Linen Care ~ Jacinta's Five Top Tips

As linen is a natural fibre, it is highly important that we treat our bedding with the extra care it deserves. My wish is for you to give the same care and consideration to your linen bedding as you would a delicate silk shirt or your favourite linen dress. (or favourite shirt for my male readers.)

One.

~Cold

Cold water cycles are preferred. Warm on occasion, but never hot. This is probably my most important tip, because if pilling ever occurs on your quilts, this is usually related to hot water washing. If this has occurred you can pull them off or use a clothing pilling comb. And then stick to cold water washing moving forward. 

Two.

~Gentle

Delicate cycles and gentle detergents without harsh chemicals are best for your linen. Never bleach, soak, or use strong products like Vanish etc, as these will strip the integrity of the fibres. Just as we all prefer our food as organic as possible, our linen also prefers its washing without chemicals. 

Three. 

~Sun 

Avoid too much sunlight for the longest lasting colour . If linen is left in direct sunlight for extended periods you may find it stiffens and/or fades. A little trick I've found is to finish them off in the dryer (on a cool setting), as this helps to soften then back up. Be mindful not to overdo the time or temperate though, as this can damage the fibres, just a few minutes should be all you need. 

Four.

~Spring 

A good old fashioned "spring clean" but every season is always a good idea!

Airing duvet inserts and pillow inserts outside and preferably in direct sunlight too, as UV has a wonderful sanitising effect. 

Giving all mattress protectors, pillow protectors and valances a good wash, and also drying these in direct sunlight.

Vacuuming mattresses, bed heads and underneath the bed, even if this means moving the furniture around in order to access those harder to reach places. 

In regards to week to week washing, many of you have two or more linen sets on rotation. This avoids waiting for a sunny day or running out of time to have everything completely dry and made up again before bedtime comes back around. It really takes the pressure off!

Using a flat sheet reduces the need for washing any duvets / quilts as frequently as the rest. A general frequency many go by is: wash your pillowcases weekly, sheets between weekly to fortnightly, and duvets and quilts may be stretched out longer (if using a flat sheet)  These general frequency's vary depending on the climate you live, your habits and lifestyle. Of course, you do you! 

Five. 

~Embrace

A cool iron is fine, but I do encourage you to simply embrace the natural texture, wrinkles and all. This is the look and character of linen after-all. And I'm pretty sure we are all linen lovers here!

~Bonus tip.

Don't throw away the linen bag our Salt products come in. If you can create the habit of storing everything back in the correct bag after washing, then you'll have the linen closet of your dreams, with everything neat, organised and labelled for easy finding. Is anyone else as excited at the thought of this as I am?