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Caring For Your Linen Products

Linen is one of the easier natural fabrics to care for, especially in articles of regular use. Needless to say, this is what has made it a ubiquitous presence in households all over the world – in bedclothes, for clothing, for tablecloths and toiletries, there is absolutely no substitute for linen fabrics.

While washing, drying and ironing linen fabrics, here are some tips you should follow:

Wash your linens often. Unlike many fabrics that lose their shine after a wash, linen fabrics grow soft and shiny after you wash and iron them. When not washed for months, linen can grow brittle and even break due to dryness.

Your detergent should be either pure soap or a very gentle detergent. The detergents found for use on woollen garments work beautifully here.

Do not wash light and dark linens together, as linen dyes tend to run a lot. Add some salt and vinegar to the water in which you wash dark linens, as this will prevent fading.

Avoid chlorine bleach on your linens – oxygen bleaches work just fine to keep your whites sparkling. On darker linens, avoid bleach of any sort as it may lead to patchy discoloring. Oxy-bleaches also work to remove mildew, which linens are prone to if stored in closed and damp areas for a long time

Use soft water on your linens, as the salts from hard water can form a deposit on the surface and make it brittle.

Linens absorb a lot of water, so soak them with water to spare and avoid loading the washing machine to the maximum.

Do not wring your linens. Squeeze them gently to drain excess water, and then you can line-dry, tumble-dry or lay flat on a towel to complete the drying process. Hanging linen in bright sunlight will bleach it naturally and retain its brightness

Iron your linens – always on the wrong side, and lightly on the right side only for pale colors – while they are still damp, or dampen them before ironing. Do not let the linen become bone-dry under the iron, it runs the risk of becoming brittle.

Clean any mineral deposits off your iron as they may leave stains

Spray on starch at medium to hot temperatures for a crispy texture, and use spray-on fabric sizing for a softer but glazed look

Always keep your linens in “breathable” areas. Do not stuff them into plastic packaging, as this will cause them to wrinkle and dry out, or get mildew from the damp. Also, wash and refold them once in a couple of months in hot and dry climates, as this will preserve the moisture in them and keep them from becoming brittle.

Bed linen and table linen are necessities in every household. To keep your linen in good shape over time and change, use it often and follow the instructions on linen care.
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Iron or Steam? Caring for Linen, Silk and Rayon

Deciding whether or not to iron something can be an important decision. Some fabrics are okay to iron while others can only be steamed. Different fabrics require different care and it’s best not to guess. Care instructions on tags must be followed exactly to avoid major mishaps. Some garments do not have care instructions, so use this guide as a tool for determining what you think may be best for your garments.

Linen is actually made from treated silk, but is much more durable than most silks. It needs to be ironed and not steamed. Steaming will not remove all of the wrinkles. When ironing, it is easiest to do it when the item is damp. You can still use steam from your iron to keep it damp. Starting from dry is harder, even when you use steam. Take care of any decorations by placing them face down on a towel. Iron them on the wrong side with gentle pressure and low heat. If you want your linens to be crisp, use starch. If you want them softer, use sizing. For a shinier look, iron both sides of the fabric.

Silk is very easily burned, misshapen or stretched when ironing. Steaming is highly preferred with silks. Your dryer may have a steam setting, you can hang it in the bathroom with the shower on hot, or you can use a garment steamer. Hang your silk items on wide clothes hangers to ensure that they keep their shape. Cedar hangers will keep the garment’s front and back from touching and absorb moisture that may be left in the shoulder seams.

If you want to iron your silks, check your iron for a silk setting. This should be the lowest setting. You will need to turn the steam up to high and work quickly, only ironing the wrong side of the fabric with the right side face down on a towel. Don’t stay in one area for very long or you can easily damage the silk. Keep in mind that ironing silk can sometimes change the sheen or texture of the fabric, so you will want to test an inconspicuous area before you begin.

Rayon is sometimes hard to care for because it is a synthetic and comes in a lot of different forms. Two different items can say “rayon” on the tag, look the same, and require totally different care. It is important to follow care instructions for each individual rayon garment. If you’re not sure what the care instructions are, treat it like it is the most delicate form of rayon. Ironing with steam can cause the dyes to run away from wet spots, ruining the garment. Don’t use steam unless the tag says that it is okay. You can use your iron on its lowest setting, or a synthetic setting, with no steam. Turn the garment inside out and iron face down on a towel or ironing cloth. Like silk, you should move quickly and don’t hang around in one spot for too long. Hang your rayon garments on clothes hangers to cool as soon as you are done ironing.

About the Author: Ellen Hamm is on the staff of Everything Hangers, a leading online resource for the highest quality clothes hangers, including sturdy metal hangers and cedar hangers. Learn more about our high end hangers at http://www.everythinghangers.com.

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Caring for Your Linen Clothes

Linen is one of the most comfortable fabrics you can buy. It also requires a little extra care to own, this is due to the fact it is made from the flax plant, which produces long fibers from its stalk. These natural “yarns” are what wick moisture away from the skin to help create the fabric’s light, airy feeling. The drawback, however, is that the “breathing” fibers are quite stiff. Once they bend, they stay bent, and the result is linen’s trademark wrinkles. Even more frustrating is that the more you sweat, the more the fabric wrinkles.

Before washing any clothing, it is important to look at the label to view the manufacturers care recommendations. Although linen may be laundered with great results, the garment label will take in account any special instructions that may be necessary for the particular item you want to wash. Some garments may include different fabric types used for their lining, or some may be a blend of linen with another type of fabric. If the label says it’s best to dry clean the garment, it would be wise to follow this advice.

Typically linen shirts and pants can be machine-washed in a gentle cycle in warm water. Of course it is preferable if you hand-wash your linen or have it dry-cleaned. Repeated hand or machine washings make linen soft, thereby eventually reducing wrinkling, while dry cleaning keeps it crisp and new looking.

To hand-wash a linen item, place it in a small tub with warm water and soap suds. Rub the linen in the mix and then pull it out of the tub. When it comes to stains, the treatment really depends on the source of the stain, but the general method is to rub immediately with cold water (which prevents the stain from setting in), or letting the garment soak in laundry detergent. Rubbing the stain with white vinegar, or sprinkling some talcum powder on the stain while letting the garment lay flat overnight, have also been proven to work. If the stain is oil based, it is usually best to let the dry cleaners do the work for you. If you choose to use a stain remover or treatment product, it is safest to test an inconspicuous area of the garment with the product first. Apply the product and let it sit for at least 5 minutes and then rinse. If you notice no color change, then proceed, using the product directly on the stain. After using the stain remover, rinse the garment and launder as usual. Remember that some stains just can’t be removed.

Once you’re done hand- or machine-washing, air-dry the linen garment. You can then iron it, or wear it as is.

It’s in linen’s best interest to never see the inside of a dryer. Ideally, you should let a freshly washed linen garment air-dry, whether by laying it flat on a towel or hanging it from a padded wooden hanger.

If you’re ironing linen, do so on a high setting, while the garment is still damp. The dampness guards against burning the linen; the fabric dries quite fast. Iron first on the inside of the garment to remove wrinkles, and then on the outside to create a nice sheen. Also, be sure to iron until the linen is smooth , not dry. When it’s to your liking, begin air-drying. As well, avoid folding your linen items; hanging is preferable.

And if you wear a linen suit or pants regularly, get in the habit of always pulling your pants up from the knees before you sit down. This keeps the fabric stiff between your knees and waist, and avoids the excess wrinkling in the crotch area that can be brought on by sitting, slouching and so on.

By simply caring for your linen clothing in the proper manner, you will be able to enjoy wearing your garments for many years to come.

Cory Davis is the President of LocoStyle, Inc., a leading provider of high quality men’s, women’s and children’s guayabera shirts, also known as Mexican wedding shirts. For more information and to browse a wide selection of guayaberas, please visit http://www.locostyle.com.

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