How to wash linen?

Washing and caring for linen is not as complicated as many people think. It is a fabric that likes water and frequent washing. In the past, linen was used to sew underwear, and as you know, this garment is the most frequently washed. Linen softens after each wash, becomes more pleasant and gentle to the skin.

There are two reasons why we usually wash our clothes:

1. because we want to refresh them
2. because they have been soiled and have visible stains

Depending on the reason for which we want to wash our linen clothes, we will proceed in a different way.

Let’s focus on the second option, i.e. washing due to visible soiling of the fabric.

If you stain your clothes, it is best to wash the fabric as soon as possible after the stain has occurred. Place the soiled piece of fabric or the entire garment in a bowl of warm water. Add a small amount of washing powder, spread it gently on the stain and leave for 30-60 minutes. It is important not to rub the stain and do not rub the powder into it strongly.

After this time, put the clothes in the washing machine or wash them by hand.

If you are washing clothes to refresh without visible soiling or if the soiling is light, simply skip the soaking step.

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Can linen be machine washed? yes yes!

You just have to follow a few rules:

1. The drum of the washing machine must not be 100% full. Len doesn’t like being squeezed. It needs room to rotate freely during washing, so let’s leave about 50% free space in the drum.

2. It is better not to mix linen fabrics with other fabrics, especially with synthetics and heavy denim fabrics. However, if you only have one linen item, you don’t have to wash it yourself. Len, however, prefers his own company.

3. Wash at max. 40 ° C, white at 60°C. You can mix colors with each other, but then I recommend using color-catching tissues to make sure that the fabrics do not stain each other. This is especially important when we have some contrasting elements on the clothes, for example white lace or embroidery.

4. Use delicate washing powders and a program for delicate fabrics. Do not use bleach or other strong chemicals, because it damages the fibers.

5. Set the spin to 400-max. 600 turns! This is especially important, because it is the spinning that damages the flax fibers the most. Then they tear and creases are formed, which can no longer be ironed. In addition, it greatly weakens the fabric.

You can opt out of spinning altogether and I recommend this solution when washing clothes with hand embroidery.

6. You do not need to add fabric softeners to your washing. Such liquids are intended for synthetic fabrics. They can unnecessarily stick to linen fibers and impair its thermoregulatory properties.

7. Shake the fabric vigorously several times after taking it out of the washing machine. Under the influence of the weight of the water and gravity, the garment will stretch slightly and take shape.

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What if you prefer hand washing?

Of course you can wash your clothes by hand. This method is the least invasive for fabrics and the safest for them. I also recommend using this method when washing clothes with hand embroidery. Models such as Róża, Hanna or Jagoda, which have embroidery, can also be washed in the washing machine, but then you should completely resign from spinning.

When washing by hand, there are also a few rules that differ slightly from standard washing of this type:

1. Do not rub the fabric, it may weaken the fabric or even break the fibers. Stains should come off with pre-soaking, so when washing, just gently press and rotate the fabric to allow the powder to penetrate into every nook and cranny.

2. After washing, do not wring the fabric, but gently squeeze it to get rid of excess water.

Drying:

1. Linen cannot be tumble dried. This damages the fabric and is not recommended. However, it dries so quickly that the use of a dryer is really unnecessary.

2. Linen should be dried in a vertical position, on a hanger or standing dryer. Hang in a ventilated place in the shade. Avoid places with strong sunlight, especially in summer. The sun will dry the linen too quickly, making it stiff. Also, do not dry linen clothes on the radiator in winter, for the same reason.

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Ironing:

Despite the fact that linen creases a lot, it does not need to be ironed.
This is a natural property of this fabric and also its beauty and property that you can love. Whether the clothes need ironing or not is an individual assessment of each of us.
Some iron everything, including underwear, others the bare minimum. I recommend ironing clothes that have pleats on the front or collars. Collars and pleats during washing can wavy, be uneven and look unsightly without ironing.

The models that I recommend ironing are: Jagoda, Róża, Anna, Hanna.
Models that in my opinion do not need ironing are Matilda and Amelia. These are casual dresses and even taken out of the backpack after a long journey look good. I leave the rest of the models to your judgment. 🙂

It is best to iron linen that is still damp, not completely dry.
However, if you miss this moment, nothing is lost. In this case, just spray the linen with water from the spray bottle and use the iron. If you iron dry linen, not only will the creases not disappear, but they can also become permanent. For ironing, use a temperature of 200°C and plenty of steam (if you have a steam generator iron) or spray water. However, linen is best and fastest ironed using a steam station. Then the creases disappear in the blink of an eye.

Finally, I would like to describe one important characteristic of linen.
Well, linen stiffens after washing. However, this is a transitional and short-lived stage. Linen softens perfectly when ironed with lots of steam, but even if you decide not to iron your garment, the fabric will soften with use.
The phenomenon of stiffening can be disturbing for someone who has come into contact with linen for the first time, which is why I wanted to write about it.

I hope that with this article I have dispelled your doubts and encouraged you to buy linen clothes if you haven’t already done so. 😉