Linen Clothing Care

Linen Clothing Care – How to Do It Right

Linen clothing care can be easy if you follow these great tips. Always treat your linen clothing with real love. We do recommend washing your linen by hand but machine wash is also an option. Always use a gentle detergent (not powder as those tend to coat the fabric), in cold or lukewarm water. Regardless of water temperature, it is quite normal for linen textiles to shrink after a first wash. However, you need not expect shrinkage with Otella linen, as we pre-wash all our textiles.

Before washing always separate your dark and light-coloured linens.

Linen loves water so if you are washing multiple pieces try not to overcrowd the basin, bath or washing machine. Wash your linen items together and do not mix them with any other clothing items like jeans, pants, socks etc.

HAND WASH

Gently immerse your clothing item/s in the water. Leave be for a couple of minutes, then use your hands to gently move the fabric around in the container. Use a gentle swishing motion – never wring, twist, or scrub the fabric. Allow the water to drain and refill the sink. Continue this step until all the detergent is removed. Wait for most of the water to drain from the item then proceed to air-dry.

MACHINE WASH

You can use a washing machine of course on a gentle cycle with a low-temperature setting. A gentle spin cycle will do the trick – NEVER wring or over-spin your linen. It will cause creases that may be difficult to remove as it stretches those fibres.

Linen benefits from drying naturally so reshape whilst damp and lay your linens flat as they dry or air dry on a padded hanger. These methods will also reduce the chances of wrinkles.

Whilst some items can be tumble dried on a low-temperature setting, we do not recommend this as it can leave permanent creasing and will shorten the lifespan of your garment.

How do I remove stains from my linen clothing?

Try to rinse or soak any stains immediately, when still fresh. Soak the stain with a solution made of water and a gentle detergent. You can also spot clean the fabric with club soda, baking soda or even a small amount of white vinegar, followed by blotting the stain with a towel.

If spot cleaning does not work, try first rubbing the stain with dish soap, removing any dirt possible. Then, wash the fabric either by hand or in a washing method using the tips outlined above. Never use bleach on any linen garment.

How do I iron my linen clothing?

Iron it if you must, but I defy you to tell the difference a few minutes later: Either way, there will always be some wrinkles.

If you handle your linen correctly it should not need any ironing unless for some reason the material has become really crushed or wrinkled. Always iron the fabric whilst still damp, use a hot iron with the steam setting on.

Ironing releases wrinkles with heat and steam by breaking down the bonds quickly, evaporating the moisture before it can set in, and pressing the newly formed bonds flat.

If your linen item is dry and needs ironing, keep an inexpensive spray bottle with clean water to dampen the linen to help with ironing.

If you are having trouble removing a stubborn wrinkle you can use a pressing cloth. The pressing cloth acts as a buffer between the hot iron and linen fibres and prevents flattening of the fibres to the point of creating a shine on your garment. The pressing cloth should help ease out any difficult wrinkles.

Tip: White linen is better ironed on both sides, whilst dark linen should be ironed only on the reverse side.

How do I store my linen clothing?

Never fold and store linen clothes. They should be hung preferably in an airy clean space on a padded hanger.

Linen is highly susceptible to damage from silverfish. So, beware!

Pretty easy, right? If you have any other care questions, reach out email info@otella.co.za and we will get back to you.