Caring for your Linens

We recommend that you pre-wash all your new linens in cold water and always refer to the main guidelines mentioned above.

To avoid fading coloured cotton and linen, coloured threads and bias edges, most especially dark colours, wash first in cold water without soap, add vinegar to rinse. Tumble dry no higher than 30°C.

Never wash above 30°C. Always use biodegradable or non-biological soaps without bleach or optical whiteners for coloured fabrics, bias or embroidery. Excessive heat will shrink cotton and linen and strong detergents will fade colours.

These must never be mixed in with other colours or whites. These colours are very volatile and may run during the first wash. Follow these instructions strictly to avoid problems. They must absolutely be washed first in cold water and it is imperative to add a “colour catcher” square from DYLON with the first and second washes, this square will absorb any residue of colour which might run off during washing. If there is any trace of running, rewash at 30° with another Dylon square and add soaps. Never leave to sit in a machine after wash, dry immediately under 30°.

White bed linen without coloured embroideries or bindings must be washed at about 40°C most of the time. If they are very soiled, they can be washed at temperatures up to 60°C to preserve the softness of the fibre.

Use a gentle detergent without using excessive amounts as this can clog the fibres. Unless they are very soiled, your linen will be just as clean with a smaller amount of detergent. Remove from the washing machine straight away to avoid wrinkles.

Take special care for cotton pique bedspreads and honeycomb robes or towels.

Whether white or coloured, these should always be pre-washed in cold water and then on a delicate cycle at 30°C for best results. Cotton pique shrinks by 5-10% of its finished size. Excessive heat will aggravate the problem. Never tumble dry above 30°C, ironing the cotton pique as well as the waffle while it is still damp will regain some of its original size. Check the care label before washing in case it specifies to dry clean only.

Keep separate whites, light and dark colours in the washing cycle and do not co-mingle your cotton towels with synthetic fabrics or with items that could pull or tear the terry loops, like zips or hooks.

A first wash is also recommended for your new towels, it will help “break them in” which makes them softer and more absorbent. This is also an important first step to set the colours and stability of the weave. Run a washing cycle at low temperature using just a small amount of non-biological detergent. Finally, rinse in cold water. You can use a touch of white vinegar in the final rinse, this will further prevent colour fading and soap build up, leaving your towels brilliant, fresh and absorbent. Finally, hang (if you have the space) or tumble dry on low to medium heat without overloading the machine, as air needs to circulate so that the pile can regain its fluffiness.

Never mix colours with whites. Check that the soap you use with colours does not contain bleach. The delicate pile of the towelling gets damaged by excessive heat so it is crucial not to wash your towels at a very high temperature. All white towels can be washed at 60°C and all other towels at 40ºC as excessive heat damages colours too.

It is particularly important with towels not to use fabric softener since it decreases the absorbency. Several washings are required for 100% cotton terry towels to achieve their maximum absorbency, softness and fluff. Never tumble dry higher than 30°C. It is always better to spin dry then to tumble dry your towels.

Never pour detergents directly onto you towels and never use detergents containing alkalis. We do not recommend chlorine bleach as this tends to yellow and weaken the towelling. If necessary, use oxygen-based bleach.

Table linens should be washed in warm water and gentle detergent. Linen is a very strong fibre so bleach may be used on all white linen items, which will keep them nice and bright. Linen can be washed at a higher temperature such as 60°C. If very soiled you can go up to 95°C. Fabric softeners are not recommended since they decrease crispness, remove table linens promptly from the wash and shake out to help minimise wrinkles before drying.

We do not recommend tumble drying linen; it should be line dried or spin dried.

Table linens often get badly stained with lipstick, red wine, grease or red fruit. Follow the instructions listed below for removing these stains before you place them in the machine.

If possible do not wait to remove any of the following types of stains so that they do not have time to set into the fabric:

BERRIES AND FRUIT: If the stain is still wet, rinse in cold water; if it remains, pour hot water over it, then wash in hot water and gentle liquid soap. If the stain is dry, a solution of borax (one-part borax to six parts water) may remove the stain.  Soak in warm water until it has disappeared.

BLOOD: Attend to bloodstains immediately.  Rinse well in cold water (never hot – it will permanently set the stain), and then try the following: gently apply hydrogen peroxide with a damp cloth; allow bubbling, then wipe with a fresh cloth.  Repeat if necessary.  For dried bloodstain, soak overnight in cold water and two cups of salt, then wash as usual.

BUTTER OR MARGARINE: Mix one teaspoon of detergent with warm water.  Apply to spot and blot.  You may need to repeat a few times.  Alternatively mix one-part white vinegar and two parts water.  Saturate the stain and blot until dry.  Wash as usual.

CANDLE WAX ON TABLE LINENS: Harden with an ice cube or place in fridge, gently peel away the wax that can easily be removed with your fingernail.  Place the item between two sheets of absorbent paper such as ink blotting paper and press with a warm iron but only if the wax is white otherwise it will tint the fabric; the paper will absorb the remaining wax.  If the wax is coloured, scrape as much as you can, then wash with a bleaching agent.

TEA OR COFFEE: Soak immediately in cold water, rinse as much as you can.  Apply a borax solution (one-part borax to six parts water) directly to the stain, and then wash in warm soapy water.

GREASE: Do not allow grease stains to set. Sprinkle fresh grease stains with baking soda or cornstarch and leave for a couple of hours until the powder gets thick.  Scrape away and repeat if necessary.  Brush off the powder and launder as usual.

GRASS: Wash in warm soapy water. If stain remains, mix one-third vinegar and two-thirds water, apply to stain and blot with clean cloth.  Alternatively sponge with methylated spirit and launder as usual.

INK: Hold the stained area against a white towel; dab with a clean cloth dipped in alcohol; the ink will be transferred to the towel.  Repeat as many times as necessary. Rinse in cold water before washing.

LIPSTICK: Scrape off as much as you can with a dull knife, rub with a stain remover like Vanish with a clean white towel.  Wash as usual.

MILDEW: Apply white vinegar and lemon juice to kill the mildew.  Let the item sit in the sun for a few hours.  Wash as usual but separately from other linens.

MEAT JUICE AND TOMATO JUICE: Rinse with cold water.  Place fabric on a towel; blot the stain with another clean towel.

OIL: Saturate stain with liquid detergent then wash as usual.

WINE: White wine is easily removed with normal laundering.  You can also rinse with soda water. For red wine: dilute stain as soon as possible with a little white wine then soak in cold water; if the stain is stubborn saturate the stain with soda water until it disappears.

Heat damages the fibres and is conducive to excessive shrinking. Line drying linens is ideal, leaving linens nearly wrinkle-free and smelling fresh but using your dryer with the proper low settings will bring about satisfactory results leaving linens relatively wrinkle-free as long as you do not overload the dryer as air needs to circulate freely within the linens to eliminate as much creasing as possible and to ensure that towels remain fluffy.

Do not over-dry your linens by using a dryer setting that is too hot. This would damage the fibres. Most dryers have an air cycle that simply air-tumbles its contents without any heat.  Never tumble dry Linen, ideally, they should be line hung or spin dried.

Remove your linens promptly from the machine to reduce wrinkling.  Smooth them out, by shaking them, then fold carefully ready for ironing.

Washing and drying your linens properly will eliminate many wrinkles, but fine linens made of natural fibres do wrinkle, particularly when new.  As they become older and softer, you will find that they wrinkle less.

For both bedding and table linens, avoid using spray starch, which has a tendency to adhere to the surface of the iron and may also attract silverfish to the stored linens. To facilitate the ironing of your linens following these guidelines:

1. Iron your bed linens while they are still damp.  Check the sewn-in label with the universal symbols for the appropriate setting for your iron.  When in doubt, not too hot.
2. Iron your linens on the underside when possible, using a well-padded ironing board and a clean iron.  If additional moisture is needed, we recommend a water spritzer rather than a steam iron which might emit rusty drops during steaming. 
3. Due to the woven construction of cotton sateen, washing may seem to reduce the original silkiness of the fabric.  Pressing cotton sateen sheets on the reverse side will smooth the fibres and restore their original appearance.
4. When ironing monogrammed or any other type of embroidered linens, place them face down on a towel on top of the ironing board so that the embroidery sinks into the pile of the towelling. Do the same thing for Damask to enhance the jacquard woven design.
5. Table linens should be ironed while very damp especially if they are made of linen.

Make sure they are clean and well pressed.

Store linens flat.  If the shelves are wooden, line them with acid free tissue paper.  Some woods, such as cedar, contain oils that can damage linens.

Make sure that linens are not exposed to direct sunlight to avoid colours fading. Store in a cool, dry and well-ventilated place.

Leave a few lavender sachets on the shelves.

Any linens that are used infrequently, should be wrapped in white cotton, muslin or acid-free paper.  Avoid plastic bags or bin storage or cedar chests, which can cause permanent yellowing or streaking.