Luxurious Linens
Nothing beats climbing into bed after a long day and slipping into clean, crisp sheets. Whether your linens are bright and bold or simple and sophisticated, here are some tips to help you keep them looking—and feeling—luxurious.
Always use a mild detergent without added bleach or whiteners. Le Blanc Linen Wash comes highly recommended by top linen manufacturers and even works as a stain remover to restore older linens. For product information, go to linenwash.net.
When washing your linens, keep them separate from cotton towels and other blended fabrics to prevent pilling on your silky smooth sheets.
Heat weakens the fibers in your linens, eventually making them brittle. Use warm water instead of hot, and air-dry instead of throwing them in the dryer. If you absolutely must use a dryer, use the tumble-dry-on-low-heat cycle, and remove the linens before they’re completely dry (fabric tends to overheat in the last few minutes of a dryer cycle).
If you need to iron your linens, place a towel beneath any embroidered sections of the fabric, and iron the reverse side. This will preserve the three-dimensional effect of the stitching and keep the colors vibrant.
Natural fibers need to breathe, so try to avoid storing linens in plastic bags or boxes, which can lead to yellowing over time. Cedar chests are also a no-no for this reason. For long-term storage, wrap them in white cotton, muslin (old pillow cases will do the trick), or acid-free paper.
For more tips on caring for your linens, go to:
thelaundress.com
linenwash.net
linenlaundry.com
