Linen

The most common misconception about linen is that it HAS to be dry-cleaned. Not true! Linen is actually stronger when wet and the more you wash linen, the nicer it becomes. However, colours can fade or the fabric can shrink. This happens with the fabric is not dyed with a colourfast dye or is not stabilized properly. Generally, the warmer the water you use to wash your linen, the more the fabric will shrink.

Select an appropriate detergent – this is key! Many contain whitening ingredients that are perfect for white linens but are not recommend for coloured linens. If you have hard water with a high lime content, make sure you use a softening agent, especially for dark colours. This prevents discolouring and spotting.

Dark colour should always be wash separately and avoid overloading the machine. This prevents lighter streaks in the fabric and your clothing will last longer.

To look absolutely perfect, linen should be pressed. But if you’re doing your own washing, you can avoid some of the work. Never over-dry the fabric and avoid using the high dryer temperature while drying. Remove your clothes as soon as the dryer is done. If you can, put out the corners and press them by hand. All of these steps can greatly reduce the amount of ironing you have to do later.

Everyone has their own tips for removing stains from clothing, but the usual things you might try don’t always work well with linen:
Ink – soak in milk or in a soap-ammonia blend then gently rub the spot
Blood – rinse immediately in cold water
Fruit juice/coffee/tea – rub with alcohol, white vinegar and ammonia
Greasy wax – rub with ammonia
Red wine – rub immediately with sparkling water or white wine
Candle wax – chill with ice and scrape as much as possible, then iron out whatever is remaining between two tissues

Note: always be careful when using ammonia and read the directions completely. Never use a chlorine bleach as this can severely damage the fibres of linen.