LINEN CARE

General Tips
Hand or home laundering is recommended for all of our linens, except where dry cleaning is indicated. Laundering relaxes the fibers and imparts a softer feel to the linen. The more you wash the linen, the more absorbent, softer and more "luminous" it becomes.
All linens should be pre-washed before being put into use.
We recommend that linens be washed separately from anything else. Washing with other items made of different materials and colors may stain or affect the texture of your linens. Additionally some other items may contain hardware like zippers and buttons that may damage your linens.
Select a gentle laundry detergent. Products with blueing agents, or whiteners are not recommended, as they may fade or discolor the linens.
Rotate your sheets and other linens so that wear is evenly distributed. Linens may take a set and stretch over crease marks so moving linens around allows linens to rest and reform.

Washing
Linens should be separated into light or dark colors. Avoid overloading the machine to prevent breaking long fibers. Whether cotton, pure linen, or a cotton/linen blend, all linens should be washed in warm water using a gentle laundering agent, with a final cold rinse.  If presoaking is necessary, it should be in cold water.
Be gentle when laundering linen. Use a gentle wash cycle or hand wash and use just a little gentle soap. Place delicate, embroidered or fringed linens in a lingerie bag before putting them into a washing machine. Use cool to warm, never hot water. Wash colored linens in cool water. Soft water is important as hard water forms a soap scum that makes linen stiff and dull. Launder stains when fresh. If allowed to set, stains may be permanent. Use oxygen bleaches like hydrogen peroxide for whites as chlorine bleaches may cause yellowing. Finish with a final cold rinse to remove all residual detergent.
Remove washed linens promptly from the machine; this helps reduce wrinkling. Shaking damp linens out before drying (at low heat) will also reduce wrinkles and quicken the drying time.

Drying
Line drying linens is definitely the most ideal, leaving linens nearly wrinkle-free and smelling fresh, but using your dryer with the proper settings will bring about satisfactory results, leaving linens relatively wrinkle-free and soft.
Do not over-dry your linens by using a dryer setting that's too hot. Set your dryer on permanent press, which has a cool-down cycle at the end that helps reduce wrinkles. Most dryers have an air cycle that simply tumbles its contents without any heat.  This is also a good method for drying linens.
Remove your linens promptly to reduce wrinkling.  Smooth them out, then fold carefully.

Shrinkage
Shrinkage will occur with all natural fibers, the amount of shrinkage varies depending on the fibers used. The sizing of our products allows for expected shrinkage.  Linens washed in hot water or dried at hot temperatures will shrink excessively. 

Ironing
Washing and drying your linens properly will eliminate many wrinkles. But fine linens made of natural fibers do wrinkle, particularly when new.  As they become older and softer, you will find that they wrinkle less.
A good steam iron will make ironing easier. 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. 
Iron your linens while they are still damp.  Ironing on the reverse side will prevent damage to the embroidery. 

Storing
If you plan on storing your linens, make sure you wash and iron them before you store them. Dirty linens attract silverfish, molds and mildew.
Store linens by rolling or wadding before storage prevents the formation of long term creases. If the shelves are wooden, line them with tissue paper; some woods, such as cedar, contain oils that can damage linens.
Make certain that linens are not exposed to direct sunlight or moonlight to avoid color fading. Wrapping them in dark acid free colored tissue will work as well. Acids in regular tissue may cause yellowing.
Do not leave table linens on your table where they may be exposed to direct sunlight over an extended period of time.