How do I wash and care for linen?

Linen is a bast fibre from flax — stiff, strong, extremely absorbent and about thirty per cent stronger wet than dry. It creases because the fibre has low elasticity, which is a property rather than a fault. It also softens permanently with each wash, so a linen shirt at five years old is better than it was new.

What you'll need

• A gentle detergent
• A washing line or airer
• A steam iron (optional)
• A spray bottle of water

Step by step

1. Wash cool to warm, never hot.Thirty to forty degrees. Linen tolerates more than people think, but hot water shrinks it, particularly the first few washes on unwashed fabric.
2. Give it room in the drum.Linen creases hard, and creases set in a crowded wash become almost permanent. Half a load of linen beats a full one.
3. Use a low spin.600 to 800. A high spin drives deep creases into linen that then take real work with an iron. Leaving it wetter helps it hang out.
4. Skip the fabric conditioner.It coats the fibre and slows the natural softening, and it reduces the absorbency that makes linen towels and sheets pleasant.
5. Take it out of the machine immediately.Linen left in a drum for an hour sets creases that a normal iron struggles with. This is the single most important habit.
6. Shake it out hard and hang it straight.A firm snap while wet removes a surprising number of creases. Hang shirts on hangers rather than pegging them by the hem.
7. Iron it damp, not dry.Linen irons beautifully at slightly damp and very poorly bone dry. If it has dried, mist it with water and leave it ten minutes before ironing.
8. Use a hot iron and steam.Three dots. Linen takes the highest iron setting there is, and it needs it. Press from the reverse on dark colours to avoid a sheen.
9. Avoid the tumble dryer, or use it briefly.High heat makes linen brittle over time. A short tumble to soften, removed while still damp, is the useful compromise.
10. Store it folded loosely and unstarched.Starch attracts insects and weakens fibre over long storage. Loose folds in a breathable place, not vacuum-packed.

Tips

• New linen feels stiff and looks pale. Three or four washes changes both, and nothing you do to it in the first month tells you what it will be like.
• Linen bedding is worth washing before first use and then every week — it is one of the few fabrics that genuinely improves with laundering.
• If you hate ironing, buy linen in a washed or crumpled finish. It is designed to look creased and looks worse pressed.

Common mistakes

• Leaving it in the machine after the cycle — Linen sets whatever shape it is left in while wet. An hour in a crumpled heap creates creases that take several passes with a hot iron to remove.
• Trying to iron it bone dry — Dry linen resists the iron and scorches before it flattens. Damp linen presses smooth in a single pass, which is a fraction of the effort.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask