Summer Linens Everywhere
You may have noticed that many stores from TJ Maxx to Macy's are stocked with linen garments: linen shirts, linen shorts, linen blouses, linen dresses, and linen pants. Retailers make if very obvious that linen is the summertime fabric to wear. It's a natural fiber known for its cool and dry qualities.
Fun Fact: Ancient Egyptians produced linen for clothing. The Tarkan Dress, discovered some 30 miles south of Cairo in Egypt is believed to be over 5,000 years old!
Linen Care is Surprisingly Easy to Provide
Knowing how to take care of linen garments is essential to preserving the fibers of the fabric and it's surprisingly easy to do. No special laundry products are required, and hand washing is not necessary.
How to Wash Clothes
Washing linen garments is easy. All you need is your regular laundry detergent and water, but lots of it. OK you don't actually need a lot of water—like you don't have to fill up an entire top loader with water and then only wash one linen garment—that would just be wasteful. What we mean is you need to give linen ample room in the wash to move around without rubbing against the other items too much. Friction tends to wear down linen, causing it to dull over time.
Additionally, you want to avoid using fabric softener on linen. Fabric softener tends to coat linen fibers causing it to feel less breathable. And don’t use bleach.
Washing linen in a densely packed wash load with fabric softener tends to degrade the integrity of the linen fiber itself. Ever noticed that a brand new linen garment has a subtle sheen but after one or two washes it’s lost its luster? That's probably because it wasn't washed properly.
How to Dry Linen Clothes
As for drying linen garments, you can do it in the dryer, but line drying is preferred. If you do dry your linen garments in the dryer, do so on a delicate or low temperature cycle and remove promptly to avoid wrinkles. If your linen items are a little wrinkly it's OK to iron them with low to medium heat.
That’s it. Linen is surprisingly easy to take care of. With proper care, your linen outfits can last you summer after summer perhaps ever as long at the Tarkan dress.
Connect with Speedy Fresh for Linen Care
If you have linen clothes but no time to wash and fold it yourself, no worries! Try our wash and dry drop-off laundry in Brooklyn (we are located in Brownsville) or our laundry pickup service. Just let us know if your laundry includes any linen garments and we’ll be happy to accommodate.
If you are a business looking for commercial linen care (that is for linens not necessarily made from flax) we’ve got you covered, too. Check out our specialized linen services for restaurants, hotels, spas, salons, and more.
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