On average people spend half of their days at home, and a large percentage of this in their bedrooms – getting ready for the day, finishing up from the day and of course sleeping. Scientists estimate that the body contains 10 trillion skin cells, and we lose between 30,000 and 40,000 of them every single hour! If, like the average person, you spend 8 hours sleeping you are losing 320,000 of these cells onto your linen. Every year you will lose around 8 pounds of dead skin, meaning your home is filled with these cells and the dust mites that eat them. In short, regular cleaning of your linen is absolutely essential for basic hygienic reasons.

The cleaning of linen is often regarded as a chore of the past, with linen care being a breeze today due to the high-tech cleaning technology, treatments and care finishes. The linen of today is generally machine-washable and able to be either line or tumble dried, however instructions will usually be applied to your linen label to prevent shrinking or damage to the garment.

The Washing of Linen

Linen is usually washed with water, especially bedroom linen because the more that it is washed, the brighter and softer it becomes. The brightness is due to the linen fibre, which reflects light and is in the nodes of the linen. Linen usually washes very well, even at high temperatures, because it is a material that is stronger when wet. Many people boil wash their bedroom linen but a wash temperature of 60°C is effective enough to remove stains, cells and general dirt. Linen will generally wash much better when washed alone, as opposed to within a full load, this is because it is extremely absorbent and can absorb more than twice it’s weight in water. As with all garments for washing, you should wash dark colours separately and incorporate similar coloured items within the same wash. 

Drying and Ironing

A lot of the linen available today is ‘easy-care’ which means that it can be tumble dried, however specialised linens such as Egyptian Cottons, should be dried outside or naturally left to dry over a maiden. An advantage to drying white, or light, linen outside on a summers day is that the direct sunlight can help the garment to stay white as well as prevent creasing.

Many people don’t iron bedroom linen, but for those who do it is important to remember that linen should be ironed whilst damp. Using a good steam iron produces the best results and maintains the natural sheen whilst removing creases.