothes.

Linen is a delicate material that needs to be looked after. To ensure its durability, maintenance should begin from the moment of purchase.

Before washing your linen for the first time, and even before wearing it, we recommend soaking it in a bowl of cold water and 25 ml of white vinegar for about 12 hours. Cold water will soften the fibre, make it more resistant to future stains and help reduce any shrinkage. It should be noted that linen can lose 5% to 8% of its surface after the first few washes. As for white vinegar, it will help the colours to set in the fibre, so that it maintains its original colour during subsequent washes.

This crucial step therefore serves to prolong the life of your clothes. It preserves both the softness of the fabric and its colours which will remain vivid and vibrant after several machine washes.

By hand or in the washing machine at medium temperature and minimum spin

Washing your linen garments softens the fibre and makes it more pleasant on the skin. Linen is an authentic and living material that becomes more beautiful with time. In fact, wash after wash, linen takes on a certain patina and becomes increasingly soft and pleasant to the touch.

In general, wash your linen textiles separately and avoid mixing materials. Polyester, for example, will create lint that will stick to the linen fibers and make them rougher and less flexible.

Sort items by color and don't hesitate to wash your bedding sets or linen sets at the same time to avoid possible color variations.

To protect and prevent damage to the fibres of your clothes, keep in mind that you should never exceed 50°C for white linen and 40°C for coloured linen. If you wash by machine, choose a delicate, wool and linen programme. If you prefer to wash by hand, avoid twisting the linen to avoid breaking its fibres.

Use a mild laundry soap without detergents, bleach or lye. At Home Healthy Home we have developed a Laundry Soap for Silk and Wool with Lavender Nº13 with organic olive oil and organic lavender essence, ideal for caring for and maintaining linen, wool and silk. It is imperative not to use chlorine-based detergents that can damage the fiber and turn it yellow.

When spinning in the washing machine, limit yourself to a maximum of 600 revolutions to reduce the friction of your clothes against the drum, which could damage the fibres.

Drying linen

Linen is a material that dries quickly, so whenever possible, opt for air drying; your clothes will be much prettier and, above all, less wrinkled.

If you want to dry your clothes in the dryer without wrinkles, use the lowest temperature setting in the dryer with a cool-down cycle at the end. Also, don't overfill the dryer drum.

The trick: Pure wool dryer balls in the drum help reduce possible fibre breakage and preserve the beauty of the fabric. Two or three dryer balls placed in the dryer soften the fabric and speed up the drying process by up to 25%, saving energy. They prevent clothes from clumping and matting during the drying cycle. This way, air can circulate freely, allowing the natural fibres to separate. This way, your linen sheets will be softer, more pleasant and more comfortable.

Some tips for ironing linen

After washing, you have two options:

• Maintain the natural wrinkled effect of your linen garments or sheets to preserve all their charm
• Or, if you prefer perfectly smooth clothes , you have to follow these tips:

To start, slightly dampen your linen garment. You will see that, from the first pass of the iron, the fabric will remain tighter. Never iron dry linen. Place the garment inside out to avoid wrinkles and use a very hot iron. Nowadays, most irons have a special temperature for linen.

How to remove stains from linen clothing?

A stain is never irreversible, even when it falls on a linen garment. However, the most important thing is not to let it set in and to treat it before washing.

Depending on the type of stain, the care is different, so read our little tips carefully:

• Red wine stains: rub with sparkling water or white wine and then place the garment in the washing machine. You can also use our Oxygen Booster Nº04
• Grease stains: lather with dishwashing soap No. 400 and let sit overnight before putting in the washing machine
• Coffee or chocolate stains : remove the stain as much as possible with a clean, dry cloth. Then, rub with soapy water and rinse with warm water. You can use our Oxygen Booster Nº04
• Blood stains: rinse with plenty of cold water... and place in the washing machine.
• Grass stains: rub with our damp stain remover stick No. 03 and put it in the washing machine.

How to store your linen clothes.

To maintain the quality of the fiber, you also have to take care of the way you store your clothes:

• As with any textile, store your clothes when they are completely dry to avoid possible mold.
• Fold your clothes after ironing and store them flat . If your shelves are rough (wood, for example), put a sheet of tissue paper on them to protect your textiles.
• Remember that sunlight and artificial lighting can cause discoloration of your clothes, especially when it comes to clothes made of natural fibers. Therefore, it is advisable to store them away from light.

With these tips you no longer have any excuses for not taking care of and showing off your linen garments...

Still have questions? Feel free to write to us at hello@home-healthy-home.com, we will be happy to help you 😍.